Blog Post #2: Hegemony

Females in the male dominated media: a look at the consequences of hegemony


     Females are weak: at least that is what media would lead one to believe. In an industry which is dominated by males, women are still confined to cliched roles which do not reflect the equality they have so rightly fought for in society. The hegemonic control males exhibit over female identity in film and television is abhorrent.
     Quick, name a director, screenwriter, actor. I guarantee all three names you picked were male, even though all titles are not gender specific. When men are the majority, one would expect that they would be writing decent roles for both genders, since they are essentially controlling [both gender's] their image within media. However all too often a woman's role is pushed to the extreme sides of the feminine spectrum: overtly feminine, or dangerously masculine. There is no consistent representation of a strong woman who can function well in society. The reason that this harsh reality goes largely unnoticed and unchecked, is due to the fact that this meek representation of women has become so ingrained into our society that when we see anything other, THAT is what we find eccentric.
    For example, take any strong female lead in a Joss Whedon piece: Buffy, Serenity, Firefly, Dollhouse. It's still considered odd that a man can conceive such characters, and he is continually asked "Why do you create strong female characters?" During his speech given at a 2006 Equality Now event, discussing the repetitive nature of the question, he challenged "Why don't you ask 100 other guys why they don't write strong women characters?"
     No one asks that question because it's the norm to write in women characters like those in the 2009 film, Up in the Air. The female leads are, like I stated earlier, pushed to either end of the spectrum. The younger woman, played by Anna Kendrick, appears passionate and business minded, but is quickly put in her place by Clooney's more experienced male character who makes her realize that she just isn't cut out for the job. Oh, and she only took said job in the first place so she could be close to her (then) boyfriend. Clooney's love interest in the film, portrayed by Vera Farmiga, is equally career minded as Clooney, perhaps more; however, she's nothing more than a cheating woman who can't deal with the reality of life with her husband and young children. This was a critically acclaimed film which drew six nominations at the academy awards. Oh right, and the characters were created by males.
     So far, the message is clear: males who write women characters who fall in line with the status quo are praised, and those who write strong women are questioned for their distension.This appalling standard will continue as long as it is encouraged, and the practice of questioning anything other than such is the norm. To continue Whedon's quote "Equality is not a concept, it's not something we should be striving for, it's a necessity...the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. We need equality."