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.