Representation of Women in Action Movies
If a man can fight, he’s a hero. If a woman can fight, she’s a b**ch!
Representation of women in action films
The film industry never seems to lack action films and there always plenty for the market to choose from however how many of those have women in a leading role? A handful. There aren’t that many films that feature women in lead roles within action films. But the question is why? Why haven’t a majority of these women been given a chance? Are actresses like Uma Thurman and Angelina Jolie one-woman-wonders or have they just been given a lucky break? I’ll be exploring the representation of women in action films through a semiotic analysis. David Gauntlett argues that “in contemporary society, gender roles are more complex and the media reflects this. The female roles today are often glamorous as well as successful in a way that they were previously not. Much of this is due to the rise of ‘girl power’ in the media, through identities constructed by music artists and contemporary actresses, for example, who are demanding less passive roles” which explains how films like Charlie’s Angels have made it to the forefront.
Unfortunately, women have repeatedly suffered from a narrow set of representations in the media. They are regularly linked to the domestic situation i.e. housewives, or as sexual objects represented to entertain men. Furthermore, “the number of roles for leading women is far below that of men.” Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is the film I’ve chosen explore and there several reasons behind this. I’ve chosen this text because it portrays women within dominant roles. Furthermore, the concept behind it breaks the pre-existing norm of women being the sexual object that entertains the male hero/spy. This isn’t the case in this film, they’re heroes fighting crime and saving the day. Not only are they stunning and beautiful but they also possess skills that crush and challenge existing stereotypes about women which is exactly why I chose this film.
Representation of women in action films
The film industry never seems to lack action films and there always plenty for the market to choose from however how many of those have women in a leading role? A handful. There aren’t that many films that feature women in lead roles within action films. But the question is why? Why haven’t a majority of these women been given a chance? Are actresses like Uma Thurman and Angelina Jolie one-woman-wonders or have they just been given a lucky break? I’ll be exploring the representation of women in action films through a semiotic analysis. David Gauntlett argues that “in contemporary society, gender roles are more complex and the media reflects this. The female roles today are often glamorous as well as successful in a way that they were previously not. Much of this is due to the rise of ‘girl power’ in the media, through identities constructed by music artists and contemporary actresses, for example, who are demanding less passive roles” which explains how films like Charlie’s Angels have made it to the forefront.
Unfortunately, women have repeatedly suffered from a narrow set of representations in the media. They are regularly linked to the domestic situation i.e. housewives, or as sexual objects represented to entertain men. Furthermore, “the number of roles for leading women is far below that of men.” Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is the film I’ve chosen explore and there several reasons behind this. I’ve chosen this text because it portrays women within dominant roles. Furthermore, the concept behind it breaks the pre-existing norm of women being the sexual object that entertains the male hero/spy. This isn’t the case in this film, they’re heroes fighting crime and saving the day. Not only are they stunning and beautiful but they also possess skills that crush and challenge existing stereotypes about women which is exactly why I chose this film.
References: Pierce, Nev. (2003). - BBC film review. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/06/27/charlies_angels_full_throttle_2003_review.shtml Smith, Mr (2009). Representation Theory - http://www.slideshare.net/fleckneymike/representation-theory-2458490 Smcmediastudies, (2011) Ang, I. (1985) Watching Dallas: soap opera and the melodramatic imagination, New York, Methuen. Ibsen, Henrik (1917) Gunter (1995). Female Frontier, pg. 43.