Judith Butler is an influential philosopher who argues that gender is performative and constructed through repetitive acts rather than determined by sex. Traditional media often portray women in stereotypical gender roles, but more modern portrayals show greater independence. The document discusses analyzing the TV show Downton Abbey, which portrayed historical gender inequality, and contrasts it with the female-led film Sket, representing modern freedom and less domination by men. It notes how the coursework trailer aims to present female characters in a stereotypically masculine way through their behavior and dress to convey dominance, unlike typical teenage girl portrayals.
2. JUDITH BUTLER
Butler is an American post-structuralist philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of
feminism, queer theory, political philosophy, and ethics. Judith specifically looks at gender
She states that Gender is not simply one aspect of sex, but, more fundamentally, it is
something one does, and does recurrently, in interaction with others . A "stylized repetition of
acts".
Butler highlights that ‘we are taught particular roles according to our biological sex and these
roles become our gender’
Media we watch and see influence our perception of gender roles and many forms of media
portray this social group stereotypically.
3. GENDER
Historically women have been seen to be less able than men. Downtown Abbey is a
British television period drama. Much of the focus is on the need for a male heir to the
Crawley family Grantham estate. Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham having had three
daughters and no son, had arranged for his eldest daughter to marry her cousin. Women
were once treated like property rather than individuals.
But this inequalities of women has changed through time. Women in the modern
world are much independent. But in the media are presented in a masculine way. For
example ‘Sket’ a predominately female cast. As women's rights and liberties has become
more open, so does the way they are portrayed in the media.
4. COURSEWORK
Our trailer consists of an all female cast, and present females very similar to the film
Sket. In contrast to Downtown there is a sense of freedom amongst the cast and not
overpowered by men. In relation to Butlers Theory our perception of men and women
has been shaped from history, As presenting a persons gender is not just about physical
but attitude and acts. Our characters being manly and macho in terms of dress sense and
they way that they act and behave in the trailer will bring across their dominance across to
the audience, as this is a strong link to males. Stereotypically presenting a teenage girl will
not have an impact for our trailer.