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DiGregorio
Abigail DiGregorio

ENGL 1001

Professor Ferrara

14 December 2023

Gender Representation’s Substantial Role in Film

Growing up watching movies, viewers are often repeatedly exposed to the same

stereotypes. From the dumb blonde to the psycho-ex girlfriend to the tough, emotionally

unavailable man, these stereotypes are seen over and over again and have substantial effects on

society. While gender stereotypes can be helpful by providing examples of how to behave and

conduct oneself, these stereotypes are harmful to society because they create false judgements

about gender roles, pressure the public to conform to popular stereotypes, and limit

representation. False judgments about gender can be harmful to society and cause tension in

social interactions.

Gender stereotypes often create false judgements about gender roles and expectations.

This can lead to incorrect interpretations about how genders should think, behave, and feel. In

most cases, “female characters tend to display less agency than male characters, and…female

characters are more likely to show affection. Male characters are less likely to "sob" or "cry," and

female characters are more likely to be subjected to "gawking" or "watching" by other

characters, highlighting an emphasis on female appearance” (“Characters’ actions in movie”).

Findings like this lead to negative stigma about how men and women are supposed to behave in

society. If a woman expresses her passions and dreams, she could be seen as too forward and

bossy, if a man cries and expresses their emotions they could be seen as “soft”. If men and

women are held to these destructive expectations about how they are supposed to act, anyone
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who does not meet these expectations may be seen as a failure in society. Women should not be

limited to the emotional housewife and men should not be limited to the strong unemotional

bachelor. It is growing up and being exposed consistently to these stereotypes “that circulate[s]

the idea that these are actually how men and women operate in the real world” (Bostick). Not

only do stereotypes create false judgements about gender, but they also pressure the public to

meet these unrealistic standards.

Young children who are exposed to repeated specific depictions of gender may feel they

must begin to mimic these characters and act in very specific ways. “Both boys and girls who

view these traditional depictions are likely to have limited ideas of what is real and true about

men and women emblazoned in their brains, hearts, and beliefs” (Holtzman). This conditioning

is not just through words, “some harmful stereotypes might be communicated not through what

characters say, but through their actions” (“Characters’ actions in movie”). When creating a

character for a movie, writers need to consider the way the character will influence viewers.

When the ‘popular girl’ in school is depicted as bossy and rude, young girls will feel they have to

act the same way in order to maintain their status. Similarly, if successful men are depicted as

strong and unemotional, young boys will think that the only way for them to be successful is to

look and act the same way. This concept is incredibly harmful to the social and emotional

development of children, feeling like they constantly have to live up to the standards of what is

produced on screen can be detrimental to mental health and well-being.

Stereotypes can also influence platonic and romantic relationships and serve as negative

examples of power imbalance and unfair treatment in relations. Commonly, men hold power in

romantic relationships and women “if [they’re] not the girlfriend or wife then it’s the hooker

with the heart of gold” (Bowdre). Those who watch a movie and see this relationship dynamic
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may find themselves engaging in unhealthy relationships. If women believe that men should hold

in the power in a relationship, they are more susceptible to abuse and unfair treatment. In the

same way, men might let the power go to their heads and engage in destructive behavior.

Overall, these depictions of weak, flirty women and strong, dominating men sets up harmful

expectations of what it is to be in a relationship. Another issue in film is the misrepresentation of

gender, sexuality, and relationships and stereotypes contribute to this lack of inclusivity.

Gender stereotypes significantly limit representation and perpetuate inaccurate

representations of masculinity and femininity. Because so many films repeat the same few

stereotypes excluded feelings can arise for those who do not conform to what is portrayed. These

stereotypes similarly pressure those who are non-conforming to change their looks and behaviors

to align with what society is used to seeing. “It’s the constant use of these stereotypes in film that

circulate the idea that these are actually how men and women operate in the real world”

(Bostick). Men and women should not be confined to the actions seen on screen in a popular

movie as there are so many ways to express gender and sexuality.

Romance films consistently using heterosexual couples denies the fact that relationships

are complex and don’t have to just be a man and a woman. Society accepts numerous pairings of

all types of people to be in a relationship which should start to be portrayed in films. Those who

grow up only watching a man and woman in a relationship are missing out on exposure to the

many different ways a relationship can look. Couples who do not fit the mold of the heterosexual

‘perfect’ couple may feel invalidated in their relationship, causing stress and tension. Not only is

sexuality misrepresented but also specific genders face stereotypes that lack inclusion and limit

diversity.
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Chick flicks like Mean Girls create false ideas of what it takes to be ‘popular’ and ‘fit in’

in high school. It is harmful for films to suggest that the way to being popular for girls is to be

white, straight, rich, and rude. Women don’t need to dress in skirts and have blonde hair and act

polite. Women can be strong, dress comfortably, and present themselves however they feel

confident and still be successful and well-liked. If directors or writers can produce narratives of

women that look all sorts of ways, society can be more inclusive and the definition of “feminine”

can include hundreds of different looks and behaviors. Stereotypes of men can also limit

representation of the way men look and act in society. Men are commonly portrayed as strong

and unemotional. Today, men present themselves in many ways whether it be more feminine or

more masculine or a mix of both. If men are only show on screen as acting in one way, those

who do not conform to this stereotype may feel lost and misrepresented in media. In a survey,

Gender Stereotypes in Film (DiGregorio), 92.3% of responses agreed that they like to feel a

sense of connection to characters of their gender. If they don’t see their gender portrayed in many

ways and similar to how they behave they may not feel confident in the way the present

themselves and feel misunderstood in society. If the film industry can change certain gender

stereotypes and include various depictions of gender people will feel more included and see in

society. The issues of creating false judgement, pressuring the public, and limiting representation

calls for change in the way that gender is portrayed in films.

In a survey, Gender Stereotypes in Film (DiGregorio), 69.2% of responses agreed with

the statement that there should be an effort in the film industry to challenge and change certain

gender stereotypes. Directors and writers should begin to rethink how they create films to

include various depictions of gender. People want to feel a connection to the characters on screen
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and be able to relate to popular media and they cannot do that unless the industry starts

projecting these looks, actions, and thoughts on screen.

Gender stereotypes in popular film are harmful to society by creating false prejudices

about gender roles, pressuring the public to conform to popular stereotypes, and limiting

representation despite providing examples of how to conduct oneself. It is important as society

progresses and continues to develop that film creators start to widen their horizons on what

femininity and masculinity look like to appeal to wider audiences and show solidarity to those

who do not conform to the typical depictions of men and women.

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Works Cited

Amelia Bostick. “Gender Stereotypes in Film Damages Viewers Perception”. The Echo, The

Echo, March 7, 2022, https://www.theechonews.com/article/2022/03/gender-stereotypes-

in-film-damages-viewer-perception.

"Characters' actions in movie scripts reflect gender stereotypes." NewsRx Science, 8 Jan. 2023, p.

118. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731928284/AONE?

u=a04fu&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=fb9515c1. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Bowdre, Karen, and C.B. “A Black Camera Interview: Gender Stereotypes in Film and

Media.” Black Camera, vol. 22, no. 1, 2007, pp. 15–18. JSTOR,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/27761687. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Holtzman, Linda, and Leon Sharpe. Media Messages: What Film, Television, and Popular Music

Teach Us about Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, Taylor & Francis Group,

2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fairfield/detail.action?docID=1899975.