Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

Feminist theory: key notes
Judith Butler: gender roles

• Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.
• By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders
• Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

Butler and the media

• If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.
• And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?

Angela McRobbie: empowering women

• McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.
• McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.
• This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

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1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

The video can reinforce the view of Butler and his theory of how gender roles can be construed though a 'performance' within media texts, the example of it can be shown in Beyonce's video. Within this video, Beyonce plays serval roles, dressing up as a housewive, trying to clean and cook; playing the role of a typical and stereotypical that a housewive would do. This reinforces the thought of them as vulnerable and females that are just there for men's pleasure. The fact that Beyonce is crying and pouring her feelings out for a men that she is questioning why he doesnt love her despite all that she has and can do, can reinforce that men have all the power and the control over a women and females have to have men in their life, this automactially puts a social divide of genders within society.

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?

McRobbie could see Beyonce as an empowering role model for women because of the lyrics that are stating that she doesn't need a guy as she can do things herself but she is questioning why he doesn't love her. But her actions are contradicting with what she is saying. McRobbie could also see Beyonce as reinforcing the gender roles.

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

In my opinion, I think Beyonce is reinforcing the male gaze upon herself through her actions and the camerawork that has been done throughout her music video. This is through the fitted clothing that she is wearing and high angles but also her actions that can attract and make the male audience wanting to watch more of the video. These conventions are objectifying females and reinforcing the traditional 'male gaze.' However, it could be also argued that Beyonce can be empowering because the control she has over her body and how she comes across towards the audience, but I personally would argue that Beyonce is inviting male gaze upon herself and doesnt come across empowering at all, instead it comes across as desperate and trashy.