Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

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

Butler claimed that "By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders" so in the video when stereotypical roles are being played such as the home wife cleaning, cooking etc. they are reinforcing the idea that there is a divide between the genres. The exaggerated way in which she is preforming highlights that it is a 'performance' also she is doing it rather badly, burning food etc. suggesting their is no 'inherent' talent for the tasks again reinforcing it is socially constructed and a role she must play.  

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

 McRobbie may argue this alternative presentation in a popular, playful and parody manner would be a good sign to show that we are powerful, using the male gaze almost to an advantage.

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

 In general I feel that Beyoncé is a very empowering woman but in this video, not so much. I feel that she is relishing in, begging for, the male gaze affect suggesting that women NEED a man, they NEED that validation which isn't true, far from the truth actually. Feminism and empowerment should encourage independence, not a validation that comes from males in a male dominant society. Also, the sheer desperation presented along side the lyrics, to me, doesn't come across as a parody rather offensively actually, linking to my previous point, there isn't any independence. Moreover this desperation alongside the sexual cues suggest that she is desperate to have sex, yet cannot initiate the contact and needs to wait until it satisfies her male husband, too traditional and a repressive of a viewpoint for it to come across as empowering. I feel that feminism still has a long way too go as too many male dominant ideologies are being internalised rather than being challenged eg. seeking empowerment from male validation. It is a male ideal of what beautiful is, or the sheer importance of looks and sex which is actually being pushed onto both sexes now.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Identities: applying feminism

Media factsheet: Applying Feminism F ind and read Media Factsheet  #86 Applying Feminism . Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the Factsheet for homework. You can find the Factsheet on the Media Shared drive - M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. Once you have read the Factsheet, complete the following tasks: 1) What are the five types of feminism outlined on the first page of the Factsheet? Radical Feminism - This type of feminism sees the cause of women’s oppression as men. It assumes that men deliberately exploit women as  this benefits them. One of the main aims of this theory is to address concerns over violence against women, especially is sexual relationships Liberal Feminism -  This type of feminism is mainly concerned with gender socialisation in order to show that gender roles are not biologically  determined. The main aim of this type of feminism is to change the ways children are socialised into stereotypical gender  roles and to attempt
Read more

Weekly New/Digital Media (52)

Image
Watchdog to launch inquiry into misuse of data in politics https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/04/cambridge-analytics-data-brexit-trump Summary: "Investigation follows revelations of digital firm’s involvement in Brexit" " The UK’s privacy watchdog is launching an inquiry into how voters’ personal data is being captured and exploited in political campaigns, cited as a key factor in both the Brexit and Trump victories last year." Exploring how the intervention of a US company on the Brexit vote due to the growing concerns of professionals over the rapid development of technology.  " The company, which has offices in London, New York and Washington, uses data analysis to build up sophisticated profiles of individuals to predict how they might vote. Reportedly part-owned by US billionaire Robert Mercer, it claims to have played an influential role in the US election, using its data-crunching ability to identify key swing voters" An exchang
Read more

Weekly New/Digital Media (43)

Image
Skills shortage 'harming UK's ability to protect itself from cyber-attacks' https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/03/skills-shortage-harming-uks-ability-to-protect-itself-from-cyber-attacks Summary: " Government does not appear to have a coordinated strategy and agencies tasked with safeguarding are not consolidated, says MPs’ report"  Confidence in the ability to protect Britian from high level cyber attacks is decreasing due to the lack of skill (Watchdog) This follows after concerns grow over Russian Cyber-attacks and the election 'rigging'. The approach to tackling personal data breaches so higher threat levels would obviously be hard to tackle.  Key facts/statistics: “The threat of cybercrime is ever-growing, yet evidence shows Britain ranks below Brazil, South Africa and China in keeping phones and laptops secure. In this context it should concern us all that the government is struggling to ensure its security profession has the
Read more