Identities: Feminist and gender theory

A current debate in feminism is whether we are in a post-feminist state: is feminism still needed?

It's important to have your own opinion on this debate and, crucially, be able to support it with reference to feminist theory and current examples. 

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.

Gauntlett: feminism & masculinity

David Gauntlett wrote extensively on gender representation and the importance of role models in the media in the late 1990s – early 2000s.

He looked particularly at theorists such as Butler and McRobbie: “Although the popular remix of feminism is accepted by young women, it remains the case that most women and men remain somewhat constricted within particular gender roles.”

Gauntlett looked at men’s lifestyle magazines in the same way McRobbie looked at women’s magazines. He found a new, quite different representation of masculinity – reflecting changes in women’s magazines. 

Importantly, he disagrees that masculinity is in crisis – a popular view in the media in the last 15 years. 

Feminist and gender theory: blog tasks

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

Media Magazine reading

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

1) What are the two texts the article focuses on?

2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

3) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.


Music video analysis

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’?

2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?

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

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



Watch the Will Jay music video for 'Gangsta':

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

3) What is YOUR view on representations of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

Complete for homework if you don't finish this during the lesson - due date set by your exam class teacher.

MEST4 Linked production: Research and planning

With your preliminary exercise completed and critical investigation second drafts submitted, we now need to turn our attention to the actual Linked Production. 

Your initial task is to complete the research and planning for your production. Work through the following:

1) Confirm your production brief. You write this yourself but it's absolutely crucial this is clear, appropriate and achievable. You should have done this already - the original blogpost was here - but it may have changed as a result of your preliminary exercise.

2) Research: detailed notes on at least THREE texts similar to what you are creating. What are the key conventions? What can you learn/borrow from the examples you have looked at?

3) Project schedule: when will you shoot and edit this production? Make this a week-by-week schedule leading up to Easter. Key dates: we break up for Easter on Friday 31 March and the final deadline is Wednesday 18 April.

4) Script - see the BBC Writers' Room for advice/script formatting. If you're making a music video, you'll want to write a treatment instead. This is an example treatment that I provide for GCSE Media students studying this topic. For print productions, this means writing all the text for the cover, contents and feature articles. Write this in Microsoft Word so you can proofread and spellcheck the work before moving it into Photoshop.

5) Sketching and drafting - for video-based productions this means a storyboard - sheets available in DF07 or you can print out your own AQA storyboard sheet. For print productions, this means detailed sketches of all your pages.

6) Shot list - use Microsoft Word or a template like this to help you. Remember, you need a shot list whether you are filming or carrying out a print photoshoot - professional quality original images are essential if you want to reach the top level.

7) Mise-en-scene: casting/model details, costume and make-up, props, lighting, location scouting for video productions etc. Use photographs to document and plan your mise-en-scene - using your phone is acceptable for this.

All of the above needs to be posted to your MEST4 coursework blog.

Deadline: set by your coursework teacher

Identities: Introduction to Feminism

Discussing feminism and learning a range of feminist theories is an essential part of our Identities and the Media unit.

Are we living in a post-feminist state? Do you agree there is still a need for feminism? To what extent does the media contribute to the identity created for women in popular culture? These are some of the questions we need to consider when studying representation in A Level Media.

There is a current debate regarding whether feminism is still required in the 21st century (the idea that we are now in a 'post-feminist' state) against the view that the use of new and digital media to further feminist campaigns constitutes a new fourth wave of feminism.

Key notes

Waves of feminism
First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).
Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.
Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).
Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.

Fourth wave?
Many commentators argue that the internet itself has enabled a shift from ‘third-wave’ to ‘fourth-wave’ feminism. What is certain is that the internet has created a ‘call-out’ culture, in which sexism or misogyny can be ‘called out’ and challenged. 

This culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. 

Key quote: “power users of social media”
The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use the internet both for discussion and activism. 

According to #FemFuture: Online Feminism, a report recently published by Columbia University’s Barnard Center for Research on Women, females aged between 18 and 29 are the ‘power users of social networking’.

(Source: Political Studies Association. Read more about this: http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave)

Critics of online feminism
Critics of online feminist movements suggest that petitions and pressure from Twitter campaigns is simply a witchhunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women.

They ask: are ‘trolls’ the danger they are portrayed to be?

Advertising: creating a culture of objectifying women
Activist and cultural theorist Jean Kilbourne has been studying the image of women in advertising for over 40 years. Her series ‘Killing us softly’ highlighted the negative representation of women in advertising.

She went on to make further documentaries studying this issue and whether it was changing over time.





Introduction to feminism: blog tasks


Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:



1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?


Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

Complete for homework - due date set by your exam teacher.

NDM story index - February 2018

As we get towards the end of the Identities and the Media unit, we need to make sure we're keeping up new and digital media stories each week. 

After half-term, we will be finishing off our work on representation and identity by exploring feminism, youth subcultures and collective identity. Following that, it's straight back to new/digital media and our own case studies. The two NDM stories you are finding each week could be invaluable when building your own independent case study in the run-up to Easter.  

NDM story index

Over half-term, you need to update your NDM story index of ALL of your NDM stories so far. This homework was originally in September which means you should have a minimum of 34 stories in your index by the end of half-term (we've been slightly generous there and not included the holidays!) 

Your index should have the story number (starting with your first story back in September as #1), the headline and a link to your blog post for that story - guidance for the original task from September (with top-level examples from previous years) is here.

Remember, every story you post needs to be on a separate blogpost and the link in the index should go to YOUR blog post summarising the story, not the original article itself.

We've put LOADS of links on the Macguffin Blog Twitter account in the last few weeks - Facebook, fake news, Theresa May announcing a review of journalism funding, YouTube viewership stagnating, social media bias/echo chambers, paywalls, impact of new/digital on local journalism, the latest on Tronc, Netflix numbers, Spotify and more!

Index due date: fully up-to-date for the first lesson after half-term.

Post-colonialism - bonus reading and tasks

A recent issue of Media Magazine offered some extremely relevant articles to our recent work on identity and post-colonial theory.

Complete the following tasks - you may be given lesson time to do this but will need to finish for homework.

MM58: Social Media and Black Identity

Open up MM58 from our Media Magazine archive. Go to page 66 and read Social Media and Black Identity then complete the following tasks:

1) List three theorists discussed in the article and what they believe regarding black identity.

2) In your opinion, is social media a positive or negative force when it comes to issues of black identity? 

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the issue of social media and black identity?


A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media

Now turn to page 6 and read A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media. When you have read the article, complete the following tasks:

1) What examples of different representations of refugees in the media are offered in the article?

2) In your opinion, is the documentary genre more or less biased than the news media? What examples can you provide from the article to support your view?

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the representation of refugees in the media?


Media Magazine: Critical Investigation research

You should have received your marked first draft of the Critical Investigation and completed peer assessment activities. In some cases, a lack of research is holding people back. You may find several articles from the last few issues of Media Magazine useful for your second draft. These include:

MM58

The Power of the Media
Steph Hendry considers the power of the media in relation to the development of technologies and their impact on social change.

Internet Research for Film Studies
Any self-respecting film student knows that informed and critical online research is essential – but where do you start? Roy Stafford introduces some of the most useful film websites around.

The Witch: A Feminist Review
Owen Davey recommends a new horror film with a difference.


MM59

Post-truth
What’s the Truth in a Post-fact World? Nick Lacey explores the role of misinformation in recent electoral campaigns, and asks who is responsible for gate-keeping online news.

Researching the past
Operation Julie: Researching the Past. Screenwriter Mike Hobbs describes the challenges of researching a script for a sensational crime story forty years after the event.


MM60

Argo - misrepresenting a historical event
Argo – A Film For Our Times? Axel Metz takes issue with Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Argo, a film which arguably misrepresents a historic event from a 21st-century perspective.


MM61

Disney's women - the changing role of female protagonists
Disney’s Women – and How They Have Changed My Life. Erin Charnley evaluates the changing roles of Disney’s female protagonists and is cautiously optimistic.

Hunger Games - dystopian future based on the past
Picturing Panem. Kirsty Worrow explores how the makers of The Hunger Games produced a vision of the future by mining the past.



Remember: A* students need to develop an understanding of the media across platforms, genres, issues and debates. These Media Magazine articles will help you to do this even if you don't need them for your Critical Investigation. Good luck!

Critical Investigation first draft: Learner response

The in-class peer assessment tasks are invaluable in identifying key aspects to improve for your next draft of the Critical Investigation. 

You need to complete an initial learner response task to make sure you have read, recorded and understood your feedback.

Critical Investigation: first draft learner response

On your MEST4 coursework blog, complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your teacher comments from your first draft - these are your main targets that you must address.

2) Write what level/mark/grade you are aiming for in your second draft.

3) Write a numbered action plan of at least five things - ideally one for each of the eight EBIs you received in feedback in your Peer Assessment lessons - that you will do or change for your second draft that will help you get there. Be specific and explain in detail.

Here is the peer assessment lessons PowerPoint to help you check you've covered everything...

Critical Investigation: next deadline

Write the second draft of your Critical Investigation.

This includes any additional research that may be required - a lack of high-quality academic research and a low number of footnotes is the number one reason students miss out on their target grade in this task.

***MAKE SURE YOU VISIT THE BFI LIBRARY AGAIN DURING HALF TERM***

Due: Wednesday 21 February

Please make sure that you have posted an electronic version on your blog and you bring a hard copy (with 1.5 spacing) into the lesson.

This second draft will receive feedback in the form of an extended one-to-one tutorial in class before Easter. You will then have a short time to make any remaining improvements before the final deadline.

Identities and the Media: Post-colonialism & Orientalism

Orientalism is another key post-colonial theory - exploring the differences in representation between the western world and the east.

These representations have arguably changed significantly since the 9/11 attacks on America in September 2001. Think about the typical Muslim stereotypes in the British media post-9/11 - and the rise in Islamophobia.

Edward Said - Orientalism

Edward Said (1935-2003) was a Palestinian-American cultural theorist and academic best known for his 1978 book Orientalism.


In it, he argued that the west – particularly colonising Europe – constructed a meaning of the east (e.g. The Middle East) that suggested it was different, dangerous and uncivilised.


Said was writing in the 1970s but his work is arguably even more relevant in today’s post-9/11 world.

Orientalism: blog tasks

To complete our work on post-colonial theory, work through the following tasks:

1) Watch the opening of Yasmin (2004) again. Does it offer a positive or negative view of British Muslims? To what extent does it reinforce or challenge Edward Said's theory of Orientalism - that the west is superior to the exotic or uncivilised east?




2) Summarise the three theorists we have looked at this week: Alvarado, Fanon and Said.

3) Finally, choose ONE clip for EACH of the theorists and explain how you could apply that theory to the clip. Pick your clips from YouTube but feel free to use TV, film, music video or advertising - whatever you think is most powerful and relevant. Embed the clips in your blog before writing your analysis under each clip. Note: this means you need THREE clips in total on this blogpost.

Complete for homework: due date set by your exam class teacher.