Preview

Billy Elliot Gender Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
733 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Billy Elliot Gender Essay
Representations of Gender – Billy Elliot
In the movie “Billy Elliot” there is many representations of gender. The characters challenge and reinforce certain stereotypes shown and the audience is positioned to respond in a particular way.

PLOT
This story is set in a mining town just outside of London. A young boy, Billy, has a passion and talent for dance that drives him to defy all the social and cultural rules in his world. By following his dream Billy challenges the stereotype for boys in the mining town. During the journey his family’s struggle for money to support each other is shown. Billy’s life takes you on many twists and turns as he works his way to the top.

FILM CODES
One of the most powerful symbolic codes in the film is in the scene where Billy
…show more content…
The most influential one is the discourse of the men in the mining town. They are expected to be rough, tough, arrogant and headstrong. When Billy’s father talks to women he is supporting the discourse. He does this by speaking to women as if they’re below men. This is shown as he uses harsh language, shouts and doesn’t take their opinions or feeling into account. However, at Christmas you see the father in a different light. He is instead challenging the discourse because is he crying and men aren’t supposed to seem weak. It’s in this moment when he shows his softer side that his opinions change and he finally decides to support and accept Billy.

REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER
A commonly misunderstood representation of gender has been included into the film. When Billy’s friend, Michael, finds out that Billy has been doing ballet he assumes Billy is a homosexual. In the scene Michael admits that he isn’t a heterosexual and finds it difficult to believe that Billy is, even though he has a passion for ballet. Billy is challenging the stereotype that you must be female or a homosexual to be interested in ballet.

HOW THE AUDIENCE HAS BEEN

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    3. What are some of the broad messages of masculinity and femininity that we are meant to be drawing from the musical? In other words, how are gender relations demonstrated? Is there a distinction between the way the female and male characters are expected to behave? Is this an unapologetically “man’s world”?…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In contrast, a woman is expected to act feminine, be submissive in the presence of a man and give him proper service. Mrs. Pearce the housekeeper perfectly represents these qualities as she cooks for Higgins, cleans and manages his household. Eliza Doolittle, after her successful transformation into a lady, could also be considered another example. After Act 2, not only does Eliza start to become a proper lady, but she also becomes Mr. Higgins’ personal servant. This idea is further strengthen when Higgins himself said to his mother that “she knows where [his] things are, and remembers [his] appointments and so forth” (Act 3, p. 65). Feminists Delphy and Leonard (1992) assert that men gain “57 varieties of unpaid services” from their wives (as cited in McMahon, 1999, p. 46). However, this can be applied to all women. Mrs. Pearce and Eliza are portrayed as subservient slaves to an active male providing him with unending services even though they are not his wives. Unlike a man who has an active role, a woman has a passive role in society. The active male is expected to manage his environment and dictating the actions and interactions of others around him while the obedient female serves him.…

    • 241 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, Billy’s transition into the world isn’t always ‘smooth running’ as he faces many barriers set out by society- especially in relations to gender roles. When Jackie says ‘lads do boxing and wrestling… not bloody ballet’ demonstrates the stereotypes held in society. Nevertheless it is Debbie that says ‘plenty of men do it [ballet]’ but Billy dismisses them as ‘poofs’. This further reflects Billy’s upbringing and the attitudes of his community. However, as…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1950's Gender Roles Essay

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “The way to a man’s heart, so we’ve always been told, is a good working knowledge of a pot, pan and mold.” –The Brides Cookbook, 1956. This quote is from a cookbook, which was made especially for newlywed women (Brides Cookbook, 1956). This is one example of the gender roles that was expected during this time era. Many women during that time period were expected to stay home, cook, clean and take care of the children, while the man of the house would work. The quote also continues “A juicy red steak, or a tender fish fillet, done to a turn, in a bright copper skillet, And leaves the man happy, content and drooling” (Brides Cookbook, 1956), It states that the meals the women makes will leave him happy, and during this time era, women did all the work in the house (Brides Cookbook, 1956). Even television shows during this time era make is acceptable to be a house wife, such as I love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Angus Bethune Paper

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “I just wanted to let you know things aren’t always as they appear,” is a big lesson that Angus Bethune learns throughout this story. Angus is a teenager who is forced to struggle with people making fun of him because of his weight and his parent’s sexual orientation. Angus has learned to stand up for himself and how to cope with people bullying him. He has had to deal with people making comments about his parents and their decisions for as long as he can remember. He has always had a crush on a girl is his school names Melissa. It isn’t until the school dance that Angus gets to know Melissa and she teaches him a valuable lesson. At the school dance Angus faces his fears and dances with Melissa even though he is a terrible dancer. Angus Bethune is a character who sticks up for himself, is a terrible dancer, and learns an important lesson and I can relate to him throughout this novel.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Composing Gender

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Composing Gender by Rachel Groner and John F. O’Hara, there is the discussion of how society shapes gender and imposes gender roles on children, even before they are born, through simple things such as names and gender-themed baby showers. Many people think of anatomy equaling gender, however it is not that simple. Gender is more than just the boy and girl binary. It is the way that different toys are separated into “girl sections” which are typically all pink and “boy sections” which are typically blue. From an early age, society separates boys and girls by gendering things such as names and products. In 1972, there was an article published by Ms. Magazine, written by Lois Gould, about how it is always a battle for a child to not fall into stereotypical gender roles. Her idea for an experiment of raising an androgynous child could change the way society sees gender, if it were to ever be carried out. It made me…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since my very first English class back in elementary, I was taught how to use pronouns. The thing about pronouns is that you need to know the sex of the person you are trying to talk about. The pronouns “he or she”, in English terms, is not an acceptable manner to use for both genders. But what if we were to be considerate to other’s opinions and personal views on gender identity? What if we let go of the need to contemplate on how to identify them?…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When reading literature from the Renaissance period, it is clear to see male and female characters were thought upon as two completely different types of people. By following what the bible told them about the opposite sexes, writers in this time were able to set specific gender norms for both men and women. However, when reading the works of William Shakespeare, one can sense a riff in the norms of either sex. With characters such as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, we can see a character that possess qualities that do not necessarily belong to their gender. However, with a character like Desdemona in Othello, we can see that Shakespeare could also write characters who fall victim to the gender roles of society. Also, with a character like Viola in Twelfth Night, we can see a character who becomes stuck in the middle of following the gender norms and making their own choices in life. By looking at these three unique characters, we must wonder what Shakespeare was trying to say about the ways that men and women were perceived at the time. Did he agree with the rules that society made for them? Or, was he trying to change the way we thought about the opposite sex?…

    • 3250 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare Gender Roles

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The boys, ages 13-19, who wanted to have an acting career began with female roles, as they were considered small and easy roles to play (“Globe Theatre Female Roles”). Young boys who have not hit puberty have higher voices, making their sound closer to that of a woman (Sharnette). Their faces and bodies however, were made different by makeup and costumes. Characters were recognised as women by the extravagance of their appearance. Their clothes were layered and their makeup detailed. Actors wore periwigs to further the feminine look.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night explores the idea of sexuality being fluid through cross-dressing and mistaken identities. There is a specific love triangle that really explores ideas that went against the societal norms of Shakespeare’s time. The love triangle occurs between Oliva, a noblewoman, Duke Orsino, and Viola, who is also disguised as a man named Cesario. Viola is in disguise as a man to work for Duke Orsino. The play progresses and Viola begins to fall for Orsino. However Orsino is in love with Olivia. Orsino sends Cesario/Viola over to Oliva’s home in attempts to “whoo” her. Olivia begins to fall for Cesario. Eventually everyone figures out that Viola is a woman because her twin, Sebastian enters the picture. However there are implications…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rackin describes the debate regarding boy actors who played cross-dressed women characters. She maintains that boy actors were used to play women to accentuate their femininity. Stephen Greenblatt “used Thomas Laquer’s theory that all the actors on stage were male to theorize a masculine fantasy of a world without women.” However, Dusinberre correlates the boy actors used in Shakespeare’s plays with his androgyny as a playwright because these actors present “similarities between the sexes, the way in which boyishness itself formed an element of femininity.” Feminine boy actors were used to play cross-dressed women rather than adult men, undermining Thomas Laquer’s hyper-masculine theory of Shakespeare’s theatrical world. Shakespeare’s plays deconstruct Renaissance views of masculinity, since he uses female characters that cross-dress as men and are played by feminine boy…

    • 2178 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To some the 1950s were a time of post war bliss and happiness. At the close of the Second World War the United States was in a state of economic high. Suburbs were becoming a social norm and the number of babies being born in this year went up by 215 percent. The United States was the world’s strongest military power and the fruits of prosperity, cars and new technology were available to more people than ever. Although the 1950s weren’t all poodle skirts and Elvis, in some parts of the country different minorities like women and various ethnicities felt a strong power of discrimination. In A Street Car Named Desire, one very popular play in the 1950s, portrays the relationships of men and women and the differences of expectation versus reality. In the play a Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams attempts to convince his audience that 1950s American society is conflicted based on gender roles, societal behavior expectations comparatively, and how Blanche and Stanley fit into these sociably acceptable roles.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many prevalent themes throughout the play, Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. One major theme of the play is femininity vs. masculinity. The main characters, Blanche DuBois, and Stella and Stanley Kowalski reflect the stereotypical gender roles. Stella and Stanley’s dysfunctional relationship faces even more complications when Stella’s sister, Blanche moves in temporarily. Throughout the course of this play, the Kowalski relationship is proven to be very unhealthy, due to Stella’s dependence on Stanley and Stanley’s brutality and masculinity.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theory of social construction of gender is embedded views from society on gender roles, responsibility and our rights. Everyday activities are assumed that a certain gender is expected to do something rather than both genders taking on activities and keeping both genders equal. Men are assumed to go to work and women are expected to stay home and take care of the house and care for the children. It is not a norm for society to have the roles reversed. When a child is born the sex is determined by their anatomical characteristics. However, it is assumed that the role of the male or female is to be their assigned gender. Gender is the socially assigned behaviors and norms for a specific gender. We as a society…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Gender Identity

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gender identity is an individual's personal, the sense of being male or female. Gender identity starts to begin in most children by the age of 3. Although most societies define gender as male and female, many cultures may define gender as neither male or female. Sex refers to biological differences between male and female. The same sex hormone occur in both male and female, but differ in amounts and in the effects that they have upon different parts of the body for example, chromosomes (female XX, male XY), hormones (oestrogen, testosterone). According to the social cognitive theory of gender, children's gender development occurs through being rewarded and punished for gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate behaviors. From birth male and…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays