Media Essay

With reference to any one group of people that you have studied, discuss how their identity has been ‘mediated’...

Feminist theories and Hegemony

Feminist theories have defiantly paved a way for many female who are protesting against sexism on television and in the media world.  Feminist theory defined by Laura Mulvey is the objectification of an image and then the identification of that image with the audience. In British cinema this is seen to be something that is very prominent; the typical narrative in the James bond franchise is a male lead being the protagonist in the film, while female is classed to be the vixen and sexual temptation for the male lead. The bond girl is one of the most recognised characters to date in the film industry, the bond girl has virtually escaped criticism, however with the advent of the bond girl in the 1960s she was seen to be a liberated figure compared women who were fighting for freedom in a patriotic society where they were trying to get freedom from the men. However women in this era see the bond girl to be a female that is oppressed by her sexuality as she can only represent herself in a sexual way and serves as a price for the protagonist.

This theory has been mediated through the film industry by the use of powerful female characters in films. These women play important roles like Margaret Thatcher who is played a Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren who plays the queen. In the 60s roles like this were rarely given to women to play as directors mainly focused on films which presented the patriarchal society and failed to remember women and the roles they could embark on.

Although in this era when people are asked about feminine rights and social equality they will agree and say they believe and agree with it. However there is an underlying image painted behind those ideologies. People agree with the feminist theory, were by the film industry see women to be objects of seduction and pleasure to the audience, this is a well known fact for the public. Nevertheless there is still hidden sexism in the movie industry were females are still placed on the pedestal of sexuality and women being dependent on the looks for the roles they play. Megan Fox in transformers is ideal example of this, were she was primarily given the role on the basis of her looks and this was one of the factors which led to her departing from the film itself.