Popeye: Feminine Semiotics
During the Second World War women were poorly represented within the Popeye cartoon. The character Olive
Oyl was the symbol of femininity throughout the series.
This research will analyse the representation of femininity through 'Popeye' and ideology behind the character Olive Oyl. Also looking on the semiology within the series that could of poorly represented women in the wartime and even women's capabilities.
Everyone knows how the cartoon massively influenced spinach sales but what about the navy propaganda during the war or the representation of gender for the era?
'Popeye: The Sailor Man' was heavy influential in America during the Second World War.
Americans felt Popeye was a strong representation of a 'true …show more content…
Advertising urged female factory workers to keep up the glamour and the home cooking even while on the production line. After the war ended, women were fired by the thousands.
In the early episodes Olive freely flirts with Popeye's rival Bluto which creates a new damsel-in-distress formula for the cartoon. Verbally she presents herself as interested in Bluto before finding out Bluto is an abusive and aggressive character that behaves in a proud manner. After getting that slight approval from Olive, he usually kidnaps her only to be beaten up by the hero Popeye. Thus Popeye winning the affections of Olive and saving the day. Olives body language is sometimes seductive and chased while other times her body language represents someone who's selfish, naive and fickle. In a way the cartoon teaches masculine figures that whoever can prove to be the strongest will succeed.
During wartime era the characters all received transformations, Popeye wore a Navy uniform, Olive was portrayed doing various careers and during the late 1950's the character
Bluto changed from muscular to quite fat with a name change to Brutus. Brutus