For many years, the media representations of women has helped to construct their collective identity, both positively and negatively. However, as David Gauntlett says, “Identity is complicated; everybody thinks they’ve got one,” and I believe this is true concerning the representation of women as no two representations are the same.
In a semiotic analysis of ‘Cosmopolitan’ over the last four years, we see, in the words of the article in March 2014 ‘What does this remind you of...?’ “Feminist creatives from the world of art, fashion, photography and craft have a new muse: the vagina. The female form is being objectified in new ways, this time by women and men keen to represent it in all its glory.” December 2016 cover-lines include ‘The Slut Diaries’ and ‘In Bed with Kourtney Kardashian’, suggesting casual sexism due to the use of the word ‘Slut’, and the problem pages are on the lines of ‘he broke my heart’. As usual, the cover model, Kourtney Kardashian, is looking sexy, lying on a rumpled bed sheet with tousled hair. This is in line with Winship’s theory that women are seeing themselves in the way that masculine culture has defined them. The forthright tackling of sex issues could be seen as refreshing. But this is complex - women are still being objectified, even though these are 'strong' women. According to Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory, one of the reasons people consume the media is for social interaction and identification with a role model who appears to have similar innovative ideas to your own in order to escape from the problems of the real world; however ‘Cosmopolitan’ in many ways conforms this theory bringing formally ‘taboo’ issues into the spotlight. In this way the collective identity of women is constructed positively, however is an overt sexualisation of women which could be interpreted as damaging to the construction of women's representation.
However, in magazines such as ‘Women’s Health’, the magazine acts more as a friendly adviser. This magazine conforms to Giddens’ theory of structuration as it tells the reader ‘What to do? How to act? Who to be?’ in didactic cover-lines such as ‘Shed 3, 5, 7+ kilos’. However, it also features articles such as 'The Weird New Way To Sleep Better', which is reassuring to the general reader. The December 2016 issue focuses on fixing common problems such as lack of sleep, hunger cravings, stress, skin blemishes and fat. It is all about makeup, hair and skincare. The cover model, Laura Whitmore, is an aspirational figure, but this is common in just about all lifestyle magazines. In contrast, the models in ‘Men’s Health’ magazine look challenging and have a manly gaze into the camera, the females in ‘Women’s Health’ look cheerful, friendly and glowing, more like a ‘friend’. If we consider that the model reflects the image promoted by the magazine, men are represented as overtly stereotypical 'male' role model, whilst the cover models in 'Women's Health' appear more diverse in appearance, promoting a healthy lifestyle rather than a particular 'look'.
Moreover the representation of women in film has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. When we look back over time, film representations of women have tended to be. For example, in Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller, ‘Vertigo’ where Kim Novak is presented as a typical ‘ice woman’ in the film – perfect, beautiful and unattainable. In fact Hitchcock has been criticised as a misogynist, which may be why all the women in his films, particularly ‘Vertigo’, are presented as weak, even damsels in distress-type characters.
If we compare this to more recent films such as ‘Suffragette' (2015), directed by Sarah Gavron, women are presented in a much more positive light. The Marxist theory is relevant here as the factory managers try to exercise absolute control over the working class women. However, eventually the women rebel, which can be related to Faucault’s ‘Techniques of the Self’ as the protagonist changes society and leads the rebellion to fight for votes for women.
Similarly, Disney has introduced strong female representations in its films in recent years too. For example, Moana (2016) is a stronger character than her male counterpart, who is a demigod. Her grandmother, too, is a wise figure who gives Moana strength while her father tries to 'protect' her. Alike to this, Meridith in Brave (2012) fights for her own hand in marriage subverting the stereotypical Disney princess characterisation as she fights for her own freedom as well as acting as a powerful hero in saving her own mother. Disney have also subverted the female stereotype of requiring rescuing by a male hero as can be seen in Frozen (2013) which instead explores the idea of women standing up for each other through the relationship of sisters Anna and Elsa, as well as choosing to characterise elder sister Elsa as a female villain but as one that the audience can sympathise with instead of the stereotypical ‘ice woman’ seen in Hitchcock’s films.
Furthermore, films such as ‘Divergent’ (2014) directed by Neil Burger, totally subvert the idea of gender and therefore links to Butler’s idea of gender as a performance. The protagonist Tris changes her actions mentally in order to fit into the male-led society. However, women are in top leadership positions in this film.
In advertisements, women have been represented differently over the years. For example, in the Fairy Liquid adverts from the 1960s, the women are presented as stay-at-home mothers; she does educational activities with her young daughter whilst washing up. Even today, Mum is the main focus of the adverts. Fairy Liquid therefore conforms to the old fashioned hegemony that women belong in the home.
In conclusion, in the future I believe that there will be a rise in the number of feminist films, advertisements and magazines due to the current and increasing importance of Fourth Wave feminism, particularly after Emma Watson’s impassioned speech at the UN on gender equality. The collective identity of women is constantly changing in the media; as Judith Butler says, “Gender is a fluid variable” which “shifts and changes”.
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