Task 6 - Introduction & First Paragraph

"Stop calling each other sluts; it makes it okay for boys to call you that."[1]

To a certain extent females in teen movies are seen to be bimbos and objects. This could be due to the way they are represented in movies and the props that they are dressed in, which is mainly provocative. A vast majority of the time, “female stars are constructed to appeal to male desire”[2] and therefore to appeal to a male audience female in teen movies are represented as objects. Laura Mulvey’s argued that “Hollywood cinema objectified women in an image for the pleasure of men”[3] this can be evident to why females are represented negatively on screen and act the seductive manner they are represented having. This idea is evident in the 2004 movie, ‘Mean Girls, follows the protagonist on her journey to becoming a ‘plastic’. The plastics, as the main protagonists of the narrative, are shown to be complete opposites. Regina George is shown to be the femme fatale of the movie, with ‘her lackies’ Karen Smith (the bimbo) and Gretchen Weiner (the sheep) following her every move which relates back to the idea of a child wanting to be exactly like her favourite ‘Barbie doll’.

[1] Mean Girls Dir. Mark Waters (Viii). Perf. Mark Waters. Paramount, 2004. Film.
[2]http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
[3] Laura Mulvey’s (1975),"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”

At the start of the movie, it is evident that Karen Smith, the first of the plastics that we are introduced to, is a bimbo. The scene depicts the ‘plastics’ partaking in a physical education lesson where Karen runs to catch the ball but accidentally hitting it with her ‘boobs’ instead. Another female character, Janice, who contrastingly is shown to be a gothic, masculine figure, tells the protagonist “That’s Karen Smith, she’s one of the dumbest girls you’ll ever meet.”[1] The close up shots of the group of friends sitting on the grass laugh and talk about ‘Karen Smith’ and start mocking her and what she did to Damien in their English class. “She asked me how to spell ‘orange’!” [2]This reinforces her status as the bimbo as ‘orange’ is a word which children are taught to spell in the early years of primary.

[1] Mean Girls Dir. Mark Waters (Viii). Perf. Mark Waters. Paramount, 2004. Film
[2] Mean Girls Dir. Mark Waters (Viii). Perf. Mark Waters. Paramount, 2004. Film.

Further, the common stereotype of a female is the term ‘bimbo’, which is typically shown through, blonde hair, flashy make-up, large breasts, mini skirt and high heels. Also, she is seen to be uneducated, helpless and stupid, this appeal to a primary audience of males due to the male desire, which reinforces the idea of Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. Females in teen movies are given more the passive roles than the active whereby, “In the past, lead roles for women have always seemed scarce compared to males”[1] This quote shows that female actresses had limited roles against men as they over powered the cinema. In ’Mean Girls’ the female actresses have the roles of being a distinctive ‘girly’ girl. However, males play part in more of the action part of the script. “When females have roles, they are mostly shown as being negative roles,”[1] this can be seen in the movie Mean Girls as they are constantly being represented negatively throughout the film, which is due to the role that they have been told to play and take part in. This can be due to the clothing they wear and the way they act. For example; the medium slow motion shot of the four main protagonists in Mean Girls draws attention to the clothing, which is exceedingly sexual which backs up the quote above. What’s more, a shot shows the way the ‘four plastics’ walk in the corridor, this somewhat shows that the characters are seductive and resembles a predator going after its prey, reinforcing that they are ‘man eaters’.

[1] http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_annihilation
[1] Laura Mulvey’s (1975),"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”

More to the point, “The typical complaint is that women in films are either 'virgins, mothers or whores”[1], this quote shows that women have set roles in cinema viewings, which portrays the fact that there will always be an appalling and negative reputation for females. This can seen in the text ‘Mean ‘Girls’ as there is a particular clip in the film showing Karen Smith going inside her bedroom with a male, Which then her mum knock on the door and say’s: “Can I get you kids anything? Something to eat or drink?, How about a Condom?”[2] This quote shows that mothers are seen to be just as bad and near enough saying that having sex is acceptable and ok. However, this goes against the typical ideology of women as they are meant to be represented as housewives that cook and clean for their family. Also, it shows how values have changed over time in society as parents in the past would educate their child about something useful and necessary. The fact that she said ‘kid’ makes it more dramatic as it shows that their not even old enough to have sex.

[1] http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
[2] Mean Girls. Dir. Mark Waters (Viii). Perf. Mark Waters. Paramount, 2004. Film.

On the other hand, female stars are making the films more exciting and thrilling to watch. This can be due to “The number of female protagonists has increased, and female characters play a larger part in propelling the narrative forward”[1]. This can be obvious through the role of being a sexual object to satisfy the male desire or being a ‘bimbo’ to make the film appeal to a wider market. Also, the quote shows that females are being used to make the film more recognised and known, and this will be done by the way they act on screen and the role that they will play.

[1] http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html

The main protagonists are dressed in tight costumes such as; long leather boots, tight leather like red skirts and boob tubes. The connotation of this specific colour signifies love, passion and romance. Combining both the connotations and provocative clothing shows that the text is partially for a male audience because, males are seen to be attracted to the female body, and the red connotation represents romance between the opposite sexes. Therefore the "Audience gains voyeuristic pleasure from watching a film"[1]

[1] Jill, Nelmes, 1996, An Introduction To Film Studies, London, Jill Nelmes. Page 230

Also, the text can be viewed for a C1 and below demo-graphic audience. Moreover, the audience can relate to the text for escapism and surveillance purposes. Whereby; they may relate the text to their personal relationship or watch the film for their own visual pleasure. The target audience for the film is mainly targeted at females who may watch the text for personal identity.

In contrast, the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) The reason why I have chosen this text in contrast to mean girls is because, it is a well recognized mainstream hit whereas, mean girls is a modernized version of a teen movie in today’s generation. The film is about a man who moves into a New York apartment building and becomes interested in his pretty, quirky neighbour Holly Golightly. Her lifestyle is somewhat different as it is confusing and fascinates Paul. It is said that in public she flirts around, being sexy and sophisticated but when the two are alone she plays a sweet and vulnerable act. Even though, Audrey Hepburn plays a daring and sexy part in this film. She does not expose her body in an appealing way and to satisfy the male audience and their desire.

Although, she is sexy, stunning and sophisticated she does not show it in a seductive or provocative way. For instance; she does not show off flesh and is only a one man’s women. Never the less, in mean girls this is represented in the opposite way as young teenage girls are seen as sexual objects and dumb blonde bimbos. By this, we can see how much society has changed over years gone by because, films in the 60’s were seen to be more about housewives and even though they were sexy they didn’t make it seductive in order to please the audience. Therefore; this goes against the typical values for women as their roles are changing as years go by.

Never the less, this is not the type of representation we as the audience would accept from a 1960’s film. As females were more to be seen as housewives, this goes against the hegemony values as this film shows a women that is seductive and sexy in a discreet way. Though, a vast majority of the time, the props that were worn throughout the movie was a long black dress which could signify that she’s powerful, has strong emotions and is sophisticated. Also, the fact that she wears a dark colour dress can be because, she’s feeling inconspicuous and maybe empty.

Whilst studying the title on a number of different media platforms identify how this representation can be presented on broadcast, print and e-media. For example, for e-media the representation of teenage girls can be exaggerated on websites such as; miss bimbo. Whereby; the audience can create characters to their own likening. The user generated content allows individuals to get more involved with each other and share their opinions. On the website, www.missbimbo.com people can get involved with each other and talk amongst them. The website is more concentrated on how consumers can create their own characters and can browse the site for fashion tips and news etc.

Task 4 - Additional Web Research

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
“The typical complaint is that women in films are either 'virgins, mothers or whores”
This quotation will help me as it mentions that, women always have a negative role in film, which then portrays a bad representation for the females.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html
“The number of female protagonists has increased, and female characters play a larger part in propelling the narrative forward”
This quotation is beneficial to me as it mentions that, female characters are the main individuals that make a film more exciting and thrilling to watch. This can be due to the roles that thye have been given.
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/media-studies/24159-changing-representation-women-film.html
“Female roles have changed, i.e.- Bond girls have also become less feminine and more masculine”
This quote states that, females are now becoming more masculine than feminine and this can help me in my investigation as I can mention that not all females play the typical role of sexual objects.
http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
“Laura Mulvey argued that Hollywood cinema objectified women in an image for the pleasure of men”
This quote helps me because, Mulvey argues that women are used in cinema in order to pleasures the male desire. This can help me in my critical investigation as I can talk about, how women are used in films to make more men aware of the movie.
http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
“Men have played the active role whereas the woman plays a more passive role”
This can be beneficial for me in my critical investigation because, this quote is stating that men are given the roles that they are capable of doing and women are given the sexual and easier roles which are to act like sexual objects and wear provocative clothing.
http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
“Most films presented images of women that were produced simply for the ‘gratification’ of male viewers”
Again, this quote suggests that women are used in cinema just to please the male viewers and for them to get excited over the female body.
http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
“Women have gradually become more independent and powerful in Hollywood cinema”
http://dominantroles.blogspot.com/
“Changes in female representation media images still portray women as sex objects as independent career women; as loving mothers obsessed with food and clean clothes.”

Task 3 - Historical Text Anaylsis & Research

Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961, the film was directed by Blake Edwards and was written by Truman Capote and George Axelrod. The film consists of a hybrid genre of comedy, romance and drama. The film was awarded with 2 win Oscars, 7 Wins and 7 Nominations. The reason why I have chosen this text in contrast to mean girls is because, it is a well recognized mainstream hit whereas, mean girls is a modernized version of a teen movie in today’s generation. The film is about a man who moves into a New York apartment building and becomes interested in his pretty, quirky neighbor Holly Golightly. Her lifestyle is somewhat different as it is confusing and fascinates Paul. It is said that in public she flirts around, being sexy and sophisticated but when the two are alone she plays a sweet and vulnerable act. Even though, Audrey Hepburn plays a daring and sexy part in this film. She does not expose her body in an appealing way and to satisfy the male audience and their desire. Although, she is sexy, stunning and sophisticated she does not show it in a seductive or provocative way. For instance; she does not show off flesh and is only a one man’s women. Never the less, in mean girls this is represented in the opposite way as young teenage girls are seen as sexual objects and dumb blonde bimbos. By this, we can see how much society has changed over years gone by because, films in the 60’s were seen to be more about housewives and even though they were sexy they didn’t make it seductive in order to please the audience. Therefore; this goes against the typical values for women as their roles are changing as years go by. Whilst watching the trailer to this movie, I noticed that the main protagonist Audrey Hepburn mostly wore dresses knee length and only showed half her legs and full arms. A vast majority of the time, the props that were worn throughout the movie was a long black dress which could signify that she’s powerful, has strong emotions and is sophisticated. Also, the fact that she wears a dark color dress can be because, she’s feeling inconspicuous and maybe empty.

Task 2 - Additional Reading

Thompson, Denise, 2001, Radical Feminism Today, Denise Thompson. Page 36"Pleasure and desire 'enable' the continuation of the social conditions of male supremacy"
This quote illustrates that pleasure and desire is an asset for a women as it attracts the male supremacy. This links to my critical investigation as it clearly states that women are shown in the media to look pleasurable and desirable for the male audience
Jill, Nelmes, 1996, An Introduction To Film Studies, London, Jill Nelmes. Page 230 & 231"Mulvey argues that identifcation is always with male, who is the pivot of the film,its hero, while the female is often seen as threat"
This quotation states that men in films are the back bone of the film, where as the representation of women are the distraction. This will inncorparate in my investigation as it describes the women representation of being a threat, and then I can gather texts where they have been threats and find out how they were a threat;sexual objects.
Jill, Nelmes, 1996, An Introduction To Film Studies, London, Jill Nelmes. Page 230 & 231
"Voyeurism and the desire to see the erotic and the forbidden, yet the desire is male - centred"
This quotation signifies that the desire for voyeurism and the erotic are male centred; a dominant male audience. This will link to my investigation as it is quoting that a male centred audience is again, being drawn in by the erotic representation of females.
Jill, Nelmes, 1996, An Introduction To Film Studies, London, Jill Nelmes. Page 230 & 231
"Mulvey argues that women has two roles in films: erotic object for the characters in the story and erotic object for the spectalor"
This quotation is a quote which Mulvey argued, stating that the representations of females are sexual objects either in the character of the film or for the audience.
Lehman and Luhr, Peter and Willam, 2003, Thinking About Media, Peter Lehman and Willam Luhr. Page 265
"Men and women are not represented equally in films"
This quotation is useful to me, as it mentions that men and women are not represented equally. This can help me throughout my investigation as it can be evident that women are represented in a negative way.

Graham and Probert, Andrew and David, 2008, Advanced Media Studies Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan

"Women account for a sizable proportion of cinema audiences"
This is beneficial to me as it is stated that the audience watch films due to women and females satisfying the male pleasure.

Task 1 - Textual Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKmkXNIZBJg
For part of my critical investigation I will be looking in depth at a film related to my case study which is called Mean Girls. I specifically chose this film as I thought it linked perfectly with my title which is: “Are females in teen movies always seen as bimbos and objects? Why might this be?”
Whilst analysing this trailer we can see that the main protagonist is in a new to the school environment and therefore tries to make friends by going around tables at lunch time and fit it. However,0: 46 seconds into the clip we see a high key lighting and medium shot of a young teenage blonde girl walking with her hands on her hips, which suggests that she is confused and dopey about what’s going on around her. This can be evident when she walks to hit the ball with her ‘chest’ instead of using her hands. The female voice over says “That’s Karen Smith, she’s one of the dumbest girls you’ll ever meet”. The fact that this is said about a girl who is blonde backs up the action of what she did with the ball and the way she acts. Further, the close up shots of the group of friends sitting on the grass laugh and talk about ‘Karen Smith’ and start mocking her and what she did in the English class. Which was clearly stated ‘How do you spell orange’, this can again be seen as a ‘blonde’ question as it is a simple word to spell. On the other hand, 0:58 seconds into the clip, the group again start to talk about another member in the ‘Plastics Crew’. The medium shot of the brunette teenager in the pitch on her mobile phone signifies that she’s starting to act like blonde women as she hangs out with blonde girls. Thinking logically, to the audience it does not make sense because, you wouldn’t pick up your mobile phone whilst playing sports. Yet, at 1:13 during the clip the main ‘plastic crew’ member comes in the pitch carried by 4 men either side. This shows that she is in control and has power over others as she starts to look down at them. What’s more, she also starts to blow kisses at the males and sticks her chest out. This can be seen as a sexual connotation. Later, the medium shots of different people start to say positive things about Regina George. This shows that people look up to her as a role model. This film can be used for audience theory as this may be watched for escapism purposes. Also, individuals may watch this and relate the text to their own personal issues. The representation through the film is conveyed as a typical bitchiness movie however, the young teenage girls do put themselves across as sexual objects that play the distinctive role of blonde bimbos. This can be obvious through the props that are worn by the characters. For instance; whilst playing sports they were provocative clothing such as; short shorts and crop tops. What’s more, whilst the girls took part in a Christmas play they sang and danced to ‘Jingle Bells’ and even in that specific scene the outfits were seductive and sexual. This can be seen by the tight silky red skirts that were worn and tight leather red crops and by the use of the colour red connotes love and romance etc.