Women and Film Presentation: Jarett, Sanela, Stephanie

The under representation of females on screen is surprising given population and movie attendance patterns.Girls and women represent fully half of the U.S. population and buy half of the movie tickets sold. The lack of movement on screen is also somewhat unexpected, given the advocacy efforts of many non profits in the U.S. to increase the prevalence of and diversify the portrayal of girls and women across media. We will explain the "Bechdel Test" and its significance in analyzing films. 

We will also explore the ways that race has played a crucial role in the different depictions of women. While white women have been portrayed in mainstream films as damsel in distress who needs saving, sexually Pure, exists to give birth, and submissive. Meanwhile, black women have been marginalized into three main characterization. Mammy: desexualized, unthreatening, maternal, Jezebel: sexually promiscuous, and Sapphire: “emasculating anger”. 

We will offer counter examples to the mainstream depictions and talk about women in Hollywood, such as Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon, who have taken matters into their own hands. 

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Works Cited

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Bleakley, A.; Jamieson, P. E.; Romer, D. (2012). "Trends of Sexual and Violent Content by Gender in Top-Grossing U.S. Films, 1950–2006". Journal of Adolescent Health 51 (1): 73–79

Sakoui, Anousha; Magnusson, Niklas (22 September 2014). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 September 2014

DTWOF: The Blog. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 2011-11-09.

Ulaby, Neda (2008-09-02). "The 'Bechdel Rule,' Defining Pop-Culture Character". All Things Considered (National Public Radio). Retrieved 2012-07-26.

McGuinness, Ross (18 July 2013). Metro. Retrieved 15 September 2013.

Sharma, Versha; Sender, Hanna (2 January 2014). Vocativ. Retrieved 2 January 2014.

Gender Inequality in 500 Popular Films: Examining On-Screen Portrayals and Behind-the-Scenes Employment Patterns in Motion Pictures Released between 2007-2012:

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Marc Choueiti, Elizabeth Scofield, & Dr. Katherine Pieper

Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism University of Southern California