Critical Investigation: Notes and Quotes

Critical Investigation: Research Plan

Notes and quotes

Media text: Marvel’s The Avengers

Other Media Texts:

Ø  Iron Man

Ø  Thor

Ø  Captain America

Ø  Iron Man 2

Ø  Marvel’s Agents of Shield

TV Documentaries:

Ø  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3591568/ 

Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014)

·         “Iron represents the dark side in all of us” 3:43

Media Articles /Texts:

Ø  http://screenrant.com/female-superhero-women-movies/

·         “The lack women in the spotlight is becoming impossible to overlook”

·         “Wonder Woman was long-hailed as the greatest example of the need for young women to see super powered role models on the big screen”

·         “It isn’t just progress or equality that demands women be treated differently in superhero blockbusters – it’s the laziness that seems to go into shaping them.”

·         “The battle for equality between men and women in superhero films is a fight plenty will volunteer for, but the narrow field of roles (and powers) afforded to women isn’t just about equality – it’s about boring storytelling.”

·         “Women are allowed to fit into one of a handful of painfully rote moulds.”

·         “The pre-assigned roles for women are less interesting, less important, and simply more played-out than their male counterparts.”

·         “The Female characters are ranging from deadly super-spies to Norse goddesses and the high-powered executives in between; Marvel’s movie universe has all the makings of a gallery of strong, interesting women.”

·         “There is much to be said about the intelligent, witty, independent and charming Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her constant need to be rescued (in Iron Man and Iron Man 2… and Iron Man 3), proving that the ‘damsel in distress’ trope is alive and well – even if the damsel in question is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.”

·         “....even fans of the film will concede that Jane’s existence functions largely as a walking, talking plot device.” 

·         “The issue got even worse in Thor: The Dark World – a film that would (for a nice change of pace) find Jane infected by the film’s Macguffin, thereby requiring her to play a more active role in the plot.”

·         “Sif had quickly emerged as the only real ‘warrior woman’ seen in a superhero film to that point – despite being more of an ‘Asgardian’ than a bona fide superhero.”

·         “A warrior goddess (who managed to exude sex appeal without showing skin)”

·         “One of the most promising super powered women in Marvel’s stable was reduced to one of the most stereotypical soap opera tropes imaginable.”

·         “Seeing women running, screaming, and needing rescue has gotten old – fast.”

·         “The Dark Knight trilogy had Bruce Wayne embarrassed and rejected by the women of Gotham for a change.”

·         “Nearly every typical male superhero uses their gifts to attack, exercising power and dominance over whoever they face. Yet the female superheroes (who are presumably their equals) are relegated to support roles; or even more troubling, have their powers originating from an unnatural energy source, or a mental abnormality.”

·         “...just decades ago doctors were still pointing to ‘female hysteria’ as a cause for dozens of mental and physical afflictions. “

·         “Yet a lack of control is still used as a uniquely female trope: Rogue was unable to control her powers, hurting the men in her life she most cared for. Mystique’s gift is mired in issues of self-confidence, being led (against her will at times) by the men in her life. Fantastic Four‘s Susan Storm can disappear from sight, and lashes out emotionally with blasts of nonlethal energy when not complaining about her powers.”

·         “The notion of a woman being unable to control her superpowers is widespread”

·         “If a super powered woman is laughing or taking pleasure while using her powers in a film, odds are she’ll be a villain or morally ambiguous at best (hell, even Anne Hathaway’s Cat woman stopped enjoying herself once she decided to fight for good).”

·         “The best example is possibly Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who only fully realized her true power in X-Men 3: the Last Stand. Embracing her mutation doesn’t help her come to terms with who she really is (the theme adhered to for nearly every other film and character), but causes her to side with antagonist Magneto, with her murderous spree only stopped once she begs Wolverine to kill her. Because she just can’t control herself.”

Ø  http://whatculture.com/film/chick-flicks-10-feminist-friendly-blockbuster-movies.php/4

·         “Due to the different directors of the two movies, there were very different ways of treating the character. It’s quite a fascinating difference and it brilliantly shows the difference between a feminist and anti-feminist character.”

·         “In Iron Man 2, Black Widow was more of an object. She spent most of the movie bending over various objects in revealing clothing.”

·         “Natasha Romanov developed no character of her own, instead simply acting as something that Robert Downey Jr. and the audience finds sexy.”

·         “The Avengers was a bit of a boys’ club but given the treatment of Scarlett Johansson, it qualifies as a feminist movie.”

·         “Black Widow was a very useful character. She recruited Bruce Banner without the use of seduction techniques, she discovered Loki’s plan and she deactivated the Tesseract. As a bonus, Black Widow doesn’t even have the most revealing costume, an honour bestowed upon Hawkeye.”

·         “Hawkeye ended up as more of the disappointing female character; his costume being more revealing, having less screen time and getting captured by the enemy.”  

Ø  http://griid.org/2013/02/12/normalizing-male-dominance-gender-representation-in-2012-films/

·         “The Avengers, we are privy to a perfect representation of women in films. Five men standing, preparing to protect the city of New York from being wiped off the map, and there is one woman with them. She is dressed in a suit that perfectly forms to her curves, as to appear appealing, and she armed with the smallest weapon. This is how women are portrayed in cinema.”

·         “Women are constantly being misrepresented in these films, shown for purposes of objectification, support of the male characters, and mostly as love interests that drive the male characters.”

·         “...gender role reversal in one of 2012’s big blockbuster hits, The Hunger Games.” 

·         “Generally, in superhero movies, the gender roles are stereotypical.”

·         “There is a man who comes to save the woman from peril and is deemed a hero. We are seeing the same amount of gender stereotypes in the superhero genre films that were released in 2012, namely, The Avengers, the Amazing Spider Man, Snow White and the Huntsman, and The Dark Knight Rises.”

·         “In this instance, there was not a woman that needed protection; however, we still see stereotypical gender roles. The men are all fighting for control of the situation, each claiming to have the best solution to the problems they face. On the same level, they are trying to undermine the other male characters with snide comments.”

·         “The main female character, the Black Widow, fights on the same level as the men do, an area we see a small amount of gender equity in the film. However, she is still much sexualized. When we first meet her character, she is playing the role of a prostitute, and is extremely scantily dressed.”

·         “In The Dark Knight Rises there are two strong female characters, Cat woman and villain Miranda Tate.”

·         “While both of these women demonstrate courage and confidence, they are not independent of men. Miranda Tate deceives Bruce Wayne and sleeps with him.”

·         “The Cat woman character is often represented as being selfish and wanting her own freedom. Her character ultimately succumbs to Batman’s plea that she helps save Gotham, but her decision to come back and fight Bane was to be with the hero Batman.” 

Ø  Feminism at the Movies - Edited by Hilary Radner and Rebecca Stringer, Published 2011.

·         P36. "Lad Flicks": Discursive Reconstruction of Masculinity in Popular Film.

·         P268. From Victim to Vigilante: Gender, Violence and Revenge in the Brave One (2007) and Hard Candy (2005).

·         P44-6. The Queer Limits of Lad Flick in Masculinity.--"... The presence of an attractive women to 'reassure' viewers of the protagonists sexuality".-pg45

Ø  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Persuasions

·         “Persuasions returns to work at a New York City strip club….Persuasions returns to Genentech for observation but later appears again as an exotic dancer.”

Ø  http://www.livescience.com/46380-superheroes-and-violent-play.html

·         “Watching TV shows with Iron Man or the Hulk might make little boys more prone to gender-stereotyped play and make both boys and girls more likely to play with pretend weapons, new research finds.”

Ø  http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/312/superheroes-superpowers-and-sexuality

·         For the men, they are at least six feet in height and are very muscular with wide shoulders and narrow hips. This body type seems to be an exaggerated ideal for American men, as many constantly go to the gym to lift weights and talk of gaining a “six-pack” of well-defined abs or increase the size of their “guns” on their upper arms. 

·         “Even the facial characteristics of the men promote certain ideal features.”

·         “They are clean shaven and have a strong, distinct jaw line. This may be to suggest strength on the part of the man, to compliment the strong body.”

·         “For the women superheroes, they are built to promote their sexuality. Nearly all of the women have hourglass figures that could rarely be accomplished in real life, like Barbie, with a small waist and large bust and hips. The breasts especially are very pronounced. These women are seen as beautiful in the American culture, and other women try to emulate the body styles. Unfortunately, some pursue this in the unhealthy manner of eating disorders while trying to achieve the pronounced waist and others resort to plastic surgery to increase their bust size. The heroines also have long hair, not too long, but falling to somewhere in the middle of their back, and worn loosely with perhaps a headband to hold it back off of the heroine’s face.”

·         “Skin tight jumpsuits seem to be the standard attire for the superhero male, with muscles showing clearly through the material.”

·         “There are typically briefs or a belt of some kind drawing attention to the narrow hips, or some sort of shoulder covering designed in a triangular fashion that once again draws attention to the waist and hips.”

·         “Two features of the costumes would suggest a presentation of the hero’s machismo by drawing the observer’s attention to a finely cared for body as well as the groin area.”  

·         “The jumpsuits also typically have an insignia of some sort emblazoned on the chest, again drawing attention to how wide and strong the chest and shoulder area is”

·         “Accenting these suits are calf boots which emphasize the leg muscles of the hero to fix our attention on the man’s strength.”

·         “…the outfits are designed to draw attention to their large breasts, narrow waist, and wide hips.”

·         “The only possible reason for them to be portrayed wearing this torturous foot-ware is because we as a culture find heels attractive.”

·         “They add definition to calf and leg muscles, but they are treacherous to wear. They might even be designed to raise women’s respect for the superheroes because we admire everything that they manage to accomplish in said shoes."

·         “In a survey distributed across campus about superheroes, when asked about their favourite attributes of superheroes 40% of females and 32% of males responded that some physical aspect of this hero was their favourite attribute or the reason that particular hero was their favourite.”

·         “The majority of superheroes exude an extremely exaggerated masculine – feminine ideal.”

·         “Superheroes that do not have as pronounced physical sexuality are not as popular, such as the androgynous original Rogue from the X-Men. Through the development of the X-Men however, Rogue became steadily more feminine, with larger breasts and tighter clothing, until we are faced with the Rogue of the new X-Men movies who has a respectable sized chest, wears tight clothing, and first experiences her powers while making out with her boyfriend.”

·         “. We have no room for heroes who do not exaggerate the ideals we have and emulate.”

Ø  http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/312/2/superheroes-superpowers-and-sexuality

·         “The way female heroes are described places a heavy emphasis on their appearance and femininity. The X-Men member Emma Frost is described in her bio as follows:

‘A diamond-sculpted seductress with the brains to back up her body of work, Emma Frost amassed wealth and influences enough to attract the attention of the planet’s social elite. As White-Queen of the exclusive Hell-Fire Club, Frost’s power plays frequently put her at odds with the heroic X-Men. (www.marvel.com)’”

·         “The words “diamond-sculpted seductress” at the very beginning of her description immediately indicates her exaggerated femininity. Also, the fact that brains come second “to back up her body of work” indicates that brains are not what a woman should have first, but looks are.”

·          Marvel Comics continues to describe their female heroes with phrases like, “Feline fatale…pretty little paw,” for Black Cat

·         “Femme fatale…lured by her beauty, many a man has felt the Widow’s Sting” for Black Widow 1

·          “Tempering telepathy and telekinesis with warmth and compassion, Jean secretly hungers for a passionate partner,” for X-Men’s Jean Grey, and “a classic beauty in every sense of the word,” for Storm, also of the X-Men (www.marvel.com). 

·         “DC Comics does not appear to be much different for they describe Cat woman “in a tight leather cat suit…the Princess of Plunder…[whose] heart would always belong to Batman,” and exalting Wonder Woman as being “as beautiful as Aphrodite” (www.dccomics.com).”

·         “The creators were describing the heroes’ physical prowess and the heterosexual tendencies of the Human Torch. It all points to them being the strong male. It implies that heterosexuality is important and should be imitated, as well as being strong with sharp senses and they must be a seeker of justice.”

·        “In RH Robbins’ chapter on the Cultural Construction of Identity, Robbins mentions how Linguist Robin Lakoff “was one of the first to draw attention to the way that a woman’s identity in society influences how she speaks” (Robbins, 2006, pg. 205)”

·         “Lakoff says women are “constrained to minimize their expressions with…tag questions…rising intonations…the use of hedges… [and] indirection” (Robbins, 2006, pg. 205).”

·         “Relative powerlessness of women, stemming form their relatively weak social position” (Robbins, 2006, pg. 205).

·         “In Ultimate X-Men Vol. 3: World Tour, a graphic novel compilation of 8 X-Men serial comics, both Jean Grey and Storm frequently minimize their expressions (Miller, 2002). Jean Grey ads tag questions like, “You don’t think he might have, you know, gone over to the other side or anything, do you?” and “it’s highly unlikely we’re both off the mark, right?” Storm on the other hand used hedges more frequently like, “Somebody calls an ambulance! I don’t think Bobby’s breathing here!!” Instead of saying “Bobby’s not breathing,” Storm adds a hedge to leave an opening for someone to affirm what she is saying.”

·         “When Jean Grey and Storm are discussing Professor Xavier’s book, Storm says, “I saw the chapter on ‘a mutant alternative to boom-and-bust economics’ and went straight back to Cosmo and People Magazine, girlfriend,” which implies that women do not or should not have an interest in such highly academic matters (Miller, 2002).”

·         “ For the men, during a scene where Professor Xavier is grading their attempts at crime solving, there are two full pages of argument between the male teams as to who had the better bust; Wolverine, Bobby, and Colossus who busted a multi-million dollar drug ring and “maimed, killed, or disfigured over twenty human beings in a blaze of Adamantium Fury,” or Cyclops and Beast who broke up some muggers, checked two guys into rehab and made plans for the ex-muggers’ futures (Miller, 2002).”