Free Essay

Womens Representation

In: Social Issues

Submitted By playigurise
Words 1149
Pages 5
How working class women are represented in British New wave films?

British new wave films represent women in a positive and negative manner. They evolved after the World War 2 and the films were seen to be more liberal that the previous films. In this essay I am going to be talking about their perception of working class women in the following three films; Saturday night and Sunday morning, Room at the top and A taste of honey.

In the British new wave films women are portrayed to be independent of man in terms of welfare. In the film a taste of honey the mother Helen and her daughter Jo are seen to have an economic independence as they can rent an apartment and live by themselves. Jo’s economic independence is further emphasised when her mother leaves her and she makes a living by getting a job at a shoe store. The women are seen to be positively playing a different role in the new wave films and contributing economically to society rather than just being housewives.
Moreover working class women have a sense of modernity; there is a greater focus on women and leisure time that at home with husbands and looking after kids. For example in the film Saturday night and Sunday morning there aren’t many scenes that show Brenda at home looking with her family rather many scenes showing her with Arthur. However this representation carries to middle class women for example in Room at the top, we hardly see Alice with her husband. I think new wave films show this to reflect this new post war freedom that floated to all women not just one class of women. The freedom was somehow diminishing the stereotypical woman in Britain i.e., a women’s place is the house, and showed that women can do more.

There are also negatives representations of women throughout British new wave films by the angry young men. Even though British new wave films were considered to be liberal, sometimes in their representation of women this was not showed. In some cases women are recognised to be an element of trouble to themselves and the men they affiliate with. For example in Saturday night and Sunday morning Arthur is caught with Brenda by her husband and his fellow soldiers, this lands him in trouble and he is severely beaten up for being with her. A similar example consists in Room at the top, where Jo’s career is threatened by Alice’s husband if she (Alice) divorces him for Jo. Although Alice is not working class British new wave reflect all women as trouble.
One more example of this type is in A taste of honey wherewith Helen constantly troubles her daughter’s life and Jeff in the last few scenes. In the above examples all the women are seen to cause troubles to those around them. Also in the ending the films depict the vibe that the women are to blame as they conclude in the women being in a worse situation than the beginning. In addition to this, the character representations of the women in the above examples are presented to be doing things hedonistically and not evaluating the effects of their actions and the troubles that could arise. This can be clearly seen through Helen whereby she runs off with her newly husband and forgets about the trouble she’s causing to Jo. Also Brenda decides to have an affair in spite of the troubles the affair may cause to Arthur and her marriage.

Similarly, there is also a theme of rebellion from women in British new wave films. Women are shown to be rebellious to authority as in the first scene of a taste of honey Helen and her daughter are seen to be skipping rent. In other films like Saturday night and Sunday morning, Brenda is rebellious to her family as she goes out drinking and committing adultery with Arthur. This is also the same case in Room at the top whereby Alice is rebellious against her marriage. Additionally there is a change of roles between the men and the women in British new wave, as stereotypically the men cheat and the women although sad they don’t get a divorce. But the opposite happens in Saturday night and Sunday morning. There is also a sense of women rebelling against their culture/traditional roles this is portrayed by the by Helen who avoids caring for her daughter and being a mother/role model by neglecting her daughter for leisure or wearing skimpy clothes.

British new wave films show working class women being punished because their seen as culprits. They were also punished because they strayed off from morals e.g., having affairs or seeking abortions. This is reflected in Saturday night and Sunday morning at the fair, where Brenda is slapped by her husband because of being with Arthur. We then see her humiliated as she continues to stand still while her husband and child work away. In a taste of honey we see Jo punished with an unwanted pregnancy at a young age without a father of the baby. This shows although women were responsible enough to support themselves in some way financially they were still irresponsible. Additionally, in a taste of honey there is an image of Helen’s and Jo’s progression being restricted. In contrast to Saturday night and Sunday morning and also Room at the top there is at least one happy woman in the end. But in a taste of honey their both in just another bad flat, unhappy and lost, this lack of progression is portrayed by the same song in the beginning as the end.

Concluding, British new wave films represented women in a more negative manner that a positive because the angry young men were angry because they recognised women as the main factor to the cause of the bad changes in society. They thought women’s new independence that allowed them to work after completing the role of motherhood was the cause of the high divorced rates, and caused a breakdown of families. Additionally most of the new wave films were produced by men this gave a biased point of view and despite their liberalism British new wave films reflected a conformist viewpoint in the ending of these films in terms of women. For example in Saturday night and Sunday morning, Brenda returns to her husband house and doesn’t get live happily ever after with Arthur. In the films everything ended in what may have been considered as the right way in that culture. This was also the case in a taste of honey whereby Jo and Helen were living together again.
Another example is in Room at the top, where Alice didn’t get to be with Jo despite being unhappily married, this sacrificed Alice happiness for what is morally right – a divorce not happening.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Representation of Women

...Women The roles of women has changed a lot in recent years. Once being known for just their duties as a cook, cleaner and sexual provider to her spouse, a women’s role has developed into a finical provider of a household and a leader to many others. When we compare the roles of women of this millennium to the roles of women in the books "An evening in Guanima" and "Mules and Man" we can see that these roles have not only changed but expanded as well. The stories that I chosen to base my essay on from an evening in Guanima is “Miss Annie" and "The Gallow Girl". As for Mules and Men I chose the stories "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men", "Why the sister in black workers the hardest" and "The Quickest Trick". Within these stories we see that majority of the women are approached by man just for the beauty that they possess and are eventually "stereotyped" when a ring is placed on their finger. Based on my knowledge from these books a women is placed quickly into the world as the mother figure therefore limiting the things that they are really capable of doing. Within my essay I will show you how the roles of women have changed from the book to this era, prove that there is more to a women than looks and discuss why women are so quick to be labeled as nothing more than the "baby maker". There is more to a women that people do not see. We as a society base a person more on what they look like, act and talk that the qualities that a person possess. A women is more precious...

Words: 615 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Representation Of Women In The Media Essay

...news, it is obvious that what we should be thinking of women today (obtain authority, become a successful business woman, getting paid equal to men), is extremely different to how women are portrayed in the media. Todays women in the media are sexualized, they provide unrealistic expectations, and there are undeniable stereotypes. To begin, women are exceedingly sexualized in the media. Pornographic pictures of women are a huge component of media today, which leads to the objectification of women. By having these women viewed as sexual objects, the main reason why marketing companies do this is to attract men, and to have other women looking up to the advertised women as a role model. A good example is the Calvin Klein commercials, where women are seen as sexualized (making other women jealous and wanting to be like them) and sexually attracting men (if they buy this product they will get the girls). Another example is the MTV channel. The women on this channel will arouse sexual fantasies, but the less seductive more modest female singers barely get...

Words: 854 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Representation Of Women In The Media Essay

...The media is selling the idea that girls’ and woman’s’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders. Boys learn that their success is tied to dominance, power, and aggression. Many would agree that some strides have been made in how the media portray women in film, television and magazines, and that the last few decades have also seen a growth in the presence and influence of woman in media behind the scenes. Documentaries such as “Miss Representation” focus on outlining the flaws and misrepresentation media has on woman and girls. Their project aims to challenge and change the way media objectifies woman. Nevertheless, female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we consume everyday. Gender stereotypes are everywhere. Stereotypes are defined as a “generalized view or...

Words: 1650 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Media Representation Of Women Essay

...The Media’s Representation of Women The greatest problem facing women is the way the media portrays and represents them. America’s population is about 51% female, but the media is mainly focused on men and their actions (The Problem). Many things in the media that are said are sexist and degrading to women. Ads with completely normal meaning such as trying to sell food or other products are oversexualized with women in them, trying to convince people to get the product. This pressure from the media to be perfect and ideal can cause eating disorders, encourage self harm and dangerous behavior, and lead to other mental illnesses. The National Organization for Women created a campaign that promotes women and encourages them to be willing to try new things. The media is unfair to women and there must be a way to help it get better and help women reach equal representation with men in the media. Men are represented in the media much more than women are. In about a 3 to 1 margin, males outnumbered females in front page newspaper headlines in coverage of the 2012 presidential election. On TV talk shows aired on Sundays, of all people interviewed women made up 14% and only...

Words: 1264 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Representation Of Women In Media Analysis

...wardrobe for women in media. When women constantly broadcast themselves without modesty in media outlets how are they expected to be taken seriously? Today, due to increasing pressures of what it means to be a real woman, women in media outlets are frequently portrayed as sexualized objects. The current representation of women in media outlets must be changed in order to progress as a society and to dismantle the gender disparities between men and women. According to Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s documentary,Missrepresentation, 78 percent of 17 year old girls feel unhappy with their bodies and 65 percent of women and girls have an eating disorder. (Newsom) It is difficult for young women to be themselves because often it is not socially acceptable. The hourglass figure portrayed on women in media has caused women of all ages to compare themselves to media’s socially standardized women. For instance, social comparison theory was first proposed by Leon Festinger during the 1950s. Festinger stated in his theory that people rely on external models on which to form their self-perceptions. These models can come from people known in real life...

Words: 419 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Representations of Women in Early 20th Century Art

...Viewers do not simply witness these products of history, but engage in personal experiences and responses provoked by them. Thus, art has served as a powerful engine both reflecting and fueling political, social, and religious ideologies.[2] In particular, the subject of women has accumulated controversial discussion in the visual arts because of consistencies witnessed across all these constructs. In exploring female representations in art, feminist scholars have particularly noted the perpetual limitations set upon women not only as subjects but as spectators. While artistic movements progressed over the centuries, it appears the connotations of women have remained stagnant. Even in the early 20th century which saw a turn in traditional gender roles, painting continued to be dominated by the male experience demonstrated in the guises of the nude, despite aesthetic and conceptual differences. Such control gave women little privilege to explore their own experience, resulting in a struggle of identity. After the mid 19th century, paintings of the nude increasingly replaced men with female subjects, although women contented to be absent from major art academies. Unlike their respectable counterparts, images of women actually reinforced ideologies of the power relationship...

Words: 2243 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Malaysian Economy

...Google commits $1mn to bring more women into technology sector PTI Mar 7, 2014, 02.01PM IST * (According to the National…) NEW DELHI: Search engine giant Google has committed $1 million (over Rs 6 crore) to 40 startup-focused organisations, including Nasscom 10,000 Startups and Jagriti Yatra from India, to promote participation of women in the technology space. The efforts, a part of '#40 Forward' programme under Google for Entrepreneurs', are aimed at finding new ways to advance female entrepreneurs, the Internet giant said ahead of International Women's Day. Google is committing $1 million in aggregate to 40 startup-focused organisations, challenging them to increase the representation of women in their respective tech communities, it added. "From simply changing the times of events to accommodate busy moms to teaching young girls to see themselves as entrepreneurs, 40 of our partner communities will soon launch new programmes and outreach initiatives to encourage women founders," it said. Some of the selected organisations include 1871, American Underground and Galvanise (US), Campus for Moms (Israel), Club Kidrepreneur (Australia), Cc Hub (Nigeria), Jagriti Yatra and Nasscom 10,000 Startups (India) and Outbox (Uganda), among others. "Along with our 40 partners, we hope to create more inclusive networks and to move the needle for entrepreneurs like my mom and young women like me who aspire to be like her," Google Global Entrepreneurship Manager Bridgette Sexton...

Words: 310 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Hedda Gabler and "The Trapped Woman"

...further from what it seems. Henrik Ibsen, the writer of Hedda Gabler, seems to not be telling us the personal story of the woman Hedda Tesman, but showing us the faults of society for that time period in terms of the roles of women. “The Trapped Woman”, is a term I will use to describe the role of “The Woman” in the late 19th Century. Henrik Ibsen appears to be showing us through Hedda’s life that no matter the apparent strength or background of a woman during the 19th century, they are still trapped in a way which forbids them to be who they truly are. Hedda Tesman, as described early on in the play, due to her background and personality, should in no way be anything but in complete control over her life. As stated by Aunt Julle, “General Gabler’s daughter. What a life she had in the general’s day!” (Ibsen). This statement in the beginning of the play almost immediately foreshadows her unhappy life in her current state. Due to the roles of women for that time period, she is just the representation of all women in her situation at the time. Women in the 19th century had very minimal rights. When a woman becomes married, the rights of woman are immediately given to their spouse, which in Hedda’s case is Jürgen Tesman. One can make the assumption that for women in the 19th century, marriage is actually closely related so slavery, in that the woman is owned by the man, in every way possibly (Buckner). Hedda’s character shows us of a woman seemingly aware of these truths, and...

Words: 1530 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Assignment 2 Advertisement Analysis

...[pic] [pic] [pic] TABLE OF CONTENTS `McDonalds Advertisement Analysis 3 Dolce & Gabbana Advertisement Analysis 4 Givenchy Perfume Ange Ou Demon Advertisement Analysis 6 McDonalds Advertisement Analysis McDonalds’ advertisements are everywhere. The advertisements are on TV, radio, and in magazines. It is nearly impossible to go one day without seeing one. The company spends millions of dollars on advertising their product each and every year to a number of different target audiences. In this advertisement McDonalds is advertising one of the value meals on their menu. The target audience that McDonalds is aiming the advertisement to is middle to upper-class people. It is very effective because it shows that the high class restaurants do not give people the quantity of food that they are paying for. The main feature of the advertisement is a man in a nice restaurant looking at his small portioned meal in disgust. In the bottom of the picture there is a larger portioned meal from McDonalds which is more food for only a fraction of the cost of the meal in the restaurant. The advertisement consists of a middle aged man sitting in a restaurant. On the table is the silverware arranged neatly on the table and a flower. Also in the photograph is a waitress bringing out an exquisite plate of food to the table. It is obviously a formal restaurant. The man is wearing a suit which leads one to believe he is a middle or upper class individual. The man has a...

Words: 2058 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Should Fptp Be Reformed?

...Should the Electoral system used in general elections in the UK be reformed? The election system that we currently have in the UK is a lot like marmite, you either love it or you hate it… There are many different arguments for and against this system, however people forget that within getting rid of the First Past the Post system, you will then need to then replace it. This then poses the vital question of which is the best fitting system and should we really change tradition? First past the post is a simple plurality system which requires the plurality of votes to win: that is one more vote than the second candidate. There is no requirement to obtain the votes cast. In contests involving three or more candidates, the winner may fall well short of an overall majority. MPs are elected in a single member constituencies. Each of the 650 constituencies in the UK elects one representative to the House of Commons. There has been a long running debate on this issue, as there are other electoral systems being currently used I the UK for other things for example the Supplementary vote used the elections of the London Mayer. People argue that one of the other electoral systems could replace the First past the Post, in May 2011 a referendum was held asking the public if they would want to change to the system to AV. This was a resounding ‘no’, which makes the question of a possible reform purely hypothetical at this moment in time. Was this because people do in fact like the FPTP system...

Words: 1460 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Lens of Hunger Games

...In The Hunger Games there is a constant battle between life and death. There are twelve separate districts, in other words states, and a place called the Capital. These places make up their country known as Phanem. Every year there is an event called the Hunger Games that take place in the Capital. For the game, there is a boy and a girl from each district that represent their own district. Each of them trains and represents themselves to the people living in the Capital for a week, and then fight and kill all of the other tributes from every other district. The last person, whether it is a boy or a girl, wins the game. Phanem has the Hunger Games to scare all of the districts into never having another war and to never rebel against the Capital ever again. During the selection process in District Twelve, called the reaping, a little girl named Prim gets called for District Twelve’s tribute. Her older sister, Katniss, did not want her little sister to get killed in the games, so she volunteered as the tribute and got sent in for her. After going through the pre-game activities, Katniss was thrown into the game to fight for her life. Through all of the tough and unbelievable circumstances that she was put through, she battled her way to the end of the games until she was standing with Petea, the other tribute from District Twelve, and threatened the Capital’s power by standing up to them. Katniss and Peeta held poisonous berries and were going to eat them so they can die together...

Words: 943 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Commanding Officer

...Table of Contents Motivation 1 Introduction 2 Definitions and Explanations 3 Merits and Demerits of the Plurality and PR systems 4 Analysis 5 Conclusion Motivation The motivation behind selecting the assignment topic is that elections and the understanding of the electoral systems seem to be at the center of understanding Political Governance 1 Introduction In discussing the assignment question the paper will endeavor to first provide definitions and explanations for the terms; democracy, representative democracy, electoral systems, plurality system and proportional representation. The presentation will proceed to identify and analyze the merits and demerits of the plurality and proportional representation electoral systems with reference to the practice in South Africa and Zambia. However, the analysis on the merits and demerits of the two electoral systems will be preceded with a discussion on the relevance of elections in a democracy. In conclusion, the presentation will strive to augment the viewpoint(s) developed from the analysis and offer an opinion as to whether it would be beneficial for South Africa to adopt the plurality electoral system. 2 Definitions and Explanation The word democracy is one that has a variety of versions in practice and theory, however, according to Johari (2013, p. 491) almost all governments proclaim to be democratic.1 Hague and Harrop (2010, p.84) write that the core principle of...

Words: 2558 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Electoral Systems

...Electoral systems There are two main types of electoral systems in the UK: First Past the Post (FPTP) Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post (FPTP) FPTP is the voting system used for the election of MPs to 'seats' in the UK Parliament. It is a system in which the 'winner takes all' and usually gives a clear majority both at constituency and national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. Similarly, political parties only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. Advantages of FPTP There is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under FPTP because they are unlikely to gain enough votes in any one constituency. Generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. When necessary, this makes the transfer of power from one party to another much easier. Disadvantages of FPTP The main criticism of FPTP is that the number of votes cast for a party in general elections is not accurately reflected in the number of seats won. An example of this was the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one seat. This is mirrored at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have received only one third of the votes cast. Indeed, a government may be elected on a minority vote, as happened in 1974 when Labour won the general election on the number of seats gained...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Discuss the Advantages of Replacing the Current System of Voting in the Uk.

...Discuss the advantages for replacing the current system for electing MPs with another one. There are two main types of electoral systems in the UK. They are First Past the Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post is the voting system used to elect MPs to 'seats' in Parliament. In this system 'winner takes all' and the system also usually gives a clear majority both in a constituency or at national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. This is similar to political parties in general elections as they only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. The advantages of using FTPT is there is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under because they are unlikely to gain enough votes to come into power in any one constituency. Also, generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. So, this makes it easier to transfer power to another party if it becomes necessary. One of the main criticisms of FPTP is that the number of votes for a party in general elections is not accurately shown in the number of seats won. An example of this could be the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one but didn’t win a seat. This is can be seen at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have only received one third of the votes cast. So, a government could be elected...

Words: 982 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Comparing Electoral Processes in Uk

...Electoral Systems in the UK There are two main types of electoral system in the UK: First Past the Post (FPTP) & Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post (FPTP); FPTP is the voting system used for the election of MPs to 'seats' in the UK Parliament. It is a system in which the 'winner takes all' and usually gives a clear majority both at constituency and national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. Similarly, political parties only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. Advantages of FPTP; There is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under FPTP because they are unlikely to gain enough votes in any one constituency. Generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. When necessary, this makes the transfer of power from one party to another much easier. The 1997 and 2001 elections were clear evidence of this. Disadvantages of FPTP; The main criticism of FPTP is that the number of votes cast for a party in general elections is not accurately reflected in the number of seats won. An example of this was the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one seat. This is mirrored at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have received only one third of the votes cast. Indeed, a government may be elected on a minority vote, as...

Words: 1024 - Pages: 5