Gender Relations in the World and Cultural Products - Assignment Example

Gender Relations in the World and Cultural Products QUESTION How does the gender binary restrict and/or empower themain characters in the film? In what ways do the main characters live up to and/or reject hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity? How are they “doing gender?” How does gender intersect with other dimensions of inequality (class, race, physical ability, age, nation, etc.) to shape how the characters “do gender?” In other words, how do racialized and class-based gender ideals restrict and/or empower the main characters in the film? Bornstein defines gender binary as the differentiation of sex and gender into two distinct and unique forms of masculinity and femininity (Bornstein 264). It gives each person his or her gender roles and creates social boundaries. Each person is to concentrate on what he or she is supposed to and avoid doing to other people’s roles. The main characters of the film “frozen” being Anna and Elsa, being princesses and are obviously in line to assume control of the throne after the death of their parents at sea, they are not in any way restricted by gender binary and refuse to accept their hereditary roles. Elsa, though she had been in solitary for a long period because of the fact that she had hurt her sister when they were young, she was now of age and eligible to take the throne. Leadership roles has been for a long time attributed to men, but Elsa, as young woman, was now going to take control of the whole kingdom. This scenario is in accordance to Bornstein that binary specifies roles and classifies women, not as leaders, but as followers who cannot make decisions for a large group people (Bornstein 132). However, in this film, audience witnesses these gender binary assumptions being overridden and a young female princess rising to the position of queen. Anna, on the other hand, is not scared to spend some times in the mountains in search of her run-away sister. They are able to struggle through the winter caused by Elsa with the help of Kristoff, his reindeer and the iceman, Olaf, to reach the top of the mountain where Elsa had taken refuge. They two girls do not let their femininity control their actions, rather defy the gender binary and approach their destinies without much fear. According to sociologist R.W Connell, hegemonic masculinity emphasizes on high or dominant social position of men and a subordinate or low position of women (West & Zimmerman 59). The two main characters of the film, completely ignore hegemonic masculinity and do not allow them being viewed as subordinate individuals in society restrict their behavior. They defy once again the assumptions that it is men who should always take up leadership roles and lead people toward finding solutions to their problems. First, Elsa accepts to take the throne after the death of her parents at sea. Though Hans has a plan, which is to steal the kingdom away from the two girls, he falsely confessed his love for Anna so that he can quickly marry her and be king. This situation, according to Coneell, is an epitome of hegemonic masculinity as he does not view the girls good enough to rule the kingdom. For instance, Anna takes the initiative to try to find her sister and take her back to the kingdom so that she can undo the winter she had cast upon the kingdom. Her femininity does not stop her from shouldering the responsibility of freeing the kingdom from the sudden winter it has been cast on. Therefore, in the end the two main characters completely reject hegemonic and take their own individual paths towards finding solutions for both their personal and the kingdom’s problems. Candace West and Don Zimmerman defined and coined the term “doing gender”. They said that, gender rather than being an innate quality of an individual, is a psychologically ingrained social construct, which actively surfaces in human interaction (West & Zimmerman 38). They further emphasized that gender actions are supposed to occur naturally, and no individual should take on roles that are not theirs. The individuals are finally judged, but their ability to succeed in accomplishing their gender roles or failure to meet the desired results, which are societal expectations. For example, the two main characters of the films are definitely “doing gender” and acting in a way that shows the entire kingdom they are ready to accept their new roles as the leaders of the kingdom. When problems arise, they are at the forefront to tackle them and bring back normality into the kingdom. Elsa is the first to do gender, as she is ready to come out of solitary, where she has for a long time hidden from the world and accept the bigger role, which is to lead the kingdom. She is willing to face her sister whom she had hurt a long time ago and let society judge her, not for her past, but for the way she will rule and carry on with the works of her parents. Anna also decides to take action and free the kingdom from the terrorizing winter that it has been cast in. She takes the initiative to look for her sister, though they are not in good terms, put aside all their personal differences for the common good of the kingdom. A man had built a ridge between them and led to an outburst that resulted to the winter. Anna was willing to act philanthropically for the sake of the kingdom, find her sister and restore order. In the film “frozen,” gender intersects with the dimensions of inequality. First, the two are female and are princesses. They occupy the highest social position and are of the leading class in the kingdom. After the death of their parents, they are automatically left the throne and have to accept their role as rulers. They kingdom needs a kind of leadership they can depend on, that will guarantee them prosperity and success, and two young women do not really drive confidence out of the kingdom’s populace. Therefore, when a young prince Hans proposes marriage to Anna, with hidden intentions of taking leadership of the kingdom once, they are married. This act shows a lack of confidence on the princesses to lead the kingdom. They require a man who is more accepted in the leadership role. Gender also collides with another dimension of inequality in the film. Age brings out friction, in the film, as Elsa is only eighteen for her coronation. She is just too young to take on the responsibility for the entire kingdom. To make the matter more difficult, she has always been locked up and is not well informed of what was really going on in the kingdom. She does not possess the political knowledge to deal with all he hungry neighbors that are always after her kingdom. She is too naïve to see that Hans only proposed to her sister so that he can take control of the kingdom. Her age does not at all give her any advantage in leading the kingdom. Another parameter of inequality that manifests itself in the film is how the different kingdoms (nations) fight against one another. Prince Hans simply wants to take control of the kingdom of Arandelle by falsely proclaiming his love for Anna, get married to her and becomes king. Another interested party is the Duke of Weselton, he is only interested in exploiting Arandelle, and that is the only reason he comes to Elsa’s coronation. All these dimensions of inequality have a great impact in the film. They result to some consequential decisions and actions and affect how the main characters of the film “do gender”. The relationship within the whole kingdom is interfered with because of the gender inequalities. Sister-sister relationship is almost completely dented. Therefore, femininity becomes a major issue in taking leadership and finally, age affects the confidence of the kingdom on the princesses. QUESTION 2 Ultimately, what stance do you think the film and the filmmaker is taking on gender and on patriarchy? Is the film critical of patriarchy or does it reinforce patriarchy? Is the film critical of the traditional gender binary we find in patriarchy or does it help to justify and reinforce that binary? Does it offer a subversive or patriarchal vision of gender? Does the film offer a hegemonic or counter-hegemonic view of gender relations? How can you tell? Support your argument with evidence and examples. (Some ideas for how to think about this-which does the film ask you to sympathize with, look up to or find heroic? Whom does the film portray negatively? What kinds of situations are portrayed positively in the film? What kinds of situations are portrayed negatively? How can you tell? The film and the filmmaker are for the female gender. Males are portrayed as manipulative and with hidden agendas as evidenced by prince Hans and the duke of Weselton. Except for Kristoff, the male gender has been portrayed negatively. Patriarchy is a social system that looks down upon women and men are viewed as the central authority figures and the sole holders of the all-political positions (Carrera et al. 89). The film does not recognize patriarchy, after the death of their parents. Elsa, a female princess, is coroneted to be the new leader of the kingdom. This is against all the propagations of patriarchy, which puts men as the only central figures of authority and the holders of political power. Therefore, the film overrides the misconceptions that have always dominated the film industry and the human logic that men are always supposed to rule. Spade and Valentine (2008) provide a different angle, which femininity edges masculinity. They believe that there are some activities or decisions, which women can do better than men (Spade & Valentine 185). This idea is evident in the film where Anna leads the search for Elsa so that they can end the wither, though she is helped by Kristoff, she also goes beyond the patriarchal boundaries and shows that women can also lead to a larger purposes that are aimed at resolving issues for a large group of people. The film is critical of patriarchy. Even when Prince Hans proposes marriage to Anna, the film brings a twist that reveals that Prince Hans’ love for her was untrue. It unmasks his intentions and personal interests, which were always to take control of the Arendelle kingdom. However, only an act of love could save Anna after her encounter with Elsa that left her heart frozen. When the Prince was expected to break the curse and save Anna, he was defeated, and his true intentions are thus uncovered. The film also recognizes that it is the sole right of Elsa as heir to the throne to take control of the kingdom. It does not prejudice or discriminate against her based on her earlier actions, but it recognizes her as the one who is entitled to rule after the death of their parents at sea. The Princes, being a female, is not an issue in the film since the film does not look for an alternative or does it take, and patriarchal path, it accepts things as they unfold and allow the girl to lead the kingdom. The film, in accordance to Spade and Valentine’s presentation of the gender binary, is critical on the traditional gender binary found in patriarchy. This is because events in the films do not subordinate the female gender. Therefore, Hans’ attempt to capture the throne from his sisters is revealed. Additionally, the notion that only men should be central figures in power and authority and that they should be the sole custodians to political power is ignored. Traditional gender binary that separates the two genders and view male and female as belonging to distinct social classes, as Spade and Valentine present, is also overlooked (Spade & Valentine 164). The kingdom comes under the leadership of two young girls disregarding the patriarchal notion and the gender biases that have always dominated human thinking. The film offers a counter-hegemonic view on gender relations. It does not place men above women nor does it state that men should occupy a dominant social position and female a subordinate social placing. It allows women to go toe-to-toe with men in the struggle for both the kingdom and in attempting to resolve the problems that affect the kingdom. Prince Hans, the Duke of Weselton, and the two princesses, Elsa and Anna, are all seen to belong to the same royal class. Conclusion The film demands a lot from its audience. First, it creates an emotional connection with the view and they ultimately get attached to it. Secondly, the film expects the viewer to sympathize with the two girls after their parents die at sea. It also drives many emotions out of the viewer when Elsa is locked up in the palace for an accident that happened to her sister. Anna is frozen at heart, and only true love can save her, which seems to be missing. The viewer has no choice but to remorse with Anna. The heroine of the film is Anna. The goes through a lot and in the end even as an act of true love jumps in between Hans and Elsa stopping a huge blow targeting Elsa. She does everything to deliver the kingdom from Elsa’s curse. She is the game changer and the giver of hope in the film. The film portrays prince Hans negatively. He falsely claims that he loves Anna and would like to marry her when his real intentions are to take control of the kingdom. He is the villain in the film. Some situations are portrayed positively while other is just negative. Elsa finally, being able to come out of solitary and for the reason of her coronation is an awesome feeling. The two sisters finally meet after that long time also is positive. A negative situation is witnessed when Hans’ love for Anna turns out to be false. This makes Anna’s heart get frozen and only true love, which seems to be rare, can save her. In conclusion, the whole film offers a new side on the gender binary as discussed by authors Spade, Valentine, and Bornstein. It finally sees the two genders equally. Hegemonic masculinity is eradicated, and patriarchy is not given value. Gender bias is seen as insignificant. Works Cited Bornstein, Kate. My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, Or Something Else Entirely. New York. Psychology Press, 1998. Print. Carrera, María Victoria, Renée DePalma, and Maria Lameiras. "Sex/Gender Identity: Moving Beyond Fixed and ‘Natural’categories." Sexualities 15.8 (2012): 995-1016. Print. Spade, Joan Z, and Catherine G. Valentine. The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage Publications, 2008. Print. West, Candace, and Don Zimmerman. "Doing Gender." Gender & Society 1.2 (1987): 125- 151. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More