The Representation of Femininity and Masculinity in American Film Posters

Abstract

The study used qualitative textual analysis to analyze the gender representation and equality between genders in film posters from 1950s to 2010s. The study focused on the Oscar film winners from 1950s to 2017. The total of film posters is 62. United Kingdom winners are excluded from my sample because the posters are very few compared to United states one. This study used the criticism of feminist film theory for Laura Mulvey and her book" Visual pleasure and narrative cinema" which published on 1980s. The study suggests that women are just supporting the men roles and they always not important as much as men roles are and men are always smart.
Research questions and the findings for each question:
RQ1: how do film posters from 1950s to the 2010s treat equality between genders? Finding show the existence of men in posters is 55%; women 15% both genders(men with women in the same poster)11%; no gender posters (no men or women just the title or background of a place) 19% and 0% represents the other gender (lesbian or gays) in film posters.
RQ2: how do film posters from 1950s to the 2010s treat femininty representations? women appeared in my time line representing romance posters, daughter and mother relationships and sex appeals (less important roles compared to men)
RQ3: how do film posters from 1950s to the 2010s treat masculinity representations? Men appeared in the posters as investigators, presidents, work in military and officers posters. (more important and serious posers)



Author Information
Sara Almaleki, Syracuse University, United States

Paper Information
Conference: ACAH2019
Stream: Humanities - Media, Film Studies, Theatre, Communication

This paper is part of the ACAH2019 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon