TO WHAT EXTENT HAS THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY HOLLYWOOD FILMS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO‘ THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA’?
No matter the methods, in this celebrity-worshipping, media-saturated age, concentration-camp chic is getting seared into our consciousness like an ahi tuna salad, hold the dressing and the fish.
A 1991 study found 42 percent of first-to third-grade girls wanted to be thinner, while 81 percent of 10-year-olds were afraid of being fat. The data is 15 years old, said Lynn Grefe, executive director of the National Eating Disorders Association, but the aversion to fat has likely only gotten more exaggerated.
''Everybody has been brainwashed. I grew up with me mother talking about Marilyn Monroe, and I thought it was ok to be shapely and curvy,'' Grefe said. ''Young people now are scared of ay fat''
The Devil Wears Prada promotes the issue of the size 0 as Andy the protagonist is the average size and is still considered as being fat. Furthermore the character of Emile who is slim is on the mission of losing more weight for the fashion event being held in Paris and all she eats is salads and lo fat food. However and the end Andy is the one that gets to go on the trip instead of Emile this could suggest that the film is promoting the idea that you don’t need to be a size 0 to achieve success passing the idea onto the audience suggesting that they don’t need to be a size 0 to look great or appealing.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA star Anne Hathaway has slammed Hollywood executives for encouraging the size zero culture, insisting actresses should not be forced to slim down for roles.
The 24-year-old, who is completely satisfied with her curvaceous figure, has turned down acting parts in the past because she objects to directors putting pressure on her to lose weight.
She says, "It's completely understandable as a teenager to fret about your body. It's scary because you don't know how it's going to wind up. But I'm not a teenager any more; my body's chosen its shape.
"I'd rather be strong than skinny for most roles. I'm not a size zero, and I've had directors say to me, 'You're the best actress for the role, but you've put on weight recently.' If people can't understand you've put on five pounds (2.27 kilograms), I don't want to deal with them."
1920s This period bought in change in the social reform of women in the United States. Women were legislated the right to vote due to the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution. This led to women’s suffrage movement helping women to escape from the out dated way of living. These changes didn’t only give women new rights but it also gave a new sense of freedom. During this time in the media women’s new role was portrayed in movies particularly by a new industry called motion pictures. “The motion picture industry not only depicted what as going on in the lives of women at the time; it also trained women in new fashions and social roles that were being promoted at the time” (Women, Film and the 1920s).
"Movies during the 1920s depicted what a new “modern” woman should be and served as an instructional manual for young women of the time” (Women, Film and the 1920s). Young women of the 1920s looked, dressed, and acted different than their conservative Victorian mothers after viewing popular movie stars of their era (Women, Film and the 1920s). Women began to move away from classic long hair and conservatively dressed appearance. Short “bobs” became a popular hairstyle with women along with wearing make up to appear more attractive (Women, Film and the 1920s). Women began to dress more revealing by shortening their skirts and dresses. One actress, Gloria Swanson, was a strong influence on this fashion change. She appears in several movies wearing a skirt cut just above the knee, a look that she helped make popular during this period. Movie stars, like Swanson, became the idols of many women, causing them to copy their style. Along with Gloria Swanson, actresses such as Clara Bow, also had short hair and wore heavy make up. “Women now sought to use cosmetics to recreate the faces of the celebrities of the films”(Women, Film and the 1920s). Because movies were so popular amongst women in the 1920s, they were the ones being directly targeted. “A Photoplay article in 1924 suggests that 75 percent of the audiences were women, and in 1927 Moving Pictures World stated that 83 percent of the audiences were women” (Studlar). The movies portrayed these women as glamorous beauties with newly formed fashions and lifestyles. The photos of the two actresses give off the idea that these women are independent, attractive, and stylish.
Women in the movies of the 1920s demonstrated how a modern woman should behave. Women in the movies were seen as progressive individuals with far more independence. This behaviour impacted women of the 1920s, and they wanted to be like their favourite movie stars. This was true even before talking films were made. For example, the movies depicted new freedoms for women such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in public, dancing more provocatively, and going into the workforce (Women, Film and the 1920s). These new carefree women were often refereed to as “Flappers.” You would find images of Flappers in the silent films of the 1920s. Notice the woman has shorter hair and a shorter dress for this period. We can see from the images seen in movies from the 1920s that the Flappers were smoking and drinking in public to prove that they no longer had to be proper; they were challenging traditional moral standards, just like the movie stars. New dances were also invented to better suit the progressive women. Women in the movies performed these dances, such as the Charleston, and the women viewers quickly jumped on board. Women in the 1920s were also portrayed in movies as moving into the workforce. Actresses were seen playing roles such as secretaries, sales clerks, and typists. “The American Film Institute Catalog lists 49 sale clerks, 28 stenographers, and no less than 114 secretaries who appeared on the screen between 1921 and 1930. These films tended to glorify these professions…” (Women, Film and the 1920s). Women who saw these movies were influenced; they found new confidence to seek careers of their own and gained financial independence. The movie, "Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl" (1926), demonstrated just this. In the movie the woman worked her way up from having a factory job, to being a telephone operator, to becoming a model and lastly become a fashion designer. From a historical perspective this was a positive influence of movies in the 1920s because they encouraged women to become independent and successful for themselves. This era of movies was one that brought women into a new light, portraying them as independent, unique individuals, and inspiring them to become more independent and glamorous.
1940s This era brought a closing to World War II. Men were returning home to their wives, and starting families. “After four years of wartime instability, both women and men seemed to want to return to a patriarchal order, with women in the home” (Banner 137). During the 40’s and 50’s, women stayed at home with the family while men in most cases were the wage earners. This stereotypical image was also presented by the media, in particular the movies. “The women who were featured were limited to family roles. Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work. On the other hand, men were employed, had careers, and were doing something outside the home” (Stupor). For example, the movie "Picnic" made in 1956 involves a schoolteacher who is desperate for marriage so that she can feel secure with a man. The female in the film is portrayed as weak because it is implied that she is not capable of being independent and needs a man to allow her to feel secure with herself. Many women of that time felt just like the woman in the film. The media and movie influence was that marriage should be a priority, and that caring for the family came along with the marriage.
1950s “Many have claimed that pictures in the 1950s reaffirmed male dominance and female subservience, that women's roles were confined to sex role stereotypes of pretty, amusing or child-like” (Rose). Male dominance in movies reinforced male dominance in real life. For example, in the movie, "The African Queen", a woman missionary, played by Katherine Hepburn, in Africa during WWI is force to leave her base after her village is destroyed. She runs into a male Canadian supplier, played by Humphrey Bogart, who offers to guide her to civilization, but she wants to travel down the river to sink a German cruiser instead (Reel Classics). The male is the dominant character, and refuses to let her go through with such a dangerous procedure. This movie sends the message that women should not be independent, should not lead, and cannot be successful without the help of a man.
As you can see, there is obvious danger in the background while the man is rescuing the beautiful woman. This example of male dominance was common in the movies and imitated by society during this era. As a result, women during this time were mainly housewives and lacked motivation to go into the workforce. The media, especially movies, reinforced the message to women that they should be highly dependent on the male. During this era, it seems that the depiction of women in the movies slowed the pace of progress and returned them to a more conservative role.
Present In the era we live in today with the increasing popularity of movies and availability of movies at home, the way that women are portrayed in the media and movies continue to have a significant impact on roles, fashion, and behavior. Women today are generally portrayed in a variety of roles ranging from “sex objects” to dominators, often in the same movie. Additionally, women today are being portrayed as serious professional women. For example, in the movie "Tomb Raider", Angelina Jolie is on a mission to retrieve an ancient metallic triangle that found in a tomb chamber, the typical action movie. However, the plot synopsis, when describing Jolie’s character, says otherwise.
“She is everything you could wish her to be – cool, but oh so hot and totally in control, ready to save the universe. Her soft whimsical sighs reinforce her femininity and vulnerability. She is her own woman: sexy, confident, a dare devil and a tomboy but still a lady, in essence as well as name. And Angelina Jolie embodies the cartoon-like character with curvaceous abandon and extraordinary grace, athleticism, style and charisma. She is fabulous to watch – sexy, sassy and without question, all woman” (IMDb).
The media is unveiling the message to the viewers that the woman in this movie is sexually appealing, and therefore will get more viewers. Women, who see the movie or read the synopsis, get the impression that they must be “sexy” and “feminine” regardless of any circumstance.
In opposition of this claim, in our era there are also movies that show women as real people, not sex objects. For example, in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs", the main female character, Clarice Starling, is portrayed very differently from the Angelina Jolie’s character in "Tomb Raider." “She is intelligent, independent, career-oriented, and has an engaging personality. Furthermore, the film lacks a conventional romantic subplot even though it establishes the expectation of one when Starling is assigned to work with an older male agent” (229). In the movie, she rejects any male passes, wears conservative apparel, and is very successful in her career. A movie such as this one sends women the message that it is acceptable to be a serious professional focused on your work without having to be glamorous or sexy to achieve their goals.
One issue with today’s movies is the increasing pressure on women to be thin, because most female movie stars appear that way. It is very rare that we see women in the movies appear as “normal size.” This may be why the majority of women who compare themselves to the thin movie stars they see in the movies are not happy with their body image. Actresses such as Jennifer Aniston and Mischa Barton are prime examples. Because of this, eating disorders have become common in young women today. “Research suggests that about one percent (1%) of female adolescents have anorexia. That means that about one out of every one hundred young women between ten and twenty are starving themselves, sometimes to death” (ANRED). This has in my opinion had an extremely negative impact on young women of today. Movies in the present era have shown women to be both progressive and independent, yet still in a sense, inferior to men.
There are 39 film festivals solely dedicated to showing the work of women directors throughout the world. -Women in the Director's Chair
Twenty one percent (21%) of the top 250 domestic grossing films released in 2007 employed no women directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, or editors—a 2% increase since 2006. None of these films failed to employ a man in at least one of these roles. -Celluloid Ceiling 2007 Report
Women accounted for 6% of directors of the top 250 domestic grossing films released in 2007, a decline of 1% since 2006. This figure is approximately half the percentage of women directors working in 2000 when women accounted for 11% of all directors. -Celluloid Ceiling 2007 Report
A historical comparison of women’s employment on the top 250 films in 2007 and 1998 reveals that the percentage of women in all behind-the-scenes roles (directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors and cinematagraphers) has declined. -Celluloid Ceiling 2007 Report
Women accounted for 10% of writers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films of 2007. Eighty two percent (82%) of the films had no female writers. -Celluloid Ceiling 2007 Report
In Academy Award history, only three female filmmakers have been nominated for best director award (Lina Wertmuller in 1977, Jane Campion in 1994, and Sofia Coppola in 2004), but none have won. -Women's E-News
Men write 70% and women 30% of all film reviews published in the nation’s top newspapers. -Thumbs Down Report
Forty seven percent (47%) of the nation’s top newspapers do not include film reviews written by women, whereas only 12% do not include film reviews written by men. -Thumbs Down Report
On average, films employing at least one woman as director, executive producer, producer, or writer earned slightly higher opening weekend U.S. box office grosses ($27.1 vs. 24.6 million) than films with only men in these roles.
On average, films employing at least one woman as director, executive producer, producer, or writer grossed approximately the same at domestic box offices ($82.1 vs. $81.9 million) as films with only men in these roles. Facts About Women Make Movies
WMM has more than 500 films in its collection, representing more than 400 filmmakers from nearly 30 countries around the globe.
In the last decade, WMM has worked with dozens of local women’s organizations in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to support new International Women’s Film Festivals.
Projects that WMM has supported and distributed have been nominated for and won all of the most prestigious media awards, including the Academy Award, Emmy Award, Peabody Award, and the duPont-Columbia University Broadcast Award, among others.
WMM now sponsors more than 200 projects in its renowned Production Assistance Program, and has helped filmmakers raise close to $4 million in funding over the last 5 years.
WMM has returned more than $1.5 million in royalties to women filmmakers over the last three years.
WMM serves as an advisor to pioneering projects around the world including: the Gender Montage Project which trains filmmakers in the former Soviet Republics; and a groundbreaking program developed to promote filmmaking in Iraq.
WMM films have been aired by major broadcasters around the world, including HBO/Cinemax, PBS, Sundance Channel, IFC and international broadcasters such as ZDF, Arte, KBS Korea and TV Globo Brazil.
