...Women in Film Women have made incredible impacts in the film industry with their many talents and skills. Women in movies have become a staple in Hollywood; from having them as the central theme of the movie, to them being the damsel in the distress, or the unneeded love interest, women have always been there. Without women, the rise of the industry would have been nonexistent. Some movies that include women in powerful roles are: The Help (2011), Easy A (2010), Brave (2012), and Wolf Children (2012) The storyline of The Help is that it takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. An aspiring writer named Skeeter graduated from college and has found a job writing for the local newspaper. She takes this opportunity to write about her friends’ African-American maids and their mistreatment. The main characters of this film are Skeeter Phelan, Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, Celia Foote, and Hilly Holbrook. The movie has more than two women in it, and they mainly talk to each other seeing as there are only one two men in the film. Romance is hardly an issue, the women mostly talk about the rights of PoC and treating others fairly. Women in this film are not only truly represented, they present the issues of their time, and it was important for me as a woman of color to see into the lives of the maids and how they handled it and who decided to jump in and help. The storyline of Easy A tells the story of a high school student named Olive and her best friend...
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...Expressing what their viewers want to see, it has caused characters of color in movies to be either misrepresented or discriminated. The presentation of women on screen has drastically changed and progressed for the better. For years, women faced discrimination and limitations both on and off the screen. Now their roles in society has seemingly gave them an equal footing to men in many aspects of life. Though society has changed for the better, sexism and male dominance of the movie industry is still evident in the 21st century. In movies, women are subject to uncharacteristic types of beauty and behavior. They are given fived representations that are typically associated with the damsel in distress. Many of the female characterizations in...
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...When it comes to western films, Native American women pulled the shortest straw. Their biggest achievement is falling in love with the white male hero. When their relationship inevitably fails, her fate ends tragically, in a murder or suicide. Indian women are inaccurately portrayed as virginal, vulnerable and welcoming to the white male, symbolic of the American land. Indian women in film embody sexuality, American soil, and the importance of the dominant white culture. Pocahontas in The New World (2005) is the best example of symbolizing the American land. As stated by Marrubio, Pocahontas is “innocent, attached to an exotic culture, [and] linked to the American landscape”, a perfect love interest for the western hero. The Englishmen that land on the coast are representative of the paramount white civilization and culture. She is a bridge between Native Americans and European settlers, promoting assimilation to the ‘dominant’ culture. Just like white settlers thought it was their right to claim this land for England, so did John Smith with Pocahontas. The conclusion that Native American culture is dissipating was reinforced when Pocahontas started dressing and speaking like the English, as well as being christened. When Pocahontas chose the white culture over her own, it also...
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...modern day portrayal of women on the screen, in T.V. Serials, Telefilms and in sundry other forms has played an important though shameful, role in the diminishing of respect for women as individuals and the mystique attached to them. The over sexual menaces in most forms of the mass media notably films, play a significant role in not only the creation of inappropriate stereotypes of women in the male mind but also the creation of wholly perverse role models for the pliable minds of teenage girls. The debonair hero on the screen nudges and teases the young heroine, harasses her along with his friends that are till they irrevocably fall in love. The conversion of the heroine into the vamp, the women who uses her sexuality for scandalizing the audience is a case in point. In recent years, in India, there has been a fold of movies starting perhaps with Raj Kapoor’s “Ram Teri Ganga Maili” in which female sexuality has been perversely portrayed. Since then a krishma Kapoor or a shilpa Shirodkar or a Puja Bedi has had no inhibition in terms of exposing and catering to the perverse tastes of the male audience. In the West, such portrayal goes back to many decades. A marlyn Monroe or a Brigitte Bardot were the sex symbols of a generation almost three decades back. They played the role of women slaved to their sexual instincts, and whose sense of self-worth arose only from their degree of sexual satisfaction. The myth became the reality in the male mind and women became only and ultimately...
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...not so. An assessment of women’s employment on the top 250 films in 2012 and 1998 demonstrates that the percentages of women directors and editors have not changed. The proportion of women writers and producers has increased marginally. Women executive producers and cinematographers have declined. In 2012, women included 18% of all, executive producers, producers, directors, cinematographers, writers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic films. From 2011 there is no change and growth of 1 percentage point from 1998 (Martha M. Lauzen, 2013). Women creating film, statistics show that men predominantly run the film industry but recent studies show that women are starting to become a more important part of filmmaking; women are underrepresented but women like Kathryn Bigelow are changing the landscape of movie making. In 2012, according to research by San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women directed just five percent of the 250 highest-grossing films Only nine percent of Hollywood directors in 2008 were women – that was the same figure recorded in 1998. Kathryn Bigelow was nominated for the best directing Oscar in March 2010, and it was only the fourth time a woman had been nominated, out of more than 400 director nominations (the other three were Lina Wertmüller in 1976, Jane Campion in 1993, and Sofia Coppola in 2003) ("Creating opportunities for," 2012). Her film The Hurt Locker won Best Picture, and Bigelow became the first...
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...the silent [film] era, roughly from the turn of the century until about 1930, Chicanas usually served as passive adjuncts to the main action of [a] film…from about 1930 to the end of World War II, Chicana and other United States Latina characters began to move into center screen, but with limited diversity and little depth of characterization” (Cortés 126). In his essay, Chicanas in Film: History of an Image, Carlos E. Cortés defines four broad eras of Chicana women in American film. The first film in our series, The Girl from Mexico, falls under the category of the second era: “Sensuality and Frivolity” (Cortés 128). Actresses portraying Mexicana or Chicana characters could embody frivolity, like “high-voltage Brazillian actress Carmen Miranda, “ or sensuality, like Dolores Del Rio (Cortés 130). Or, one could go “striding...
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...Is the Story of Mulan an inspirational tale to women or a subtle reminder by Disney about a woman’s place in society? One could say that they Disney princesses are all the same – Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty- they’re all tall, skinny, undeniably beautiful with their long flowing hair and fabulous gowns. They all play the damsel in distress, completely helpless to fend for themselves in the real world. They all await their happily ever after with the handsome prince charming. Mulan however, is different – or at least upon first glance appears to be. In the film, this young woman plays two opposing roles. On one hand, Mulan is the clumsy young woman, considered such an unfit bride that even the matchmaker considers there to be no hope for her “You are a disgrace, you may look like a bride but you will never bring your family honour...” On the other hand, she also plays Ping, the fearless young soldier who was loved by all, who grew from strength to strength and pretty much singlehandedly saved China from the invasion of the Huns. In order for Mulan to save her father from conscription she must give up her female self to pose as a man and join the army. This however, as far as Mulan is concerned, isn’t such a huge loss as she feels she really doesn’t fit in as a traditional Chinese woman. In the opening song she lists all that she is expected to be as a woman, as the perfect Chinese woman – quiet...
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...In The Hunger Games there is a constant battle between life and death. There are twelve separate districts, in other words states, and a place called the Capital. These places make up their country known as Phanem. Every year there is an event called the Hunger Games that take place in the Capital. For the game, there is a boy and a girl from each district that represent their own district. Each of them trains and represents themselves to the people living in the Capital for a week, and then fight and kill all of the other tributes from every other district. The last person, whether it is a boy or a girl, wins the game. Phanem has the Hunger Games to scare all of the districts into never having another war and to never rebel against the Capital ever again. During the selection process in District Twelve, called the reaping, a little girl named Prim gets called for District Twelve’s tribute. Her older sister, Katniss, did not want her little sister to get killed in the games, so she volunteered as the tribute and got sent in for her. After going through the pre-game activities, Katniss was thrown into the game to fight for her life. Through all of the tough and unbelievable circumstances that she was put through, she battled her way to the end of the games until she was standing with Petea, the other tribute from District Twelve, and threatened the Capital’s power by standing up to them. Katniss and Peeta held poisonous berries and were going to eat them so they can die together...
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...Good Hair One of my new favorite documentaries is Good Hair directed by Jeff Stilson and starring comedian Chris Rock. It is a documentary on black women and the hair industry. Rock starts his journey on learning more about black hair after his daughter asked him whether or not she had good hair. Rock dove right into the black hair industry, examining everything from relaxers and weaves to the chemicals in relaxers and where weave comes from. The highlight of this video was that it examines what hair means to black women. A host of celebrities and professionals shared their insight on black women and their hair. I chose this video for my opinion paper because I have always been obsessed with black hair. From the time I was young I knew what a relaxer was and I knew not to talk about a family member’s weave out loud. I have learned so much...
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...Chal Crawford English 101/820 09 November, 2010 Assignment: Persuasion Paper Medias affect on Body Image Images of female bodies are everywhere. Women and their body parts sell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller and thinner. Women’s magazines are full of articles urging that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, they’ll have it all the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career Why are standards of beauty being imposed on women? The roots are economic, by presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits. Take Kristen of River Edge, New Jersey, just like most girls at the age of 15 “she started to develop curves; she was disappointed that breasts did not follow” (Sweeney). Girls rose in a culture of celebrity obsession and makeover TV shows believe that a “shapely bust line” and a thin body will let them have it all. Women who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to invest in beauty products, new clothes, diet aids, and plastic surgery. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth 40 to 100 billion a year selling temporary weight loss, 90 to 95% of dieters regain the lost weight (BBC). American Society for Aesthetic Plastic surgery shows that the number of operations performed on 18 or younger have more than tripled over a 10 year period from 59,890 in 1997 to 205,119 in 2007...
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...play written by Ntozake Shange at the peak of the black feminist movement, in 1975. It is a collection of poems that tell the story of seven women of color and how their lives interconnect. The play deal with deep subject matter such as rape, abortions, domestic abuse, and faith, as is delves into the lives of these women. The play ends as all of the women come together with an empowering scene about the strength in womanhood. How do struggles, specifically ones imposed on women such as rape and domestic abuse, create strength and empowerment that would have never been attained without enduring such life experiences? In For Colored Girls, all of the women find strength in each other and faith in order to overcome their individual struggles and find strength to continue on with life. They become stronger individuals that they once were and that strong power that they now posses is from believe in themselves and their ability to persevere. In the 2009 film, Precious, a young girl lives through torment as she grows up in section 8 housing with an abusive mother and father, but when she decides that she has had enough she breaks free to try to obtain the life she has always dreamed of. Precious can be understood within the context of Ntozake Shange's play For Colored Girls because Precious endures many similar life experiences as the women of For Colored Girls. Precious is a sixteen year old girl who lives with her mother and father in section 8 housing, she goes to high school...
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...superficial like most Cuban bourgeois women at his time; hence, it did not work out between Sergio and Laura (Underdevelopment). Sergio failed in trying to educate both Laura and Elena (Underdevelopment). The film suggest that women in Cuba are underdeveloped intellectually and culturally, unlike the “mature” Hanna who is of European descent, since Laura and Elena are both Cubans of two different classes (Underdevelopment). Notably, Hanna the ideal European woman was portrayed to be very fair with fine, pale blonde hair while Sergio’s Cuban bourgeois class wife Laura had coarse hair streaked with blonde and the Cuban working class Elena is even darker than Sergio, comments on how class differences often match color...
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...Kristen Ngan is the name. The type of girl who is very adventurous, creative, “kikay”, loves collecting girly things, fashion and colors! I can say that every object in my plate, symbolizes me or my personality. The “Pink Shoe” and the “Pearl Bracelet” represents Fashion. I've always had a 'Passion For Fashion’. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been reading fashion and beauty magazines. I was always wondering how women could bring out the best in themselves. In fashion, my biggest inspirations are definitely Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Gabrielle Chanel. They show the difference between a woman and a lady. In my free time I like to read fashion magazines, fashion and beauty blogs. I love to surf the internet to look up all sorts of fashion online shops. Not just to see what’s new, but to get inspired as well. Being involved into “fashion” is really a big thing for me. Because in that way i help myself increase my self-esteem. My interest in fashion started at a young age. I enjoyed spending my days alone playing with my Barbies. I repurposed their clothes with a stapler and tape and gave them haircuts to match their look. The “Green Ribbon” represents how girly I am. The “Red Nail Polish”. When I became a teenager, like I said, I love colors! and so I’ve been very addicted to nail polish. Its just I’m so plain, without them. And I really take good care of my nails. Also, believed in the saying “Nails Are Like Jewels, Don't Use Them Like Tools”. The “MAC...
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...woman’s hero in her time because she was all about women having equality. She spent five years researching a book dealing with what she called the “problem with no name”. This excerpt gives a general view on how she felt as a woman who took a back seat to her own life to become the “American House Wife”. She discuss how women would try to make themselves believe that being the good wife was what you had to be and living behind the shadows of a man was acceptable. In this document Friedan wants people to know exactly what occurred during the feminist movement. How women's rights came to a reality, how women believed there was only one role to have which is a typical housewife that has a husband to overpower her. Not being able to vote, or have any rights as an equal to men. This means father not mother, children of both sexes needed to learn, recognize and respect the abilities and functions of each sex. No matter what, the men were in charge. Next, Friedan discussed how women where brought up believing when they grow up, they are to marry and have children. Going to college is what is a woman had to do, but graduating wasn’t required. Being well educated is shown to be unfeminine. Men didn't enjoy a woman knowing information they knew. Men wanted women uneducated, men were supposed to be the only one educated in the household. The role of women was to find a husband to support the family that they would raise. Many women dropped out of college or never went in the first...
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...Top companies of India that use diversity as one of their strengths: 1. Infosys The diversity team at Infosys focuses on propagating and promoting diversity and inclusivity among employees through ACTION which stands for: * Audit inclusivity and diversity levels * Create change agents * Train the managers * Initiate and implement alternate work models * Organize and assist affinity groups * Network with external bodies to benchmark practices Infosys Women Inclusivity Network (IWIN) promotes a gender-sensitive work environment. IWIN recognizes the unique aspirations and needs of women. It provides avenues for vocational, personal and psychological counsel to enable professional and personal development. Infosys won the first NASSCOM-India Today corporate award for excellence in gender inclusivity in 2007. Infosys actively seeks to hire and train persons with disabilities. In 2006 and 2007,Infosys BPO received the Helen Keller award for the best employer from the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).Infosys announced an intake of 300 graduates from universities in the US in 2006 and about 25 from universities in the UK in 2007 as part of itscommitment to create a diversified workforce. The new employees will develop their engineering skills at Infosys Development Centers across India for six months before returning to Infosys offices in the US. 2. Google India Diversity is an essential component of the culture...
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