representation of women
Utilising one of the approaches to representation from the lecture programme, analyse a media product. How useful is this critical method?In this essay I am going to investigate the feminist approach to the representation of women in the soap opera. Television soap operas are long-running serials traditionally based on the close study of personal relationships within the everyday life of its characters. Soaps are a consistent set of values based on personal relationships and on women's responsibility for the maintenance of these relationships.The modern feminist approach to this predictable "role" of female characters, is that it is a way of perpetuating the patriarchal ideology into its largely female unquestioning audience. Feminist, Deborah Rogers wrote, " ...I argue that the fragmentation of soap narrative form reinforces the status quo with respect to the nature of sex roles and of interpersonal relationships in a patriarchal culture." She goes on to discuss the unquestioning audience, " Although the mixed messages of soap operas allow scholars to construct subversive readings, actual viewers fail to respond in this manner." (p325)Rogers also discusses the difficulty feminists have in agreeing whether or no
" However Terry Lovell agrees that the soap opera is made with a patriarchal ideology but maintains that this may be of comfort to its female viewers. She had children during her marriage and has worked mainly in the home all her life, and sometimes worked part-time at the laundrette - which can be seen as an extension of Pauline's duties in the home. An example of this character is Natalie, when she first appeared in Coronation Street. An example of this character is Pauline in Eastenders. It is interesting to compare this villainess with one of the matriarchs in the soap. I think this is because she is widowed and her life is now incomplete without a man. " The cumulative effect of introducing in a fragmented text messages that reconcile women to traditional female roles and relationships is to reinforce patriarchal cultural behaviour in a way that is difficult to identify during a typical - that is, casual - viewing experience. Viewers often see little more than a rare hug and a peck on the cheek between them. This is usually a woman who is in a position of power who is invariably aggressive. But Fiske argues that soaps do hold some 'benefit' for the oppressed woman, "While it may not challenge that patriarchal domination in any direct or radical way, at the very least it consistently whittles away at patriarchy's power to subject women and at best it provides both a masculine-free zone from which a direct challenge may be mounted and the self-esteem that such a challenge would require. This is demonstrated in the way that she dresses (Pauline's cardigans are infamous) and the conversations she has with her husband - these are very mundane and domesticated sex is not mentioned. If we take Natalie again and compare her with the character Sally, who was married, had children in the marriage, and worked in the home for most of her children's' lives, we see that over the past few years, although Sally's husband had an affair and they broke up, Sally received a lot of support from friends on the street because she is after all the 'good' woman' Sally can also be seen as successful because she has achieved the soap dream of having a family.
Common topics in this essay:
Pauline Eastenders,
Coronation Street,
John Fiske,
Deborah Rogers,
Terry Lovell,
Lindsey Brookside,
,
Marion Jordan,
Whereas Sally,
Jackie Brookside,
patriarchal ideology,
soap operas,
soap opera,
feminist approach,
example character,
coronation street,
grown soap,
female soap,
mature sexy,
fiske argues,
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Acceptance Essays
