Category: Misogyny

In a misogynist society, many of the favourite characters in film and television are women who hate women. According to most dictionaries, misogyny is the feeling of hostility, distrust, hatred or contempt for women. It is, therefore, an important basis for the exercise of sexism and female oppression and can manifest itself in several ways – from seemingly harmless jokes to social exclusion, discrimination, sexual objectification, control and violence against women.

From the definition of the word, one would expect that misogyny was a feeling shared only by men, right? After all, why would women hate and avoid themselves? Internalized sexism is the internalization, practice and reinforcement of misogynist and sexist beliefs by women against themselves and others. It happens because in most cultures women are created to believe that they are inferior to men, with an existence subordinate to theirs.

For example, if a woman automatically gives more moral to a professional man than to a woman. Or if she is proud to be a “no-frills” woman, “different from other girls”, “more mainly than many men”, in both cases there is a certain level of internalized misogyny in the women that think like that all people are affected by internalized misogyny to some extent.

‘Ah, but no one ever told me that boys are better than girls or that I am less important than them!’ – someone, there may be saying. Some women declare that no one ever told them that directly, but unfortunately indirect people spread this message constantly. Women are constantly reminded about the expectation society has on them regarding their future: mothers, wives, objects and rivals to each other. Even though there is no problem in being any of these, the problem is in fact when people limited girls to only that, don`t allow them to follow any other type of carrier.

The media is a powerful tool in this sense, with a unique ability to make us internalize all kinds of messages. As the society in which we live is misogynistic, much of its media and the messages it reinforces are also, even if we do not realize it right away. The internalization of the message is so effective precisely because it is subliminal. We absorb everything, even between the lines.

In the animations and cartoons, for example, most of the heroes and protagonists are male. In movies and series too, and it’s hard to see female characters talking about anything other than men or futilities. If girls are the protagonists, usually their trajectories and goals are often associated with men’s, for example, finding a male partner or helping him to achieve his goals. Advertising is also an area that portraits women badly, with them being repeatedly portrayed as sexual objects.

It is no wonder, therefore, that girls grew by internalizing the message that women are eternal supporting men in the lives of men, with importance and value tied to their existence and needs. Art imitates life, and vice versa. As a result, women are always fighting a constant and incredibly contradictory battle within themselves.

This results in many of the psychological disorders that commonly women face in their life. Females suffer from low self-esteem, depression, eating disorder, much more often than men. Of course, that depends a lot and is not every woman that confronts these issues. They are all affected, but there are differences in how much each one absorbs and acts when facing this pressure imposed by society. As mentioned in a research made by the National Institute of Mental Health “Eating disorders were more than twice as prevalent among females (3.8%) than males (1.5%).”

And as is expected, fiction reflects real life, although many of the characters severely affected by internalized misogyny are presented as empowered women. Media is misogynistic, just look at how many of these favourite “badass” characters from cinema and television are women who hate women. Arya Stark, from the Game of Thrones series, for example. In addition to the famous phrase said above (one of the fan favourites), the character makes it clear that she despises everything that is traditionally feminine. In the seventh season, she even ridicules all of her sister’s feminine characteristics, from her skill with embroidery to the perfect cursive handwriting.

Her machismo is also presented in a benevolent format when, also in the seventh season, she spares Frey women from the slaughter she promotes in the first episode. Arya disregards women so much that she doesn’t think that some of them could have played a role in the Red Wedding, or even that they could seek revenge for the murdered family. Which is bizarre, since she is a girl who had her family murdered and now seeks revenge.

It is worth noting that the series made a wrong reading of the original character of the books. In them, Arya is a girl who suffers a lot for not fitting into the feminine ideals of the society in which she lives and turns away from them as a form of self-protection. Every girl who can’t be as “feminine” as we are expected to know how much it hurts and how it can lead us to practice misogyny against other women, although Arya’s internalized misogyny in the books is much more mitigated than in the series. Her biggest conflicts happen within herself, and many of them have to do with her idea of ​​femininity and the contradictions of her actions, feelings and vulnerabilities. The main issue in Arya’s arc is that of identity, but the series reduced the character to a ninja thirsting for revenge.

The curious thing is that the character that has internalized misogyny running down the ears in the books ended up being greatly attenuated in the series. Cersei Lannister is a terror in The Chronicles of Ice and Fire. Jaime’s twin and raised by her father, the character learned from a young age how women are inferior and underestimated and internalized the idea that they are inferior and weak – being the exception herself. So her great resentment is not even the way women are treated, but the fact that she was born a woman.

“If the gods had given her the strength that they gave to Jaime and that swashbuckling Robert, she could run. Oh, for a sword and the ability to wield it. She had the heart of a warrior, but the gods, in their blind malice, had given her the weak body of a woman. ”

Cersei is extremely cruel to other women and distrusts them all. Use them when you need them and discard them – often to a destination of death and torture – without an ounce of pain in your conscience. However, instead of working for her, her misogyny works against her and causes her to decay in a spiral of chaos, destruction and terrible decisions that is remarkable (a criticism that, I believe, is deliberate on the part of the author).

Perhaps such a trajectory did not please the writers of the series since they seem to believe that despising women make strong female characters. What we do know is that the Cersei in the series has been greatly toned down, with her identity largely defined by her motherhood. It seems that Cersei of the books confronted the worldview of the writers, who instead of basking in the complexity of the character, preferred to plan it to make it more palatable.

Finally, I wanted to talk about another representation of internalized machismo and misogyny that, for a change, was very well done on television. Last year, The Handmaid’s Tale took us to a dystopian reality in which women lost all their rights. Interestingly, however, some of the most terrifying characters in the production are precisely women. Aunts control and indoctrinate young women based on humiliation and violence; Wives and Marthas despise the Maids, and even the maids are suspicious and sometimes rival each other.1

However, all are subordinate to male power, and the series is brilliant at showing how maintaining female rivalry benefits patriarchy immensely. Disunited, we become weaker and more vulnerable after all. Margaret Atwood, the author of the book on which the series is based, has talked about this issue and how this misogyny rivalry can be exercised as a dispute for power and even protection. Especially in societies where women die daily simply because they are women.

“Yes, women will gang up on other women. Yes, they will accuse others to keep themselves off the hook: We see that very publicly in the age of social media, which enables group swarmings. Yes, they will gladly take positions of power over other women, even — and, possibly, especially — in systems in which women as a whole have scant power: All power is relative, and in tough times any amount is seen as better than none. Some of the controlling Aunts are true believers, and think they are doing the Handmaids a favour: At least they haven’t been sent to clean up toxic waste, and at least in this brave new world they won’t get raped, not as such, not by strangers. Some of the Aunts are sadists. Some are opportunists. And they are adept at taking some of the stated aims of 1984 feminism — like the anti-porn campaign and greater safety from sexual assault — and turning them to their advantage. As I say: real life.”

Unfortunately, such care in representing the complexity of the situation of women and the relations between them is still a rarity in the media and pop culture. As we have seen, the stereotype of the empowered misogynist and isolated woman still prevails. May we have a keen eye and a critical sense to reject such representations. For, in reality, the more united, the stronger we become.

References

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/books/review/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-age-of-trump.html
2. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/eating-disorders.shtml

Introduction to Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ and Its Social Context

Adhering to the nature of opéra-comique, an exotic location, tragedy and depiction of the working class, Georges Bizet put a twist on this customary style of opera and created ‘Carmen’. The opera, set in Seville about the year 1830, is about Don José. He is enticed away from his duty as a soldier and his beloved Micaëla by the gypsy factory-girl Carmen he lets out of custody. Later, he is persuaded to join the smugglers with whom Carmen is affiliated, but his jealousy drives him insane. As Carmen expresses her preference for the bullfighter Escamillo, it all comes to a head. The final act takes place outside the bullring in Seville, where Escamillo is joined by Carmen, who is stabbed to death by Don José, who has been waiting for her arrival. Bizet’s most famous opera, ‘Carmen’, added a note of realism to opera that those who saw the first performances found unacceptable. Carmen’s wild and unethical conduct, the chorus of promiscuous cigarette-smoking factory-girls, and Carmen’s last murder on stage all drew criticism. This play is an example of orientalist values challenging those of a bourgeois society. This paper discusses how Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ is not misogynistic but instead holds up to criticize society’s misogyny.

Carmen: A Symbol of Misogynistic Critique

Carmen is portrayed as the villain from the very beginning while the prize in question is her body and the narrative raises questions of who should own it, Don José or Escamillo, but not her. Many could interpret this play on the basis that a woman succumbs to male aggression and jealousy rather than an expression of freedom of choice. Carmen’s controversy stemmed from the context in which it was released, at the time in nineteenth century France a gypsy like Carmen would not be seen in a positive light, due to the post war French anti-Semitic culture, society would have a prejudiced outlook on women like her since Hitler’s ideology depicted gypsies as alien and impure. Expressions of female sexuality had been presented prior to Bizet’s ‘Carmen’; however, the protagonist was presented as a femme fatale in the way that her sexuality was her demise. The manner in which she was presented, almost as a weapon or beast-like, coveys the message that she deserved her ending and almost takes away some of the brutality in which she was killed as well as diminishes blame for Don José. This is a perfect example of how Carmen held up misogynistic ideas as by eluding that she was responsible for her death as it mirrors the reality of many women who suffered at the hands of men but were blamed or questioned because they did not adhere to society’s norms or expectations. Carmen was the embodiment of femininity, and although her demise was a result of fragile masculinity, she remains one of the most significant women in opera to this day.

Historical and Cultural Backdrop of ‘Carmen’

There was a strong bourgeois-cantered culture in nineteenth century France thus the divide among males and females became very prominent and women became repressed and silenced. Seeing a woman in the opéra-comique, who deviated from societal conventions elicited diverse reactions from viewers who had never been exposed to such lax morals. This further proves the point that Georges Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ is not misogynistic but rather a moral message of the ‘terror surrounding the female body’, as well as a reminder that since the regulation of societal expectations surrounding sexuality has predominantly happened at the hands of men, the fact that Carmen took a position of power regarding her bodily autonomy and provocative behavior was particularly destabilizing (Kazdan, 2016). To this day, Carmen remains a powerful figure who established a precedent for upcoming women in opera.

Carmen’s Death: A Reflection of Societal Misogyny

Adhering to the rules of opera, it makes sense for Carmen to die at the hands of a past lover as she refused to submit to Don José. In this opera, there was a clear divide between the characters and what they represented at the time. Carmen and the other gypsies symbolized the ‘uncivilized’, while Don José on the other hand symbolized the hallmarks of French civilization (Macarthur, 2014). Men have traditionally held much more power in the society in which Carmen is set (Hammerstein and Bizet, 1991). Seeing a man in a place of social wealth and capital be seduced and gradually persuaded to abandon this is a major cultural shock for the period. Carmen is a one-of-a-kind character in the operatic Carmen’s time frame, and her significance as a character follows from this. Carmen would not be nearly as convincing a character if she were not an exception to the opera’s general rule, which seems to mean that women should be subservient or otherwise tolerant of men’s advances toward them and satisfied when someone with political or social power selects them. Carmen is a feminist character when there was little understanding of what feminism and equality were (Furman, 2020). Her death at the hands of Don José, who represents the kind of male entitlement that pervades every corner of ‘Carmen’, is a metaphor for her being too early for her time, challenging the norms of the early 1800s Spain she found herself stuck within (Bizet, 2018). That is not to suggest that ‘Carmen’ may not have been convincing outside of its period; instead, as more literature grappled with gender equality and the shortcomings of a patriarchal society as history progressed, the main characters Carmen and Don José have increasingly become less exceptional.

‘Carmen’ as a Cultural Milestone in Opera

Historical context is essential when discussing the play, ‘Carmen’ was significant when opera was still a common form of entertainment for the general public. ‘Carmen’ was particularly significant culturally because it subverted several operatic conventions by using several comedic character tropes in a musical that was obviously about a tragedy. ‘Carmen’ defied conventions in a way that had never been achieved before, both in terms of form and feature in terms of gender portrayal (Dornford-May, 2006). ‘Carmen’ was innovative and edgy in the artistic world, and the kind of work that could have quickly gone down in flames as well as become a triumph. In our current socio-cultural environment, the play would have never triggered the same reaction or have been as notorious considering that the plays after ‘Carmen’ had already challenged the set of gender norms in the opera, creating an environment where a simple retelling of ‘Carmen’ in the same genre and with the same conceit would no longer possess the same edge that helped evoke the sultry nature of the former. Instead of being a rebuttal to the opera’s reliance on strict definitions of comedy and tragedy, or the importance of male opinion in storytelling, ‘Carmen’ was now a rebuttal to the notion that seductive women were inherently villainous or problematic, the latter of which was a strong belief in France at the time.

Carmen as a Feminist Icon and Its Limitations

In many ways, Carmen can be depicted as a feminist icon, her free spirit, refusal to compromise and power she held over the ‘strong men’. However, we can also see drawbacks in her character. Her persona was created by the male gaze, almost offering up her life to an entitled, possessive man (Jorel, 2019). This is a narrative that is still present in today’s society, a third of all women killed in 2017 were victims of partners or former partners (Femicide Watch, 2019). Throughout the play Carmen weaponized her sexuality against men to manipulate them, an example of this would be when she seduced Don José into letting her go during the first act. She did this through the use of music and mannerisms. As a woman in the opera, Carmen’s unapologetic acceptance of her own sexuality was critical in confronting social norms, and given that the status quo for the opera lies in patriarchal hierarchy, her free body movements speak to the rigidity of society and its ineffectiveness at placing a chokehold on the human condition (Kazdan, 2016). Music was used to aid in the weaponization of Carmen’s sexuality, for example, in the Habanera the line “l’oiseau que tu croyais surprendre battit de l’aile et s’envola” places emphasis on how Carmen’s free will and independence is seen as a threat for the male characters as they realize that she is autonomous and places her own needs before their own, additionally she has no preservations when it comes to acting unconventionally in order to attain her goals.

The Misogynistic Underpinnings of ‘Carmen’

The misogynistic logic underpins the plot of ‘Carmen’ as its criticism of social ideals was dramatic to viewers who first saw it in the mid-1800s when in reality it merely held up a mirror to patriarchy so that it may see some of its shortcomings. Similarly, Carmen may have been a character unique in her depiction on an operatic stage as a powerful, sexually active woman who tried to live by her laws. This character’s personality was abnormal at the time: she was a strong woman who was also sexual, temperamental, and a factory worker. Furthermore, instead of being romantic and patient, she is vulgar and rebellious. In essence, she was the polar opposite of what a woman was supposed to be in the late 1800s. Still, she is eventually killed as a result of her actions. She is seduced and complicit in a relationship with a strong bullfighter and while this transition and her death are essential for bringing Don José’s story to a close, what was disconcerting was that Carmen was depicted as a woman who died mainly as a result of her actions rather than Don José’s unwillingness to acknowledge that the woman he loved had moved on, this is an example of operas traditional portrayal of women. The message interpreted comes from the viewers unique perspectives as rational thinking is required to grasp that it was not the intention for Carmen to be seen as a villain but to dismantle the system that painted her so.

Conclusion: Reevaluating ‘Carmen’s’ Message on Misogyny

Moreover, we can say that ‘Carmen’ was not a misogynistic play, as although Don José’s interest for her was based on his want to redeem her, she never wavered and remained as she was. The play relayed a story of a woman who regardless of external cues stayed true to who she was, had she become ‘reformed’ it would have put into question the true message of the opera and it would not be as relevant as it is today.

In the final report, the topic of gender representation in Grand Theft Auto 5 will be analyzed. Grand Theft Auto 5, the video game, is the best-selling video game in history notching well over 6 billion dollars in revenue since its initial release. The video game has many critical views, one topic in particular about gender representation. Why is this game so successful? How are women and men represented in action-adventure video games such as Grand Theft Auto 5? Considering this is a best seller, people are engaged, stay engaged to find out why that is exactly. The video game hosts three primary characters named, Trevor Philips, Michael De Santa, and Franklin Clinton. Throughout gameplay, the player will have the experience of free-roaming a fictional state( San Andreas) based in Southern California. While also, having the experience to enjoy online gameplay with many other individuals across the real world with internet access. Trevor Philips, one of the three protagonists, is characterized as a psychopath. He is extremely violent and lacks remorse for any of his victims. However, Trevor is extremely loyal to those he holds dear and can often be brutally honest. Michael De Santa, the second protagonist, is a close friend of Trevor Philips. Michael is like the average upper-class citizen of America. Married, children white picket fence, and financially stable. The stable life he was practically given comes from a deal made with law enforcement in exchange for confidential information that would incriminate fellow convicts. And lastly, Franklin Clinton the final protagonist. Franklin is a former gangbanger who has aspirations to be wealthy and successful. In an attempt to save his future, Franklin works a legal job up until meeting Michael De Santa. The player experiences hundreds of different missions from each of the character’s perspectives.

Rationale/Research Question:

The topic area of gender representation is important because it is a significant thought being developed. It is a method for diving into how social norms and power structures sway the lives and openings accessible to various gatherings of people. All-inclusive, a larger number of women than men live in poverty. Women are additionally, more likely than men to get essential training and to be delegated to a political position broadly and globally. Understanding that people, young men, and young ladies experience poverty distinctively and face various obstacles in getting to administrations, financial assets, and political opportunities will help target necessary interposing. As stated earlier, Grand Theft Auto 5 is a top-selling game for a reason. The portrayal of men and women in the game is not new to the franchise but as time progresses it has become more and more parallel to modern society. This raised interest because people seem to love the game and the reviews/feedback tend to be more positive than negative. Gender representation has evolved constantly throughout the years. While there is a belief that art imitates life, this final report will exploit the brilliance in gender representations with a correlation to modern society.

Literature Review:

In articles Keeping Abreast of Hypersexuality(2010) and The Virtual Census: Representations of Gender, race, and age in video games(2009). It was found that in contrast with male characters, females were essentially bound to be indicated somewhat naked, highlighted with an unreasonable self-perception, and delineated wearing explicitly uncovering dress and improper clothing as additionally anticipated. Suggestions for these discoveries are examined utilizing social cognitive theory as a theoretical anchor. A huge-scale content investigation of characters in video games was utilized to address inquiries regarding their portrayals of sex, race, and age in contrast with the US population. The example included 150 games from a year across nine stages, with the outcomes weighted by game deals. This development influenced the outcomes to be broken down in extent to the games that were played by people in general and subsequently permitted the main proclamations ready to be made speculations regarding the substance of famous video games.

As for Gender and race representation in casual games. Findings showed to be much different than action-adventure video games. Females are excessively spoken to as essential characters yet investigations show no huge contrasts between genders as far as how they are depicted: of note, neither guys nor females are delineated sexually. These outcomes strife with past investigations of sexual orientation portrayal in-game characters: this paper proposes that inspecting philosophy and the generally new pattern of easygoing games avoided this subset of games from earlier look into. This article looks at sexuality and race portrayal in casual games through substance examination. Meanwhile, professors Volpato, Bushman BJ, Andrighetto L, and Gabiadini A. found interesting details in their study Acting like a Tough Guy: Violent-Sexist Video Games, Identification with Game Characters, Masculine Beliefs, & Empathy for Female Violence Victims(2016). This examination researches how introduction to misogynist video games can decline sympathy for people exploited by female violence. 154 members were arbitrarily doled out to play a violent sexist game, a violent-only game, or a peaceful game. After interactivity, proportions of recognizable proof with the game character, customary manly convictions, and sympathy for female brutality exploited people were surveyed. It was found that members’ sexuality and their relationship with the aggressive male video game characters directed the impacts of the presentation of sexist-aggressive video games on manly convictions. The outcomes upheld the forecast that playing fierce misogynist video games builds manly convictions, which happened for male (however not female) members who were profoundly related to the game character. Manly convictions, thus, contrarily anticipated compassionate affections for female brutality unfortunate casualties. In general, the study indicates who is most influenced by the presentation of chauvinist brutal video games, and why the impacts happen.

In another scholarly journal, titled “Hiding in Plain Sight: Reproducing Masculine Culture at a Video Game Studio.” (Johnson, Robin) This study was evaluated to discover more information about the cultural identity of masculinity. Numerous variables identify with manliness in video games, in any case, the significance of physical appearance is critical for deciding the fundamental idea of manliness applied in video games. A significant factor to know about is the historical backdrop of GTA and its portrayal of gender representation. GTA encapsulated sex generalizations in that the fundamental male characters are constantly depicted as hyper-manly, predominant, and forceful. As mentioned earlier, art imitates life and that is what the article attempts to exploit. This study attempts to distinguish the job of video games’ portrayal of its male characters utilizing Grand Theft Auto V, or GTA V as it is typically adapted, and other video games to investigate the various ways these games impact players. The study given would investigate the connection between video games portrayal and player’s underlying reactions and impact. Therefore, the basic objective of the study will affirm video games as a medium more than just ‘recess’ and ‘idealism’, but rather as a medium containing secretive sociological messages that should be deciphered. In the findings, It has been discussed throughout the study that GTA V contains manly subjects and substance and that it offers nothing for players who don’t gravitate to manliness. This demonstrates not only is GTA V’s substance happens to be manly, but that the game itself is expected for men to play. As recently expressed, GTA V offers no other substance that isn’t established by manliness. It is basic to bring up that video games assume the default player is male as it means a definitive rejection of players who don’t adjust to such manly components in video games. Taking a look at GTA V from a female player’s point of view, the game offers next to nothing for women. The way that all the playable characters in the game are male may strike female players as disheartening and even chauvinist. Indeed, even the game’s authentic spread craftsmanship lights up manly subjects and suggestions.