Table of Contents
The outcome
A movie about a love story between a wealthy man and a woman of the street.
She’s all That
Reflections on Personal Experience
In summary
The American love of movies has become a national pastime. If you prefer to watch movies at home, or in the cinemas, this is a great way to spend time with your family. Many people use this activity to build relationships with each other. In contrast, it might be something we do to set ourselves against others. You may not have noticed, but you might be able to notice how movies portray women versus men. Do you notice how women and men are portrayed in movies? This topic is interesting to me because it is often overlooked. I wanted to open up a discussion about the prejudice that is shown on TV. By analyzing two big-time movies and a research-based article, I’ll show how media use sexism to influence the audience. Media professionals make choices that aren’t random. The choices made by individuals in the media business are not random.
ResultsAfter deciding which topic I wanted further study on, I stumbled across “The Media’s Sexual Objectification of Women”, Rape Myth Acceptance & Interpersonal Violence”. This article explains how those who treat women as objects and as less-than-human are more likely than others to use emotional abuse, violence, or rape as an excuse for treating them like less-thanhuman. This article focuses on how controversial and provocative imagery can lead to distorted views of women by men. They used a number of different questionnaires and tests to gather feedback from participants on the rapes, objectifications, and dehumanizations that they desired. They note that women’s bodies are often used as a means to generate capital for the sale of goods. These tactics work well because our world is so tech-oriented. This makes us susceptible to a distorted view. This article is important because it uses real-life scenarios and college-aged people. The article is credible because it uses real-life situations and college-aged individuals.
Pretty WomanI went to the cinema to explore these claims about sexism. Pretty Woman, and She’s All That both show explicit examples. Pretty Woman came up when I looked for movies to fit my project. This is a film that I’ve seen many times and yet I always find new details. I picked this movie specifically because of the storyline. A sex-worker meets a rich businessman, who is looking for a partner to attend a major event. The moment he entered the picture, it “turned her whole life around”. The damsel-in-distress is shown as someone who must be saved. Her money was given to her and he “made her look good”. Before she was transformed into a “pretty girl”, no one respected her for being a woman, let alone a woman making money in a field she chose. Even if her only goal is to survive financially, it’s still a good idea. This film shows that society has unattainable beauty standards and guidelines for acceptable female careers. This film is based on a very well-known plot where a wealthy man is vital to the happiness and prosperity of a troubled, poor woman. Because he is kind and willing to be open minded, they finally find love.
She’s All ThatThe producers and writers of She’s All That flip a script to throw the audience into a loop. In this film, a male protagonist portrays a jock that has everything, but no girl. The woman will play the villainous and cold heartbreaker. Not only is he playing the nice guy in the movie, he wins his girl. Laney must not only alter her looks, but also change her views and values.
The story is about high school seniors, young teens and other teenagers who are trying to survive the end-of-year festivities. They bet with their friends that Zack Siler, the heartthrob recently dumped by his girlfriend, can not only win any girl but also make her the prom queen. This is their “project” or “shopping”. They are focusing on Laney, an art-obsessed woman who doesn’t meet their standards. Laney is a woman who has her own mind and is a lot more independent than most female protagonists. She doesn’t really want to get involved with Zack at first, but soon she gives in. It’s as if the man is expecting her to be a victim. But she’s not the only woman protagonist who’s been the subject of sexist depictions and reversed gender norms. Taylor, Zack’s former girlfriend is depicted as a spoiled, naive young woman. Taylor, much like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman’s character, is easily swayed and influenced by men, money, and power. Taylor, who is on springbreak, falls in love with a young television personality and quickly clings to him. When her plans for herself do not work out, she runs back to Prince Charming. Laney, Taylor and the men of the movie are all viewed as objects. Zack, a so-called nice guy even calls Taylor nothing to him. He even says that Taylor is nothing without the attitude and appearance of her beauty products. The men are constantly competing to make Laney a prom queen. We don’t witness them showing any consideration for her feelings. In this film, Laney is treated as a mere object – just like so many women in real life. She’s ALL That is the perfect example of men treating women like “things”, rather than as human beings.
This article is about how men disregard the feelings of women in order to reach their goals. They can wear or remove the women they love to achieve their goals. Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman chooses to date a sexworker because he feels she’s disposable and has a need for money. Vivian Ward may need money but did he take into consideration that she’s a real woman who feels, and the actions taken to make Vivian Ward appear more attractive to alleged wealthy people, might hurt her feelings and harm her self-image. Pretty Woman’s creators realized that sex is an attractive factor for viewers, and it can also be very profitable. The main female character was given the job of a sex worker to make the film more provocative.
The article She’s All That also gives us examples when the boys are hunting for women at the school. To achieve the title, they must find a young woman who meets certain criteria and undergoes a transformation. Zack’s close friends viewed Laney as the cause of Zack’s downfall, while Zack saw her as an accomplishment. Siler flirted with Laney and she fell for it. The film ends with a supposed Zack friend trying to play around with Laney to satisfy his “sexual quest”. He does this without realizing that Laney, as a person, is much more than just her reproductive system. Paul Walker’s Dean tries to force his way into her life despite the fact that she has repeatedly shown her disinterest in sexual activity. I want to refer back to an article in which it is stated that Laney Boggs was seen as a “object” and thus, Paul Walker’s actions of attempted-rape were excused. These two films are considered by many to be masterpieces, but they also show different examples of sexism.
Personal ReflectionPrior the class I wouldn’t have given these plots, or characters that tell these stories much thought. After gaining some knowledge about these films, I was compelled to question everything. Why did the filmmakers choose a prostitute to play? Why not male? Why wasn’t Laney’s appearance good enough to have her paired with Zack? I have a lot of questions for the movie makers. Because I was ignorant about the prevalence of sexism against women and other forms of prejudice, my view and understanding of media has changed. I was struck by the fact that the producers, directors, and writers profited from our obliviousness. This idea of perfecting the world has taken over our society. To change this, we must normalize imperfection while maintaining respect. Respecting one another will make us more tolerant of others’ faults.
ConclusionWatching movies is not harmful. The media will use sly tricks to make sure that their message is heard. Pretty Woman and She’s All That appeal to a worldview that is skewed by using gender normative role and sexist words. According to “The Media’s Sexual Objectification of Women”, Rape Myth Acceptance and Interpersonal violence”, people who don’t value others treat them like they wouldn’t be worthy of animal treatment. Impractical hopes will lead to false expectations, damaged self esteem, and objectification. The fact that both films have the protagonists find the “love” of their lives and seem to benefit from it doesn’t make the situation right. Film and media industries will become more proud to go against the norm when they see there are different shades of gray, rather than only black andwhite. We should all be held accountable for their content, because it’s what shapes our children’s minds.