II YEAR Semester - IV (2021-2026)

1st-Internal Assessment

Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace

Law and Practice:
Film Review

“A Critical Analysis of Gender Inequality & Sexual

Harassment in the Movie – HIDDEN FIGURES”

NAME: Ananya Ahuja DIVISION: A

PRN: 21010126010 COURSE: B.B.A. LL.B.

(H)
BATCH: 2021-2026

WORD COUNT: 2543

SUBMITTED TO: Prof. Richa Dwivedi

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 14th March 2023

THROUGH THE LENS OF FEMINISM AND POSHA:

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE HIDDEN FIGURES

Plot & Summary

Based on the non-fiction novel by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures tells the true tale of
the African American women mathematicians who played a crucial role in NASA's victory in
the Space Race. This film follows the lives of three African American women who worked at
NASA during the height of the Cold War to help launch John Glenn into orbit. Until lately,
their efforts were generally overlooked.

Beginning in the early 1940s, Hidden Figures follows the lives of three women who labor at
the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. These ladies have made
significant contributions to the advancement of American aviation and space science. They
persist in the face of racial and gender prejudice. It's the 1960s, and engineers have just
recruited the first women to work in an all-Black unit as human "computers," doing
mathematical computations under their supervision. A group of people labor on the Mercury
and Apollo space projects in the 1960s, assisting in the first human spaceflight and the
eventual landing of humans on the Moon.

The United States has not yet made significant progress toward ending racial discrimination
and disparity by the year of the Apollo 11 moon mission (1969). While trailblazers like
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson have paved the way for the next
generation of NASA leaders.
 Evaluating the Plot through the Perspective of Gender

The powerful influence the media can have on the general population has been repeatedly
demonstrated. This potent means of expression and communication can stick to and/or
change how people view others through its portrayal and depiction of them. Many
marginalized groups place their aspirations and dreams in the hands of the media because of
its influence. The movie Hidden Figures is based on the real tale of three African American
women who worked for NASA during the pivotal Space Race era. Its significance lies in its
depiction of black women in America, who have previously been shown in the media either
as women who are violent and unreasonably furious or as objects intended to be hyper-
sexualized and inhumanly characterized solely by their sexuality. As a rule, portrayals of
people or groups have been demeaning and founded primarily on generalizations.

Thankfully, the 2010s have seen a resurgence of black presence in international film. We are
seeing stories unfold in which black people are neither slaves nor savages, but rather are
portrayed honestly and realistically. The black women in Hidden Figures were not shown as
supporting characters to a white protagonist; rather, they were shown as protagonists in their
own right and trailblazers in the STEM fields. They are also portrayed as black activists.

The three main characters are oppressed in a systemic way by classism, misogyny, and
racism. Although they are portrayed as black feminists because they do everything in their
power to combat the discrimination they face because of their race and gender, black women
often find themselves limited to this binary position. They help individuals realize that they
are worth far more than is typically given credit for in our culture.

Whether through defiance, self-empowerment, or the power of influence, these women are
portrayed as ferocious warriors against the injustices and sexism to which blacks and women
were subjugated.

An important part of black feminism is believing in one's own strength. Mary shows true self-
empowerment when she confronts her spouse, Levi, about her ambition to study engineering.
As far as he is concerned, his wife's aspirations to study engineering are pointless because
rights are not handed out to the downtrodden; rather, they must be taken by force. However,
instead of waiting for the court to act, she takes matters into her own hands and submits a
motion, which ultimately results in a favourable ruling for her.
The idea of gender performance is also introduced in this film as a cultural studies notion.
Judith Butler defines "gender performance" as the ways in which individuals present "an
abiding gendered self" through physical and behavioral cues. Those fashions are just socially
constructed norms for how men, women, and the rest of the range should conduct. Just as
there was nothing there to begin with in terms of images, there was also nothing there that
could be construed as the origin of female behaviour. These norms are societal assumptions
about what constitutes a man or a woman and, over time, they become entrenched in our
collective consciousness as conventional wisdom.

This film also enforces a standard of female physical presentation that is based on gender
norms. The standard attire for black women includes dresses that fall above the calf and
minimal jewellery. They are expected to carry out society's ideal of what a woman should be
like rather than a reification of some 'staying gendered self.

There is a connection between depiction and gender performance because many gender acts
are influenced by images of what it means to be a man or a woman.

The main characters of Hidden Figures challenge the negative stereotypes of minorities and
women by esenting an image that is more accurate to reality.

A Critical Evaluation of the Performances

Theodore Melfi, the film's director, confidently and energetically leads the cast and crew
through the project's massive size expansion from the distinctly modest St. Vincent. Melfi
and co-writer Allison Schroeder (Mean Girls 2), adapting a novel by Margot Lee Shetterly,
have created a script that is less outstanding than the physical production, with its wholesome
sass occasionally lapsing into unadulterated sap. Kevin Costner's winningly lived-in turn as
the leader of Langley's Space Task Group and the fine, spirited performances of Taraji P.
Henson, Spencer, and Janelle Monae as appealing rooting interests add depth to a film pushed
by sitcommy rhythms and expository dialogue.
 Opinion & Critical Appraisal

Even the name, "Hidden Figures," gives you a good idea of what to expect from the film.
Despite contributing their expertise to NASA, three black women have received little
recognition for their efforts. These ladies are NASA's unsung heroes. Overwork, low pay, and
biases all add up to a miserable existence. Because of this, we can conclude that prejudice
and division are the root causes of all forms of inequality.

When Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary's car breaks down on the side of the road and a police
officer stops to assist them, it's the first time the movie depicts an issue related to gender.
Officer has his reservations that NASA actually has female employees. There's an issue
because a white male police officer doesn't believe a woman can handle the physical demands
of a job typically filled by males. It's as if he has a subconscious bias against females,
assuming they are all fragile and untrustworthy. As a result of feminism, women and men are
held to the same standards.

The film progresses, and more disparities are revealed. Dorothy hires the brilliant
mathematician Katherine to work on analytic geometry for the Space Task Group. The
company she works for relocates her to a new location. Only Katherine and Ruth (the
assistant) are female members of the Space Task Group. Katherine demonstrates her
competence in performing duties typically performed by males, despite working in a male-
dominated workplace. She's obviously quite bright because she's already calculated that the
best time to try and locate a Frenet frame would be precisely 18:35. Katherine completes the
day's tasks as requested by Space Task Group Leader Al Harrison. Katherine was instructed
to discard her work in the garbage by the boss. As the department's new hire, Katherine has
no choice but to follow his orders. Constantly worrying that her work could be taken away
from her. As a result, a man's dominance due to his status in the workplace can silence a
woman's voice.

A moment later reveals Katherine to be a caring daughter to her mom. Her mother's love and
encouragement are appreciated even though she works in a "masculine" environment. The
scenario also reveals a different aspect of Katherine's motherhood. She manages to juggle
being a daughter, a mother, and an employee. She demonstrates both strong maternal instincts
and a soft side toward her child. This portrayal of Katherine as a powerful and self-reliant
female figure is accurate. She deconstructs the stereotype that women have to be passive
mothers and have no need for an education or career outside the home.

Colonel Jim seems to have a crush on Katherine, who is as charming as can be. Katherine and
her boss have a short conversation about her job at NASA a while later. Katherine has a lot
on her plate due to her position as a scientist at an esteemed company. NASA's confidence in
women to manage such tasks surprised Colonel Jim. The human psyche has been deliberately
misled to believe this. Putting women down by not letting them do the "masculine" work.
And especially ladies of African descent. If they want a good position, like at NASA, they'll
have to put in more effort.

Despite facing bigotry and prejudice throughout her life, Katherine has achieved success in
the space program. There is no one else who can determine the precise resting spot except
her. Only the Caucasian male pilot, John Glenn, appreciates her worth. The United States of
America was able to transport a human being to the Moon for the first time with her
assistance.

We then see Mary and her spouse Levi having an argument about Mary's aspirations to
become an engineer. As a Black woman, Mary's aspiration to become an engineer is
inspiring. The primary duty of her spouse is to encourage her to pursue her passion. Levi, on
the other hand, reveals not only his internal prejudice but also his willingness to play the
racial card. Insinuating that they have no chance of achieving independence because of their
race. To a large extent, society views males as superior to women because of their innate
physical and mental superiority. Back when Mary and Mr. Zielinski first met, he asked her to
assist with some testing for the Mercury Seven prototype. Mary is also the only female
among a group of male NASA employees, just like Katherine was. Despite Mary's position as
NASA's lifelong computer, Zielinski encourages her to seek a job in engineering because he
recognizes her promise in the field.

As expected, sexism is in full display. Women of all races still face discrimination and lack of
confidence in their ability to achieve their goals. Mary implies in her conversation that life
would be simpler if she were a white man because of their advantages and the respect they
receive from society. If Black women do not have a compelling ideological justification for
their survival, racism, sexism, and classism will persist.

Mary Jackson has made the tough choice to enroll in NASA's Engineer Training Program.
But Mary was told she doesn't have the necessary skills by her boss Vivian. Regardless of the
fact that she holds a BA in both math and physics. Since she now feels obligated to do so, she
regularly visits Hampton High School's engineering program. Because Hampton High School
is a closed, whites-only institution, she must seek the court's approval to enroll in the
program. Mary wants to be an engineer at NASA, but she can't take advantage of the
restricted support available to people of her race in Virginia. But with her persuasive
argument, the court agreed to let her attend the training, though only at night. Mary's
unwavering resolve to stop discrimination on the basis of race and gender is on full display in
this excerpt. Although she has been given permission to participate, she is the only lady
among a group of white males in the training. However, she ultimately prevailed in her fight
for equality and the demonstration that women are just as capable as males in the field of
engineering.

Mary overcame many obstacles to become the first African American woman and aerospace
engineer in NASA and the United States.

An Indian Perspective

The fact that the details of their accomplishments were kept under wraps demonstrates how
the dedicated efforts and the work of women, particularly women of colour, are constantly
overlooked even though their contributions led to the overall success of the mission. This
trend is also evident in South Asian countries, where texts about women's past have been
largely omitted or downplayed and removed from history. When compared to the
achievements of males, theirs have been either ignored or devalued. Women such as Tessy
Thomas, Ritu Karidhal and Mangala Mani have immensely contributed to the field of science
however are yet not house hold names.

Conclusion

Finally, the African American women who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes at
NASA have been given the credit they deserve. Despite decades of effort, many people
continue to fail to recognize the gender disparity they encounter daily. Racism and sexism are
portrayed unmistakably in Hidden Figures. In the NASA community, non-white individuals
are completely absent. White men dominate executive and c-suite roles. Book author Margot
Lee Shetterly worked well with the film's director to bring her characters to life onscreen.

Katherine, the film's shining star, is fiercely committed to defending her humanity, her
gender, and her citizenship. Racism and prejudice, which were seen as "normal" in the 1950s,
are to blame for maintaining the divide between black and white communities. Now that she
has three kids of her own, she feels a responsibility to protect them from experiencing the
same hardships she did. Despite living in the racially divided state of Virginia, she has found
success in her life. Despite her minority status, she demonstrates competence. She battled
against racism and discrimination as a consequence of her education. It's a result of both her
own doggedness and the encouragement she's received from her loved ones. She was given a
bursary when she was young, and her family fully embraced the opportunity. She made the
decision to pursue her goal despite the fact that she is a person of a different sex and skin
colour as an adult who has battled for prejudice.

One of NASA's unsung heroes is the trio of Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary.

Despite activists' efforts over many decades, racism remains a problem in today's society.