Womens's role in action films : a study of female stereotype and representation

Espírito Santo, Manuela Leong do

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/26671

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
202012468.pdf		3.92 MB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Espírito Santo, Manuela Leong do

Advisor(s)

Carmona, Carlos Ruiz

Abstract(s)

This study explores and discusses female portrayal in Hollywood action movies. As a woman, I have always questioned the status of women in cinema, and find that female stereotypes are usually negative. Firstly, I explain the concepts of mass media and femininity in films. The section will deal with questions like how are women are normally portrayed in action films, why does the female stereotype exist, how are women different in different movies and what is the common features they all have. With these questions, I consulted many different sources and did research, shown in the bibliography, and have tried to find an answer. It is clear to see that gender stereotypes within movies have a huge connection with society as a whole; it affects society across many generations. There are many films that don't use females in the lead role and in this study, I will raise some exceptions to this, expectations that are not portraying women in a stereotypical way. After introducing and explaining the facts, there is a section that describes my method of finding the characters that are exceptions. After finding them, I analyse their differences and similarities in films. In order to explore and study these characters, the research takes into account their appearance, personality, position in the film and dialogue. With the study results, I conclude each of them and come up with a summary of how they are being portrayed. Together with all the conclusions of the characters, I compare them to one another in terms of how different they are in the films, which kind of female they stand for and how they reflect women in society. After this conclusion of comparison, I explore more about the changes of female portrayal now and then.