Critical Investigation: Third draft
"I
mean, she saved my life."[1]
To
what extent does 'The Hunger Games' trilogy subvert traditional gender
representations?
‘The Hunger
Games’ opened up many opportunities for “a host of girl power films”[2]
since in its opening weekend it was the “third best in the box office history”[3]. The film explores how different characters develop and their role to
the film through their behaviour, thoughts and emotions. By using
Straussian “binary opposition”[4] - good
versus evil - as a narrative base whilst adding a unique touch that draws in
the audience. Judith
Butler has established herself as the voice of “third wave feminism”[5]
for the nearly 30 years, challenging conventional ideas of gender. There have been several ways in which women have fought to be seen and
represented as equals. One way in that which this has been done is through
film. Women in film are often represented as sex objects and there for the
pleasure of men, which is argued by Mulvey in regard to the ‘male gaze’[6]. This
is evident in films like ‘Tomb Raider’ (2001), where despite the main
protagonist being a strong female character, reinforces the zeitgeist of that
time and traditional stereotypes that reinforce the idea that women are meant
to be looked at. Over recent years these representations have been
subverted and women are now beginning to make a whole new image for themselves,
with films such as ‘Divergent’ that came out after the first ‘Hunger Games’
film, showing similar characteristic in terms of the female lead character,
Katniss being a “proppian” [7]hero
that drives the narrative forward and enabling the audience to identify with
her, whilst “empowering us to be the agents of change”.[8]
Lionsgate are known to not necessarily stick to the
norms when it came to film and therefore this could have contribute to the
success of the film as "young adults want different kinds of stories
just like adults do."[9] This
is what the institution is offering by presenting this strong female character
to their audience. Their highest grossing films are ‘The Hunger Games’, doing
well economically, which is why it is understandable as to why they want to
continue with these films and
have “trouble letting go.”[10] The success of the
film is recognised globally. This is further emphasised by the fact that it has
managed to pose a “threat to Thai government”[11].
Globalisation has allowed audience to become less “passive”[12]
when receiving information and this has positively impacted ‘The Hunger Games’
in the sense that it has inspired the audience to take action. We also see that there has been a massive development in not only how
women are represented in films but also men. Men are becoming more in tune with
their emotional side in film and it is not just about their masculinity and
strength anymore. Gender representations in ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy have
brought light to the different ways in which gender is stereotyped and how this
has exceeded those in the past.
In a dystopian
world where the 12 districts are being controlled by the capitol and the children
are set off to fight for their life. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as tribute to
save her sister from this fate. This is the first sign that we as an audience
receive that shows that Katniss is subverting gender stereotype with “heroism,
a stereotypically masculine quality”. [13]It
is this simple action that intrigues us as it is not often we see a young
female character taking the lead role and not being portrayed as a damsel in
distress compared to men who “are active, forwarding the story”[14].
“She is strong but soft”[15].
Katniss Everdeen is a complicated character and maybe that’s why an audience of
both genders are drawn to her. She is able to show binary opposites within
herself by portraying a vulnerable and real side that allows the audience to
connect and identify, whilst also being presented as strong and courageous. She
is a “21st century heroine”[16].In the film she portrays a dominant character that is
smart and a symbol of a revolution that isn't passive compared to
Bella Swan in ‘Twilight’ where the narrative is driven by her feelings for the
Edward. This is something that may interest young females even more because
it’s not something that is often seen in films, “a strong stereotypically
masculine and atypically gender defined hero”[17] and has changed the way
women are presented in modern films. However, it would be wrong to say that the
film is completely immune from the “male gaze”[18]. This is specifically
evident when Katniss is being introduced as the ‘Girl on fire’. She comes on
stage wearing a figure revealing vibrant red dress. This emphasises the fact that
she is there to impress, to look good and show off her female figure for the
audience within the film and the audience watching the film.
Jennifer
Lawrence almost seems like the perfect fit for this character. She portrays
herself as outspoken and self-confident through her “strength of personality”[19]
in the film industry. Other film actresses tend to portray the ‘ideal’ body
image. Whereas Jennifer Lawrence allows herself to make sure that her “body is
healthy-looking”[20]
presenting herself as an “opinion leader”[21]
influencing the way people react to media. The main star of the film Jennifer
Lawrence is very strongly associated with the science fiction genre. She
played the role of Mystique in the well-known film series X-men. In both Hunger
games and X-men she plays a role that indicates that she is a strong female character
that usually doesn't need the assistance of other people. This emphasises how
Jennifer has become a role model for young teen females. This is evident in the
way that she advocates wanting to be physically healthy which subverts the
stereotype of females in the film industry are conventionally thin. This can be
used as a way to please men in the “male gaze”[22]
as they would find this ‘ideal’ body shape visually pleasing. In recent events,
there has been a change in women confidence within Hollywood. In light of the
allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, women, even men, are
tweeting their stories with the hashtag #MeToo, which became a “cry against
sexual assault and harassment”[23].
There is
power in femininity. In the first film we see Katniss meet Rue in the arena.
Rue helped make sure Katniss stayed alive whilst she was unconscious. In return
Katniss offered her company and protection. This subverts stereotypes of women
as it shows that they are not dependant on a man to save them. They are dependent
on each other if not themselves. Rue becomes a “feminist archetype”[24]
when she befriends Katniss. They build their strength based on their sisterhood
relationship and mutual support for each other. It is when women embrace their
femininity and nurturing nature that has shown to benefit them in their
survival and that fighting against this strengthening bond will get them killed
just like it did with Clove. This is because “Sisterhood is powerful.”[25]
This is a continuous motif throughout the film especially since it’s what
motivated Katniss to volunteer as tribute. Her duty towards her sister sparked
the courage within her to volunteer despite knowing the possible outcomes. The audience are sutured within the film using close ups of the
characters Katniss and Primrose to show their affection for each other and
their closeness which is used as a technique to emphasise the role of
sisterhood and the protection that Katniss offers. This gives femininity and alternative
representation of how it would have been described in the past where it would
be considered as a weakness. There is strength
within females and not just when trying to be equal to men. This highlights
that females do not have to adopt an aggressive form in order to show that they
can be strong. In fact being in touch with their feminine and caring side and
showing that they can band together in order to be powerful.
Katniss is a role model for young girls. She sees emotion as a weakness and
does not want to be “associated with its connotations”[26] but
then later on in the film she realises that empathy/love doesn’t have to mean
weakness but can also bring strength, “Katniss is what Jacobson calls “feminine
ferocity””[27]. This opens up the
opportunity for Katniss to be portrayed as a “psychologically rounded”[28] woman. When it came to
saving Peeta she was required to remember what her mother would do. She learns
to accept the value of “feminine strengths”[29] which in turn
helped her win her first Hunger Game. She is the symbol of rebellion for
the districts and she inspires a revolution during a time where the people are
suffering. She is a strong female lead/heroine and every aspect of her has an
opportunity for the audience to identify with her and also have a personal
relationship with them. Katniss Everdeen is shown to be a lot more
subverted as she also takes up a masculine role in the film in the sense that
she is the one that takes care of the family in a very protective
manner which she is inclined to as her father is no longer present.
“Katniss is a hunter”[30] which
helps her look for food in order to serve as the role of the breadwinner. She
can be seen as “tough and hostile”[31] because
all she wants to do is survive. Her concerns, at first, is not with how nice
people are and especially in the first film she doesn’t allow herself to be
clouded by love, the fact that her relationship with Peeta was a front for the
audiences and to gain sponsors highlight that relationships are not her
priority. It is clear that this is the average young adult movie where the
narrative and dominant ideology is usually based around love and relationships.
This challenges traditional stereotypes where women are automatically
associated with being the love interest in a film. But instead ideologies that the text
includes are that women can be independent and successful.
Not only have there been improvement on the representation of females.
There have been some changes in the way men are represented. In The film we see
that Peeta plays the very important secondary role to Katniss. Peeta’s
affectionate nature is first seen when we see flashback of him giving Katniss a
loaf of bread. Typical masculine traits are said to be considered a “provider,
capable of love but not made vulnerable because of it”[32] compared to now where
masculinity includes being able to show sensitivity, vulnerability and fear. Peeta
encourages Katniss to be more open. They can be considered binary opposites,
since she is more restrictive compared to him who is more open. He can be seen
as “Katniss’ perfect ‘movie girlfriend’”[33]. This shows gender
subversion through ‘Propp’s character roles’[34] where in the past I was
mainly male lead roles who were very masculine and strong, whereas now
“masculinity is something more fluid.”[35] The
Hunger Games is challenging stereotypes by “empowering boys”.[36]This is
a film that is female dominated and therefore appeals to girls than boys.
However, the fact boys are also reading the book shows that they are being
empowered to read things that are typically more girly since girls are not
judged for doing things that boys do but boys are. This encourages them to
step out of this stereotype since “gender policing is much stricter with boys
than girls”[37]. This
film has made it easier for “boys to embrace a female perspective”[38]. Peeta
sets the example for this as his skill is that physically he is strong but then
on the other hand he tells Katniss that “he’d rather stay true to himself”[39]. This
emphasises the change in how men are represented since the 1970s. He has a
“sense of self-preservation”[40]which is
evident towards the end of the first film where he is injured but instead of
being hyper masculine and trying to attempt any “feats of bravery”[41], he
chooses to hide. This goes against the conventional stereotypes of men and is
quite interesting to see how the female lead and the secondary characters are
binary opposites that complement each other when brought together in a scene.
When looking at the change in gender representations over the
years, you can see that there have been some major changes in dominant
ideologies especially since the release of ‘The Hunger Games’. Tomb Raider’s
(2001) Lara Croft is seen to be very over sexualised despite being portrayed as
a strong character. She wears tight, figure hugging clothes that are revealing
which emphasises her body shape. She is highly objectified especially in the
shower scene despite being the lead role which highlights the zeitgeist and
importance of the “male gaze”[42]
in the film industry during those times. Despite the fact that she is a ground
breaking female action hero, her sexual objectification in order to appeal to
the male audience seem to be a part of the film that is heavily focused on.
This shows how Women being seen as an object and placing importance on their
appearance were an ideology that was focused on in the past. However in the
Hunger Games, this isn't the main focus, in fact, it could be argued that
Katniss Everdeen is not sexualised in this film, Although in the poster it does
show her to have a curvy figure and skin tight clothing that shows of the
figure which would suggest an argument that that could be a form of
sexualisation of the character. However during her fighting scenes it can be
seen that she is a strong female character and that she can take care of
herself. This can be used to highlight the dominant ideologies then where
females in Hollywood adopt a sexualised front in films for the film to bring
some form of success. However now, they are moving away from that notion and
beginning to create their own image. Princess
Leia in ‘Star Wars’ (1977) she is speaking directly to the antagonist
Dark Vader which highlights a sense of bravery and confidence. This emphasises the second wave feminism in which we
begin to see a change in the way women are portrayed in film. Women were
becoming less of a “passive”[43]
character within films although they have not yet secured lead roles and are
“given less screen time”[44].
This change in cinema from films always focusing on “male heroes”[45]
compared to now where in films females have “become tougher”[46].
These two examples show how the films are a zeitgeist as it shows how the
different values of society at the time, the fact that different things were
considered important. The change in how females are represented and how that
change has affected how gender roles and portrayals have now been altered.
We are seeing more dominant female political leaders in the
current political situation. For example Hilary Clinton was running for
President which highlights the fact that females are stepping up for the more
dominant jobs and not settling for whatever they can. This indicates towards
the change in society which is also evident throughout the Hunger Games film
series and how the leader of the rebellion is a female. Audiences find pleasure
through “repetition and difference”[47]. ‘The
Hunger Games’ allows the audience experience “diversion” [48]through
difference as it was common to associate sci-fi movies with male protagonist
but the emergence of a dominant female protagonist allows the audience to
explore this change. The fact that this change has fared well for the film
shows that audiences are now encouraging future film to do the same. An Example
of this is the recent Marvel ‘Black Panther’. Despite the main character is a
male character, the majority of his supporting roles are women. These women are
portrayed in a strong and independent manner, especially in one scene where you
see a female character choose her passion over love.
It was not
long after the release of the first ‘Hunger Games’ when the “gender pay gap”[49]
was recognised publicly using the hashtag #AskHerMore. This shows how women are
standing up for the injustice that they are facing during this “fourth wave
feminism”[50].
With this help of social media platforms it is now being spread more easily and
quickly. It suggests that ‘The Hunger Games’ has sparked a new way of thinking
whether it is subtly or directly. We are seeing
more dominant female political leaders in recent years. For example Hilary
Clinton running for President which highlights the fact that females are
stepping up for the more dominant jobs and not settling for whatever they can.
This indicates towards the change in society which is also evident throughout
the Hunger Games film series. Despite that, Katniss rejects having “the power”[51] she
is still seen as someone with a lot of influence which is evident in the last
scene in ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy where she is to kill President Snow and you
can see that the districts have gathered behind her.
In
conclusion, the way gender is subverted in ‘The Hunger Games’ can be considered
a refreshing and “lovely reversal”[52]
of roles especially between Katniss and Peeta. This
representation of women and men shows the different attributes within a gender
and that there is no one specific and conventional way of portraying gender.
Throughout the film Katniss “rejects dated ideas regarding gender roles”[53].
Over time traditional views of gender have been developed and changed to fit
the gradually changing society and ideologies. Yes, traditional stereotypes,
such as the “traditional exhibitionist role”[54] of
women, are still present in this film however; those stereotypes are almost
overshadowed by the subversion of those stereotypes and ideologies. Where the
audiences are introduced to a hyper masculine character, the film also
introduces a more sensitive male character to create almost a balance within
the film. It can be
argued that ‘The Hunger games’ has had a contribution to the “fourth wave”[55]
feminism, Revolutionising the way gender is represented in the media.
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[1]
Ross, G. (2012) The Hunger Games.
[2]
Rankin, S. (2017).
[3]ibid.
[4]Levi-Strauss,
C. (1996)
[5]Gray,
C, (2016) Media Magazine p. 64.
[6]Mulvey,
L. (1975).
[7]Propp,
V. (1968).
[8]Wood, J. T. (1994).
[9]Driscoll,
M. (2015).
[10]Loughrey,
C. (2017).
[11]
Harrison, R. (2014).
[12]
The Hypodermic Needle (1920).
[13]Stringfellow,
S. (2013) Media Magazine p. 62.
[14]Lacey,
N. (2016) Media Magazine p. 16.
[15]Schwarzbaum,
L. (2013).
[16]ibid.
[17]Balkind,
N. (2014).
[18]Mulvey,
L. (1975).
[19]Schwarzbaum,
L. (2013).
[20]
Moore, S. (2013).
[21]
Two-step flow model (1940).
[22]Mulvey,
L . (1975).
[23]Khomami,
N (2017).
[24]
Stark, R. (2012).
[25]
Hooks, B (2015).
[26]Gauntlett,
D. (2002).
[27]Schwarzbaum,
L. (2013).
[28]Hall,
S., Evans, J., & Nixon, S. (2013).
[29]
Stark, R. (2012).
[30]Seltzer,
S. (2013).
[31]
Ellis, S (2014).
[32] Dixon, Tina. (2011) Media Magazine p. 53.
[33]
Seltzer, S. (2013).
[34]Propp,
V. (1968).
[35]
Dixon, Tina. (2011) Media Magazine p. 55.
[36]
Bell, L. (2015).
[37]
Bell, L. (2015).
[38]Ibid.
[39]
Ellis, S. (2014).
[40]Stringfellow,
S (2013) Media Magazine p. 63.
[41]Ibid.
[42]Mulvey,
L. (1975).
[43]
The Hypodermic Needle. (1920).
[44]Gauntlett,
D (2002) p. 52.
[45]ibid. P. 50.
[46]ibid. P. 75.
[47]Neale,
S. (1988).
[48]Katz,
E., $ BLumler, J. G. (1974)
[49]
Rankin, S. (2017).
[50]Gray,
C, (2016) Media Magazine p. 64.
[51]
Ellis, S. (2014).
[52]Ellis,
S. (2014).
[53]Gauntlett,
D. (2002).
[54]Mulvey, L. (1989).
[55]
Gray, C, (2016) Media Magazine p. 64.
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