Independent Study Final

“Friends don't let friends take public transportation especially the bus, Ava, I heard about the bus people pee on the seats! They pee!. " [1]

How has the stereotypical view of women been reinforced throughout the film "Material Girls"?

As an example to justify the representation of women in film, Material Girls (2006) directed by Martha Coolidge, is able to express the main stereotypes in society which are given towards young blonde females. This is able to emphasise, through film, that women are being underrepresented and shown in ways to be traditional and to meet the needs of the males, showing particular focus on the "male gaze".[2] The audience are then made to believe that the typical role in the film for women and what is expected from the stereotypical blonde female characters to do throughout the film. Tuchman [3] asserts that women were shown to be working and portrayed as "incompetentents and inferiors".[4]. Women were shown to have no solid role, or main responsibilities within the film, which would often exploit a women’s need to be protected by a man. With particular reference to Material Girls, Ava and Tanzie are shown not to take any responsibility for helping run the family cosmetics business, which is most importantly run by their father reflecting a patriarchal society.

This reflects the zeitgeist, and the spirit of the age because of the way female roles have changed over time. In the past women were represented as housewives however in the present day women are more independent but, there continues to show some aspects of them being dependent on the male.

Similar conventions from the Material Girls film are represented in films Mean Girls (2004) and Legally Blonde (2001). The films represent familiar roles in which particularly females have within this genre. Their roles are often comical and heavily stereotypical. It reflects the way in which society was formed, particularly through the ways in which men had more control and power, films had made this fact evident. Film history, "Double Indemnity" (1944) shows a dominant female role. The female protagonist is very powerful in terms of the way in which she is able to manipulate the male character. The main focus of this essay is to analyse the ways in which stereotypes have been reinforced through film and link to relevant texts, comparing the similarities and differences.

The way film texts are produced by the directors promote certain ideologies. Suggestions made through the use of characters used the plot of the film express the messages in which the director is putting across to the main target audience. An important factor which needs to be addressed is that there is a lack of female directors producing films compared to the large number of male directors. There could be many reasons to why there are a limited amount of well known female directors producing films and there are many factors which may influence a female director’s decision to want to go continue into directing. In an article published in the Guardian on Monday, March 7 2005 titled, Why are women a rare sight, one of the issues raised were that “female directors just don’t seem to send their projects in”[5]. If female directors fail to send their work in, less female directors get found, therefore less will become well known for their work.

Some of the issues which influence female directors decision into not to wanting to pursue their career or submit their ideas is due to the fact that is that some want to concentrate on pursuing other careers . Directing however can be time consuming as it requires an amount of focus and preparation. The film Material Girls (2006) is directed by Martha Coolidge. The fact that a female director produced the film shows that the ideologies of the film must be accurate due to the fact that the film is being directed from a female point of view. This would emphasise the characteristics of both Ava and Tanzie as it reinforces the stereotypes of young blondes. The director would want to create humour by giving the audience and accurate representation of these characters from the view that people have from them in society. A reflection of events which take place in society links to the zeitgeist, as views of social groups in society ate then exploited throughout the film.

The film Material Girls (2006) follows the typical conventions expected from a typical chick flick genre, which would often be stereotypical to create humour. According to an article based on click flicks, written by Tom Long is augment that often click flicks “insult their audience with stereotypical characters”[6]. The Material Girls (2006) film represents a view of this through the main female characters Tanzie and Ava Marchetta. The start of the film both are shown to as the typical teenage girls, whose main interest is in the materialistic pleasures in life, hence the reason why the film is called material girls. With reference to Walters study, he had found out that “women enjoy fashion and beauty” [7].The representations of the women in Material Girls (2006) show in fact both enjoy these necessities in life therefore they are expected by people in society to act the way they do.

An issue in which the film is able to deal with is that it portrays the lives of two young female characters that enjoy their easy lifestyle, without fully realising the responsibility in which they have. The story is outlined through the tag line of the film being “It's A Short Trip From The Penthouse To The Poorhouse”[8]. It gives an indication to the audience that these two girls, who enjoy the material things in life and all of the luxuries, comes a point in which they would no longer able to enjoy it as their lives change dramatically. The film represents a strong familial ideology as the two sisters have a close relationship. The main characters in the film are represented, from the tagline as rich and possibly spoilt young girls who are unaware of how quickly their rich lives can change. The material girls show a dominant representation of blondes in society today, reflecting the zeitgeist, as the film is able to give an account of the lifestyles in which they want to live and what young girls in society today want their lives to be like. The main objective for them is to look good and spending money on clothes. However the film shows the contrast which these girls have as they see that there is more to life than shopping and parties. In the film they both come to the conclusion that there is a need to change their active lives and that they should look after themselves and take more responsibility, without relying on others to do work for them. This could therefore contrast with the stereotypes as it shows that the girls want to change.

Other films in which link to the typical chick flick genre conventions include Legally Blonde (2001), Mean Girls (2006) and the television sitcom The Simple Life (2003) which stars two blonde bombshells Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. These two films and the television series links to the film Material Girls (2006) due to the fact that they all show females to be presented in a similar way following the same characteristics and show a heavy amount of stereotyping. In Legally Blonde(2001) the main character of the film is played by Reese Witherspoon. The character in which she plays Elle is stereotypically made to look as the stupid blonde by wanting to study law, in order to win the affections of her boyfriend. The audience would find this funny due to the fact that the film is aiming to use this in a way to encourage people to want to go out and watch the film. “Going to Harvard is the only way I'm going to get the love of my life back” [9] This quote taken from the film suggests the attitude of the blonde character as she only wants to be successful in order to win back her boyfriend.

In Mean Girls (2006) the film portrays the actions of a group of young females highlighting how competitive and bitchy they can become. It is typical of the genre to have girls falling out over a male character and failing to show female unity. Douglas Pye (1975) discussed how “Generic consistency allows for the shorthand of convention and stereotype”. Therefore, arguing that certain elements of a genre would have to appear, such as stereotyping, otherwise the genre would lose focus and fail to meet the expectations of its audiences.
The Simple Life (2001) is able to give the audience a real life view of two well known celebrities who in fact are both rich celebrity blondes trying to fit into the world which they seem to no nothing about. This is able to exploit the ways in which stereotypes are reinforced due to the fact that throughout this television sitcom the audience see a real account of how blondes act to certain situations in the real world therefore the sitcom is reinforcing the stereotypes are given to blondes in society. “The audience demand for predictability” Steve Neale (1990), therefore knowing what they are going to expect from the genre involving blondes.

An important fact which outlines and makes evident of the changes in history for women appearing on screen is that during the 1950s 1960s and 1970s only 20 to 30 per cent of characters in television were female.[10] However by the mid 1980s more women were placed in leading roles but men had continued to dominate and fulfil the main roles.The roles in which women have had throughout film have changed dramatically throughout history. Films would often show women fulfilling typical familial roles. These roles would include the typical housewife, looking after the children and meeting the needs of her husband. This view is reinforced through the film The Sound Of Music (1965). It showed Julie Andrews adopting a motherly figure through the film, looking after the children.

In film, during the 1950s, the male characters were shown to be the heroes and most importantly had the central roles in film. Therefore this evidently means that women who are watching the film are forced to cross gender identify with the men. The male characters were presented powerful and assertive, as making more, and almost to the most influential decisions which would affect themselves and the women. Women on the other hand, were presented as being frightened and in need of constant protection from the male characters. Women were represented as being more passive, weak and “merely token females”[11]. Gunter implied that women in film were just there in order to show, and create a sense of equality in the film. The women may not have had a specific role in the film however showing one or two female characters would make the audience believe that they in fact have an important role in the film. In the 1960s there was still no change in the way in which women were presented in film. Men continued to dominate the main screen and were portrayed as being intelligent and assertive. Representations of women were still the same during the 1970s, however a study from McNeil (1975) found out that “housewifes continued to be the main female role on television”.[12].

Women’s main concern was with romance or family. The 1980s saw a change in the way women were in television drama as Gillian Dyer found out that “the number of women in central roles in police and crime drama had increased” [13] This would have seen to be a huge change in the way in which women were shown particular in television due to the fact that it allowed the audience to see a different representation of women. The roles in which women would have been shown to have in these dramas would be strong and independent women. "The 1980s and early 1990s saw the emergence of a few female action heroes defined by a quality of masculinity"[14] During this time period women in film began to be represented in a more positive and independent way. This can fully be shown in the film Tomb Raider (2001) which stared Angelina Jolie, a female actress staring as the main role in the film. Changes at this point in time began to show these female characters in films like this one being in more dominant roles and not in the shows of their male counterparts. Whereas Lara Croft’s character contrasts with Ava and Tanzie from Material Girls (2006) as they are shown to more independent on others throughout the film.

“Stereotypes are labels that categorize people largely in negative terms, and that can be applied to whole social or cultural groups”[15]. Dyer’s theory can link to the Material Girls (2006) film as the main focus of the cultural group in which are being stereotyped in the films are blondes. Stereotyping within films places much importance in the way in which the film can structure the way the characters are presented to the audience. The ways in which certain groups in society are represented can be made evident throughout films offering the audience a more comical view of that particular group being represented. However the audience may agree that the way that they are being represented is an accurate one. The main group in which is being presented are blondes. The characters would often appear as “dumbing down” in certain situations. This is shown throughout film texts, as it is able to create humour for the audience making it easier for them to be able to consume the text. An example from the text “I don't understand why we didn't get any unemployment money... We've never even been employed. Doesn't that mean we should get more unemployment?., this quote from the film Material Girls (2006) from one of the main protagonists in the film Tanzie Marchetta is able to fully justify the ways in which the language of the characters is used to be able to create humour, therefore meeting the audience expectations of the typical blonde female. “The Dumb blonde may lack experience or just be naturally dumber, or she may have decided to skate through life on her looks, leaving intellectual pursuits”[16]

The fact that films like chick flicks and reality television sitcoms such as The Simple Life (2003) showing a real life account of rich, young and good looking blondes, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are now able to show this links to Scheibes (1979) view of women that there main concern in life was “beauty, cleanness, family and pleasing others”[17]. This is made evident through the fact that they both are already concerned with two of those factors also suggesting that they are essential for them to have. Without them they result into having to live and have a fairly average and simple life.

The stereotypes in which are given to a particular group or persons within society can therefore lead to it having a negative effect to those that may be associated with that particular group in society. Once given a negative label by those in society it can therefore lead to a self fulfilling prophecy. This is when a social group beings to act upon the label in which they have been given by society. In this case the main focus would be with blonde women. Stan Cohen had argued in the case that “the media labelled youth culture in a stereotyped and negative way”[18] This can then lead to a moral panic occurring within society. A moral panic can take effect once “a person or group of persons become defined as a threat to societal values and interests[19]. People can them make assumptions about that particular group in society and begin to believe whatever they hear about that group mainly published through the media is the truth.

Women in film could have been categorised into either one of the two groups in a film based on the character that they had adopted within the film. These categories would position female characters to either adopt the role as The Madonna or The Whore. The Madonna is almost made to be presented as the good women who are always shown to be pure and maternal whereas compared to the whore, her characteristics would be sinful and almost everything she would do would be sexual. Contrastingly, as the whore is represented in a negative way due to her power and actions the bimbo role also uses some of the characteristics and attributes given to the whore. For instance, the whore is represented as a perfect provocateur based on her youth, good looks, perfection and sexual seductiveness, which similarly are some of the characteristics of the bimbo.

The whore however compared to the bimbo, would use her sexual prowess to often manipulate the male characters. The bimbos presentation would consist of flashy make up, and high heels. These images can then be made throughout films due to the fact that the film directors are just giving the audience what they want from the film. This is a way in which they want certain audiences to want to go out and watch the film. This is made evident through the film Double Indemnity (1944). The film is an example in which shows the way the representation of women, playing a particular focus on blonde women, have changed from this time period. This film is able to exploit the ways in which the representation of the blonde women has changed over time. During the 1940s therefore from this film the blonde women is shown to have fully control of the decisions in which the male character is able to make. The film presents a more dominant ideology of the blonde female as she is shown to be easily able to manipulate the male character. The whore and the bimbo however do share similar characteristics as aspects from both are shown through the main female protagonist in the film Double Indemnity (1944) played by Barbra Stanwyck. Her character in the film Phyllis Dietrichson and she is able to cleverly get the male character to kill someone for her. We have gone through with it, Walter. The tough part is all behind us. “We just have to hold on now and not go soft inside. Stick close together the way we started out...I loved you, Walter, and I hated him. But I wasn't going to do anything about it. Not until I met you. You planned the whole thing. I only wanted him dead”.[20] The quote from the film is able to exploit the sort of character she is as she is able to manipulate the male into help her then to find a way which suggests that it was his idea in the first place. An example of strong and independent women on screen was Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). Buffy’s creator, Joss Whedon stated that Buffy “is a good role model for not just girls but for everybody”.[21] They way in which her character is presented compared to the way in which they are from material girls is that she is strong and is almost looked up to for protection by both the female characters and the male.

Both characters representations in the films compared to Material Girls (2006) contrast heavily as in the 1940s showed a dominant female who was most importantly blonde compared to the way now that they are presented which is more stereotyped showing how the stereotypes are reinforced to comply with the views of society.
The characters within Material Girls are stereotyped in order to create humour. From a pluralistic audience view, if the they want to see dumb blondes within a film then that’s what they would be given. However it is an effective way of promoting the film as it does offer the audience a lot of humour and could appeal to a large number of people.

Word Count: 3351

[1] http:imbd.com/title/tt0433412/quotes – Tanzie Marchetta dialogue
[2] Mulvey, Laura (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative cinema
[3] Tuchman, G- (1998) The Symbolic Annihilation of Women by the Mass media
[4] Tuchman, G- (1998) The Symbolic Annihilation of Women by the Mass media
[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/mar/07/gender.world
[6] http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090220/OPINION03/902200384/1034/rss28
[7] Walter (1998) D, Gauntlett, Representations of Gender In the Past
[8] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433412/ - Film tagline
[9] Legally Blonde (2001)
[10] D, Gauntlett, Representations of Gender In the Past, pg 43
[11] Gunter, Barrie (1995)
[12] McNeil (1975)
[13] Gillian Dyer (1987)
[14] Tasker, Yvonne (1998) Working Girls, Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema
[15] Sardar, Ziauddin and Van Loon, Borin, (2006) ‘Introducing Media Studies’ pg 75
[16] http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DumbBlonde
[17] Scheibe (1979)
[18] Stan Cohen (1975)
[19] Stan Cohen (1975)
[20] Double Indemnity quote from film (1944)
[21] Gauntlet, David (2002) Media Gender and Identity,