Tesi sul tema "Myth of femininity"

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008.
Title from file title page. Ralph LaRossa, committee chair; Elisabeth O. Burgess, Wendy Simonds, committee members. Electronic text (154 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Sept. 29, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-149).

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This research has as main proposal to make an analysis of the representation of women in films by Lars Von Trier. After a more close glance on Dancer in the Dark, Dogville and Melancholy, a corpus that covers the period from 2000 to 2011, I sought to indicate the strategies of meaning construction that interact here. Theoretically, this work requires the support of Barthes semiology, notably his classical concept of myth , as well as the Freudian-Lacanian psychoanalysis around women and female questions. The first one is a base for film analysis. The second helps me to analyse female characters. I added to these supports contributions of excellent thinkers about Freud and Lacan works, and also contributions of film scholars and analysers of Lars Von Trier masterpieces. Consistent with these perspectives, I launched here the following hypothesis: in the figuration of the feminine, nothing is linked to the so-called nature , rather to a historical and discursive construction. The relevance of the work is related to the almost total absence of Barthesian readings in the cientific Brazilian literature, specifically on films, and also to the rarity of media semiological and psychoanalytic approaches related to Barthes studies
A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo principal examinar a representação do feminino no cinema de Lars Von Trier. Debruçando-se, mais detidamente, sobre Dançando no Escuro, Dogville e Melancolia, corpus que recobre o período de 2000 a 2011, buscamos indicar as estratégias de construção do sentido aí em jogo. Teoricamente, o trabalho requisita a semiologia barthesiana, notadamente o conceito clássico de mito , e a psicanálise freudianolacaniana em torno do feminino. A primeira embasa a análise fílmica. A segunda, a análise das personagens femininas. Acrescentam-se, a essas bases de apoio, outras, oferecidas por bons comentadores de Freud e de Lacan e, ainda, por estudiosos do cinema e da obra de Lars Von Trier. Em consonância com tais perspectivas, joga-se aqui com a hipótese de que, na figuração do feminino, nada se agarra à natureza, mas é sempre construção histórica e discursiva. A relevância do trabalho está ligada à quase total inexistência, entre nós, de leituras barthesianas sobre o cinema e, ainda, à raridade de enfoques semiótico-psicanalíticos da mídia que levem Barthes em consideração

Men and women in advertising - a study of the ads in the magazines Café and Elle is an essay in media and communication studies covering 15hp. The author examines what is considered masculinity and femininity in a variety of advertisements, and which products are linked to masculinity and femininity. Besides this, the author also examines the production of happiness, and how this may differ between men and women. Although stereotypes, myths and metaphors are examined. The essay is examined on the basis of gender theory, and theories about stereotypes and myths. This is examined by using both a less extensive quantitative approach and a more detailed qualitative method. Semiotics is the qualitative method used, which include denotation and connotation that is used as some of the tools. The result of the study shows that masculinity and femininity is something that is separate from each other. Different stereotypes, myths and metaphors could also be found in the material. One of the conclusions is that while masculinity seems to be something that is associated with doing something, femininity seems to be something that is associated with being something. Also happiness is something that differs between men and women.

With this study, the authors wish to highlight the way artificial intelligence, as a new form of media technology, seems to be ascribed gender, both in fiction and reality. These, by humans artificially developed beings, would not need to be gendered, but still are. Given these beings are human made and new phenomenas, an opportunity of preventing boundaries considering gender, class and etnicity to be reproduced would be possible and in favour. By analysing the Alex Garland 2015 film Ex Machina, the authors wish to discuss how and why the artificial intelligence becomes gendered, particularly feminised, and what this means from a wider perspective concerning the way we look at this new technlology not yet fully introduced in real life. By using post- and transhuman theory mixed with feminist theories such as Judith Butlers theory of perfomativity, Donna Haraways posthuman feminist theory and Laura Mulveys theory of The Male Gaze, this study results in a qualitative text analysis. The methodic tools used in this study contains elements from visual text methods and therefor also semiotics.   The authors reach to the conclusion that the depiction of artificial intelligence in the film Ex Machina (2015) reproduces stereotypic feminine gender acts and even intensifies these. When these ways of presenting new and futuristic technology seems to appear in ficiton, an assumption can be made that they origin from existing and deep gender acts in the western society. Researchers, such as Donna Haraway, wishes for these strong boundaries in gender, class and etnicity to not be reproduced in new technology, but in the fictional case of the film Ex Machina (2015), this wish has unfortunately not been fullfilled. If society would be able to rethink the sharp boundaries between nature and technology and succeed with this ontological change in the way we look at humanity, it would hopefully be easier to approach the new technology with an open mind. Perhaps then the reproduction of gender stereotypes in this new technology would cease in fiction, but also in reality.

Jag har ägnat denna uppsats åt att undersöka Kungliga Konstakademiens elevtidning Palettskrap från och med att det grundades 1877 till och med 1904.Tidningen består av anteckningar, protokoll och en mängd med bilder såsom porträtt, illustrationer och skämtteckningar. Mitt syfte har varit att se hur konflikten kring kvinnorollen generellt och kvinnliga konstnärsrollen specifikt kommer till uttryck under det sena 1800-talet i en intern elevtidning som Palettskrap. Jag har huvudsakligen utfört bildanalyser men även lyft fram text ur Palettskrap som har varit relevant för mitt ämne. Jag har analyserat bildernas uttryck och bildbudskap utifrån Roland Barthes semiotiska metod. För en genusmedveten och kritisk blick på det konsthistoriska sammanhanget, har jag har tillämpat ett feministiskt perspektiv som varit verktyg för att dekonstruera den maskulina myten om modernismen och konstnären. Min undersökning visar att det finns två etablerade stereotyper/kategorier av den kvinnliga konstnären: den ”okvinnliga” konstnären och ”amatören”. Dessa två stereotyper återspeglar den borgerliga synen på kvinnlighet/femininitet som oförenlig med konstnärsrollen.
I have dedicated this essay in researching the journal Palettskrap founded by students at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in 1877. Palettskrap consists of notes, protocols and a variety of images such as portraits, illustrations and satirical cartoons. My purpose has specifically been to see how the conflict of the woman artist is articulated during the late 1800's in a student journal such as Palettskrap, and also more generally, how the woman's role in society is articulated. I have primarily analyzed images but I have also exposed text from Palettskrap which has been relevant to my subject matter. By using Roland Barthes' semiotics, I have analyzed the images' expression and message. For a gender-sensitive and critical eye on the art historical context, I have applied feminist theory which has been useful in deconstructing the masculine myth on modernism and ”the artist”. My research shows that there are two established stereotypes/categories of the woman artist: the ”unwomanly” artist and the ”amateur”. These two stereotypes reflect the bourgeois notions of womanhood/femininity as incompatible with the role of the artist.

The thesis deals with the beauty myth and its presentation in Top dívky girl magazine. It focuses on revealing mechanisms used by the magazine to attract girls' attention, and their gender consequences. Observing both analogical and contrasting traits of presenting the beauty myth to girls and women is an important part of the thesis. In its theoretical part, the author begins by presenting the ongoing discussion on the beauty myth led by Naomi Wolf (2000), the feminist theorist. The basic theoretical framework for this thesis is Wolf's proposition of the "female" beauty myth, which subsequently helps the author to examine the "girlish" beauty myth. In her research, the author uses open, axial and selective coding. By determining the central category of Cult of surface, the thesis unveils the essential message of the beauty myth in Top dívky. The surface is the main aspect not only of girls' appearance, but also of their relationships and interests. The functioning of the cult of surface is enabled by the discourse of easiness and the accessibility of beautification, which the thesis considers as a very important aspect of the beauty myth in the girl magazine. Basic propositions on the female beauty myth apply to girls as well, however, there are certain nuances to consider, which the author also...

This master thesis deals with feminist literary analysis of the works of writer Michal Viewegh, specifically his two prose novels Román pro ženy and Román pro muže using a method called resistant reading with a critical gender analysis and subsequent final comparison. This thesis consists of two parts, from the theoretical - methodological, which outlines the theoretical basis for the next analytical part. The key concepts are in the first part the researches of literary critics on Michal Viewegh, theories of Judith Fetterley, Elaine Showalter and Janice A. Radway. Furthermore, there are the theoretical basis of gender, and how gender stereotypes are constructed. This section is mainly based on the theorists Blanka Knotková - Čapková, Annis Pratt, Claire M. Renzetti and Daniel J. Curran and founder of analytical psychology Carl Gustav Jung. In describing femininity and masculinity are central lines theories of Naomi Wolf, Simone de Beauvoir and Pierre Bourdieu, Michael Kimmel and Robert Bly. The analytical part is the critical uncovering of gender stereotypes and power discourse. The conclusion is made by the final critical comparison of both novels. Key words: resistant reading, literary canon, gender stereotypes, masculinity, femininity, beauty myth, male domination, power

ʼn Visuele analise van twee Afrikaanse, Christelike vrouetydskrifte het ten doel om die aard van ʼn hedendaagse Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal te ondersoek, soos dit in alledaagse kultuur gekonstrueer word. Hierdie studie bestaan uit ʼn visuele analise wat fokus op populêre media, naamlik die Afrikaanse, Christelike glansvrouetydskrifte Finesse en Lééf. Die tiende verjaardaguitgawe van Finesse in Mei 2008 dui op ʼn mylpaal vir Christen-Afrikaanse vroulikheid. Daarom ag hierdie studie die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal as ʼn waardige onderwerp om te bestudeer. Die studie stel ondersoek in na die agtergrond rondom die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal, wat insluit: die sosio-politieke konteks rondom die Afrikaner/Afrikaanses, ʼn Godsdienstige kultuurgeskiedenis, en die bydrae van vrouetydskrifte tot die konstruering ʼn vroue-ideaal. Hierdie visuele analise bepaal dat die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal subtiel gekonstrueer word deur sekere kodes wat met vroulikheid geassosieer word. Dit sluit onder meer in: visuele tekens wat ʼn denkbeeldige gemeenskap simboliseer, teekoppies, inskrywings, mooimaaksessies, vrugte, see, skoenlappers en skoonheid. Hierdie tekens simboliseer mitiese vroulikheid wat vergestalt in die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal, wat deur die raamwerk van Finesse en Lééf ondersteun word. ʼn Kritiese, visuele analise van Finesse en Lééf volg, met spesifieke verwysing na visuele beelde waar ʼn vrou as individu in ʼn foto verskyn. Hierdie analise eien sekere karaktereienskappe wat die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal voorhou, terwyl sekere tekens of kodes wat bepalend is tot haar uiterlike voorkoms, uitgelig word. Die studie bepaal dat die rolle wat die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal voorhou, dié van eggenote en moeder insluit en word ondersteun deur die visuele analise. Die belang van iii haar rolle lei waarskynlik tot die Christen-Afrikaanse vroue-ideaal se beperking tot die huislike sfeer. Die huislike sfeer in die betrokke tydskrifte word visueel uitgebeeld aan die hand van resepte en dekor. Deur middel van die visuele analise van Finesse en Lééf bepaal hierdie studie die aard van Christen-Afrikaanse vroulikheid soos dit tydens 2008 in alledaagse kultuur weerspieël word. ENGLISH : The aim of a visual analysis of two Christian, Afrikaans, women's magazines is to explore the nature of the contemporary Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal, as it is constructed in popular culture. Therefore, this study consists of a visual analysis which focuses on popular media, in this case the Christian, Afrikaans, glossy women's magazines, Finesse and Lééf. This coincides with the tenth birthday celebration of Finesse, which represents a milestone for Christian-Afrikaans femininity. Therefore, this research regards the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal as a significant topic to be studied. The construction of the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal is considered in terms of: the social-political context surrounding the Afrikaner/Afrikaanses; a religious cultural history; and the contribution of women's magazines to the construction of a feminine ideal. From the visual analysis it is clear that the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal is subtly constructed by codes that may be associated with femininity. These include: visual signs that symbolise an imagined community, tea cups, subscriptions, make-overs, fruit, the sea, butterflies and beauty. These signs, which are supported by the frameworks of Finesse and Lééf respectively, work together to construct not only a myth of femininity, but more importantly to this study, the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal. The critical visual analysis of Finesse and Lééf focuses on photographs of individual women in these magazines. This allows the study to pinpoint specific characteristics that form part of the persona of the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal. Signs and codes that contribute to the physical appearance of the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal are also pointed out. This study discovers that the various roles expected from the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal include that of wife and mother. These two primary roles then lead to the association of the Christian-Afrikaans feminine ideal with the private sphere. The visual analysis reveals that the private sphere is constituted by articles on decor and recipes in both magazines. Through a visual analysis of Finesse and Lééf, this study explores the nature of Christian-Afrikaans femininity as it was portrayed in 2008 in two popular magazines. Copyright
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Visual Arts
unrestricted

ENGLISH SUMMARY The main objective of this thesis was to provide a complex perspective on the mutual relationship of gender and media in the age of post-modernity with a special attention to the stereotypical gender portrayal presented to us by the contemporary Czech advertising discourse. We chose to demonstrate this problematics through the methods of semiotic analysis on the analytical sample of 5 advertisements (consisting of selected TV commercials) representing various aspects of stereotypical gender images appearing in the today's Czech advertising contents. We then subjected these selected advertisements to the analytical methods in pursuit of finding the answers to the questions related to the media image of men, women and our society that the stereotypical gender depictions contained in these advertisements help to construct. Although many of these advertisements appear to be openly sexist or even misogynic on the first sight, using the mechanisms of semiotic analysis we came to a rather opposite conclusion proposing the analyzed contents are rather pro-feminine tending toward an extensive masculine critique. This result, however, is based mainly on the mechanisms of oppositional reading of the subjected texts. On the other hand, it is presumable that the "average media consumer" not having access...

Depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, on assiste en France à un retour en force du mythe des Amazones dans les textes littéraires et les arts visuels. À chaque époque qui la voit ressurgir, la communauté de guerrières affranchies des lois des hommes suscite autant la fascination que l’effroi. Figures dissidentes qui apparaissent, entre 1870 et aujourd’hui, sous les traits de sportives, d’écuyères, de femmes de carrière (auteures, enseignantes, médecins, avocates…), de militantes féministes, de lesbiennes révolutionnaires et de guerrières futuristes, les Amazones se distinguent par la manière dont elles échappent à une vision hétéronormative du « féminin » et du « masculin ». Le réinvestissement du mythe des Amazones depuis la Belle Époque traduit un désir d’affranchissement par rapport à un système de société basé sur une pensée antagoniste entre force et faiblesse, corps et esprit, individu et communauté, masculin et féminin. Les guerrières myth(olog)iques semblent cristalliser diverses tentatives d’opposer aux lieux communs d’un féminin conventionnel des figures d’identification en rupture avec les normes et les attentes sociales. Toutefois, en perpétuelle posture de résistance aux catégories genrées, les Amazones et leurs avatars choisissent de n’endosser ni le féminin ni le masculin, optant pour une identité équivoque, se présentant comme un sujet queer dont la mission est d’exposer la pseudo-nature de la conception binaire des genres. À travers leur combat pour le décloisonnement des espaces identitaires, ces figures modernes de la résistance tentent, tant bien que mal, de constituer une communauté ouverte aux différences et de tirer un sentiment de puissance de cette union sororale. L’opposition et les difficultés rencontrées sur le chemin de la conquête, marqué par des actes sacrificiels, les obligent à réinventer leurs armes de lutte et les conduisent parfois à remettre en question l’héritage des troublantes et fascinantes guerrières de l’Antiquité.
Since the end of the 19th century, we have witnessed the strong comeback of the myth of the Amazons in French literature and visual arts. In every era that sees its resurgence, the emancipated female warriors’ community arouses as much fascination as terror. Dissident figures appearing, between 1870 and today, as athletes, horse riders, career women (authors, teachers, doctors, lawyers…), feminist activists, revolutionary lesbians, and futuristic warriors, the Amazons are distinguished by the way they fend off a heteronormative vision of femininity and masculinity. The reinvestment of the Amazonian myth since the Belle Époque translates a desire for freedom from a social system based on an antagonistic thinking of strength and weakness, body and mind, individual and community, male and female. The myth(olog)ical warriors seem to crystallize various attempts to oppose the commonplaces of conventional femininity to identification figures who break with norms and social expectations. However, in perpetual resistance to gender categorization, the Amazons and their avatars choose not to endorse either the feminine or the masculine, opting for an equivocal identity, presenting themselves as a queer subject whose mission is to expose the pseudo-nature of the binary conception of gender. Through their fight for the dissolving of identity boundaries, these resistance figures try, and sometimes fail, to build a community open to differences and to be empowered by this sororal union. The opposition and the difficulties encountered on the path of conquest, marked by sacrificial acts, force the modern Amazons to reinvent their weapons and sometimes lead them to question the legacy of the troubling and fascinating ancient female warriors.

The purpose of this study was to examine how male and female celebrities are represented on the 24 covers of e+, a weekly entertainment magazine that was published by Dubai-based Al Nisr Publishing. This cross-sectional, exploratory study used a qualitative visual semiotic analysis and quantitative content analysis to examine how male and female celebrities are constructed and represented on covers published between October 2010 and September 2011. In addition, the study explored whether the myths and ideologies found on the covers made an impression on the perceptions and tastes of teenagers living in the UAE. A subsequent self-administered questionnaire was completed by 30 teenagers living in the UAE aged between 16 and 19 with the purpose of determining how teenagers experienced representations of celebrities. Furthermore, to gain a deeper understanding of how teenagers experienced celebrity culture, three focus-group interviews, each comprising of six participants, are conducted. The study found that both male and female celebrities were represented in gender stereotypical roles. Results showed that male celebrities were represented as active, strong, decisive and dominant. Male celebrities were associated with success, fast cars and dangerous weapons. On the other hand, female celebrities were predominantly represented as submissive. The representations of female celebrities focused on beauty and fashion. The survey and focus-group results revealed that celebrity culture does have an influence on teenagers. Participants reported that they bought products that they saw celebrities wearing or using, emulated the celebrities’ behaviour and copied hairstyles and make-up looks. However, the study found that, in addition to celebrity culture, teenagers’ perceptions are also shaped by their peers, parents and other people they interact with such as teachers.
Communication Science
M.A. (Communication Science)