Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

Feminist theory: key notes

Judith Butler: gender roles

Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.

By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders

Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

Butler and the media

If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.

And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?



Angela McRobbie: empowering women

McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.

McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.

This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

Feminism: blog task

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’ 

 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

In terms of gender as a performance, the initial medium long shots, capturing the female protagonist and music artist, Beyonce, are ones presenting her completing domesticated house work, parallel to the non-diagetic sound of 1950's music, that would stereotypically be associated with house wives. In particular, the shots that follow include her wearing provocative two piece outfits, exposing her flesh and sexuality to an audience - this not only objectifies her body but it also indicates the performance subsiding femininity is often a sexual one - an idealised women for the gaze of males (Mulvey). 

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women?

McRobbie may in fact argue that Beyonce is empowering women and femininity through her attire, such as high heels. The stills capturing the singer completing domestic tasks, also show her wearing extremely high heels and looking glamorous - thus, McRobbie may argue that despite the women conforming to the stereotypes labelled upon them (housewives), they however hold themselves with glamour and take pride in their aesthetic to empower femininity. 

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

In my opinion, I feel as though Beyonce's music is generally targeted to females, thus they will be the dominant consumers of her work and the ones that would watch the video. Therefore, it is hard to dispute the fact that Beyonce is arguably glamorising (McRobbie) femininity through courageous and daring outfits. But I however don't think that this is empowering to women, as her audience are subsequently passively injected (hypodermic needle model) with a 'performance' (Butler), in terms of ideals, that they visually too should embark. I think that the male gaze (Mulvey), can be applied in terms of females gazing at the singer and learning how to take on a similar appeal and sexuality.