There is an overall theme within this week’s readings: the (mis)representation of women in media. This representation that has been created within a patriarchal world and perpetuates the submissive and weak nature women are ‘encouraged’ to maintain, if they are in fact, part of the world of media in the first place. At the time of Smith’s article there were very little women in the film industry and those that were were limited to the roles of demure housewife or pretty plaything. A woman’s film presence was one that displayed her attractiveness and highlighted her physicality while minimizing any sense of seriousness or thought. She is either cute and silly or a sex symbol without brains. Women in today’s films haven’t changed that much. Even women who portray strong, independent, intelligent women must still appear feminine and attractive. Lara Croft, the heroine of Tomb Raider, is highly intelligent, strong and athletic but she is often seen wearing skintight clothing that accentuates her chest and bottom. As Bordo demonstrates women are now encouraged to go to the gym and workout but even the image of a fit woman is connected to the cultural message that she must look a certain way and wear a certain type of clothing. It was delightful to learn about Artel and Wengraf’s compilation of Positive Images. Their goal is to challenge the current trend of gender stereotyping and present women as they are: non-stereotyped, resourceful in non-traditional work. The idea of showcasing men in non-traditional roles is excellent as well because men are faced with their own cultural messages and expectations everyday. Tuchman is spot on when she asks her readers to consider what is a woman? What is it? What does she truly look like?
A new concept for me was feminine machisma. The New Woman is strong and independent and professionally successful. She is her own boss, she is the one that is at the helm of her ship and she is the hero of her own story. She needs no man to help her for she is a woman capable of rescuing herself and any man that needs rescuing around her. Ironically, this woman is still inundated with society’s expectations. She must still have sex appeal, she still must be attractive and fit, she must wear clothing that correlates to the grey suit of successful men but this suit should be a skirt and the shirt should be snug fitting and slightly unbuttoned. And this feminine machisma must not be too strong and independent or successful because it will threaten the masculine machismo, making men feel weak and subordinate and ultimately unworthy. Women in the media have a glass ceiling they cannot go beyond. They say life imitates art, is it possible for art to imitate life?
This material is very important to my research. My thesis is looking at women who work in the whitewater rafting industry and if the characteristics they display resemble that of Wonder Woman. She is the perfect example of feminine machisma. She maintains an aura of femininity through her appearance but she is strong and powerful. Women in the adventure industry display similar traits yet their representation in the industry is still dogged by misrepresentation. They too must remember that they cannot display too much masculine power or they won’t be considered feminine but if they are too feminine they won’t be taken seriously. So where is the balance? What exactly is feminine and who has the right to tell a woman what is feminine or not? Not even Beyonce has the answer. She says she is a feminist but she too conforms to society’s expectations of what is a level of acceptable femininity and what is not.