Provisional Essay Title:
What Idea of femininity does Barbie Signify?
Main issues addressed by your essay and the thrust of you argument:
- Challenging peoples perspectives and stereotypes of the Barbie doll. Looking at a negative out look towards the doll culture, how dolls and 'The Barbie' can bring fun and a comfort to young girls, but how they can also create or be victimizing to females.
- Barbie is a bad influence on women and they are fed an unhealthy body image, how far do these people go to aquire this idealistic look.
- Women being seen as objects/items: 'to-be-looked -at-ness'
What visual material will you look at?
- Films, where the female is seen as a sexual object. Blue Velvet? - A strong recurring theme in Blue Velvet is voyeurism. In this scene, Jeffrey unwillingly takes the role of the "voyeur", while he hides in Dorothy's closet watching her get undressed, unbeknown to her.
- Comic books, where the female is seen as a sexual object.
- X-Factor judges - There as the 'Barbies' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmMRt_3ak-A - Forward to 0:56!
- Disneys' new black princess - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1162718/Disney-feature-black-princess--critics-complain-falls-love-WHITE-prince.html
- The Porn industry.
What Theoretical perspective/methodology will you use?
The Gaze Theory.
Media Ideology.
Feminism.
Media, Gender and Identity.
Narcississtic Damage.
Which specific theorists/writers will you refer to?
John Berger - 'Ways of Seeing'.
Rosalind Coward - Female Desire, Womens' sexuality today.
Julia Thomas' - 'Reading Images - Rosalind Coward chapter - The Look.
Laura Mulvey - Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema.
David Gauntlett - Media, Gender and Identity.
? Slavoj Zizek? Pornography, Nostalgia, Montage: A Triad of The Gaze. ?
Books/Articles/Resources Already Located:
1. Peters, M. (2008) Women, Sex and Film, http://filmtvindustry.suite101.com/article.cfm/women_in_film, Date accessed 22/02/10
2. Gauntlett, D. (2002) Media, Gender and Identity, An Introduction. Oxfordshire: Routledge.
3. Mulvey, L. (1989) Visual and Other Pleasures. Hampshire: Palgrave.
4. Gamman, L. and Marshment, M. (1988) The Female Gaze. London: The Women's Press Ltd.
5. Rodgers, M.F. (1999) Barbie Culture. London: SAGE.