Genderroles&popularfilm - Essay Example

the possibility that the film is concurrently reinforcing and challenging or endorsing and contesting traditional ideas about gender roles (John-Fiske, 1990, p, 28). The analysis is aided through the analysis of two characters in the film to uncover this hypothesis. The Lee’s film blended well with every audience based on his massive knowledge in the audience market therefore using Kung-Fu style that is associated with the stereotypical dominant male hero striving to rescue the weaker and gentler female figure.

On the contrary, the film is ironic as this notion is overturned with Lee’s characters disputing the male dominant formulaic schema. The film’s fighters are dominated by the females who are depicted in ways that challenge the conventional social gender norms. Lee was therefore able to capture larger audience in his film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Before confining into characters, it is prudent to first explore the traditional perception of social gender norms. In many popular cultures, female figure is stereotyped as emotional, incapable and gentle.

Traditionally, women had to depend on a stronger and agile male protection. In particular, Chinese women in late 1700s during the setting of the film were powerless over their lives. Marriages arrangements were executed without their consultations and consent, and had to heed to these arrangements without complaints or defiance. Conventionally, women were rated the weaker sex that could not defend themselves against agile and stronger male counterparts. On the other hand, male females were confined on socially defined standards and were traditionally expected to be tough and strong with no display of being emotional that was rated as being weak males by the society.

Male hero was independent, not vulnerable and self-sacrificing with Jillian Sandel’s article attaching masculinity to power and domination. Through Sandel’s article, we understand that the action of genre is dominated by the display