By Venus Ser
Female Representation in Popular Culture
By Venus Ser
The blockbuster film Wonder Woman ( 2017 ) has been a tremendous success for DC Comics . When the character Wonder Woman is mentioned , people associate her with words such as “ strong ,” “ heroine ,” “ strong-willed ” and “ determined .” However , in another DC Comics classic , Superman , the character Lois Lane exemplifies female representation in superhero movies . Although she may also be described as resolute and assertive , she is considered primarily to be the companion or sidekick of Superman . These characters are fictional , but the impact they have on society are profound . The images and messages about gender that the media present are likely to have a great influence on people ’ s sense of identity ( Gauntlett , 2010 ). Gender norms are learnt through culture , objects and social interactions since gender is constructed socially ( Trier-Bieniek & Leavy , 2014 ).
Female Stereotypes Stereotyping is a quick and convenient tool that is popular in western and eastern entertainment industry . Producers utilise it to label characters so that audiences can understand their stories more easily . Besides , due to time pressure and budget , film studios often encourage stereotypes . Despite the fact that stereotyping might not always be negative , the dangerous part of it is that stereotypes can be oversimplified and untrue ( Trier-Bieniek & Leavy , 2014 ).
The female stereotypes that often appear in pop culture can be categorised into five types . The first type is “ The Virgin ”. The female characters are portrayed as innocent and vulnerable . This representation of females shows that they need protection and to be taken care of . The Disney princesses such as Snow White , Jasmine , Ariel and Sleeping Beauty can be considered typical examples . They are out of touch with the outside world and are also damsels in distress who wait
Amanda Seyfried became famous for portraying “ Dumb Blonde ” Karen Smith in Mean Girls ( 2004 ).
for their princes to save them . In Asian pop culture , this type of representation is especially popular and mainly used in the romance genre . For example , the Taiwanese movies You are the Apple of My Eye ( 2011 ) and Our Times ( 2015 ) are both stories about first love . The female characters are both more passive in the relationship and wait for the male characters to take the initiative . Moreover , Korean pop girl groups like Girls ’ Generation , GFriend and Twice often produce songs and dance to choreography that are labelled as pure , innocent and cute . Their production companies construct these images of women in order to attract the male demographic . Additionally , these celebrities reflect , in part , traditional ideas of how women should act , thereby further perpetuating these values among their female fans .
Another typical representation of females is the “ Dumb Blonde ” trope . The personality of the character is a combination of being innocent and ignorant while also having an erotic effect on others . Marilyn Monroe is one famous example . She often played women who were fragile and relied on their appearance . Apart part from Monroe , characters such as Karen Smith from Mean Girls ( 2004 ), Shelley Darlingson from The House Bunny ( 2008 ) and Cher Horowitz from Clueless ( 1995 ) also have personalities that are sweet but naïve . Their intentions are usually
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