Draft 2

Natasha Madan 13B

Media Independent Study

“If I wrote a list of shit Alisson doesn’t let me do, it would be endless”

*To what extent are females portrayed as the more dominant and responsible figures in comparison to their male counterparts, with regards to the film "Knocked Up", and how does this challenge traditional stereotypes in history promulgated by other moving image texts?

Throughout the years, the media has been heavily criticized for it’s depiction of women in films as the natural caregiver i.e. “the traditional housewife” who is predominantly perceived as inferior to her male spouse. This is most certainly true for films such as The Stepford Wives and The Sound of Music where the ideology of “the perfect woman” is conveyed to the audience, substantiating the idea that women in films are somewhat subliminally objectified either sexually or mentally, establishing them as the more subordinate sex. “Women in film” corroborates this theory suggesting that “throughout much of film history, women have been depicted as manipulative, sexually repressed, or sexually overt” . However, since the women’s movement in the 1960s when the contraceptive pill was introduced and several laws were implemented such as the Civil Rights Act it can be argued that women obtained more freedom and their sexual promiscuity became more accepted in society as “feminism became a movement of liberation rather than reform, a movement of breaking away and creating the new” . This essay will investigate to what extent the theory that women are now being portrayed as stronger and more independent in films is true with regards to the film Knocked Up, a comedy which encapsulates the themes of matriarchy and male immaturity. I will be counteracting the theory with the idea that the female protagonist is still yet sexually objectified due to her appearance and her ideological “traditional” attributes and both fundamental stereotypes of the “Madonna” and the “Whore” are still apparent.

The film “Knocked Up” focuses on the characters of Alisson Scott and Ben Stone whose lives are dramatically changed after a one night stand leads to an unwanted
pregnancy and the couple are forced to establish a relationship for the sake of the baby. The film portrays Allison who is a “blonde, beautiful and focused” individual initiating Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions due to Ben’s character who is depicted as unattractive, lazy and immature. This idea is substantiated at the beginning of the film when fast paced cuts are used to portray Bens hectic and fun filled life, the MTV aesthetic symbolises his childlike and teenage qualities and his immaturity when play fighting further supports this idea. Despite the roller coaster used in the beginning sequence to reflect his fun and carefree lifestyle it can be perceived to foreshadow the emotional rollercoaster he must soon endure and the ups and downs in his easygoing life which soon change his character. The sequence then cuts to a scene of Alison sleeping where the non diegetic sound of heavy and sexual music is paused to subsequently reveal a more peaceful and serene tone which ultimately allows the audience from the outset of the film to infer that she is a more responsible and mature character.

This is also corroborated by her high status job off-screen on channel E which challenges the ideological stereotype of women and the glass ceiling effect as films since the 1960s solely featured women who were “limited to family roles. Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work. On the other hand, men were employed, had careers, and were doing something outside the home.” This quotation illustrates the idea that women in television were previously oppressed and subordinate to their husbands as illustrated in the patriarchal 1960s advert for “Folgers coffee” where the woman’s sole aim in the advert is to please her husband. His dark black suit illustrates his importance and superiority whereas the woman’s white attire depicts her as the innocent “Madonna”, the way in which he also stands up and looks down upon her indicates her vulnerability as a housewife who should make “good coffee” conforming to the traditional stereotype of women during the time.

“Knocked Up” can therefore be considered as switching gender roles due to Alison being the “breadwinner” “we have rarely seen women whose priority is to pursue and develop their ambitions, talents or vocations” therefore depicting her to be different and more dominant in comparison to Ben. However, Laura Mulvey argues “that in order for women to be equally represented in the workplace, women must be portrayed as men are: as lacking sexual objectification” . Alison is promoted to anchor woman on channel E on the condition that she becomes “tighter” as another colleague says, “go home, step on a scale, write down how much you weigh, subtract it by like 20 and way that much” It can therefore be perceived that despite her role as the more dominant sex in the film, she is being subliminally objectified at work, as her employers wish her to embody perfection already shown as she is “the film’s obvious projection of its female ideal, combines the boring-as-cardboard stereotypes of knock-out blond beauty and girl-next-door goodness” . By hiding her pregnancy from her colleagues, her inferiority is validated as it suggests that she must comply with the expectations placed on her and thus portrays her as inferior to the boss of the company who is male, depicting her to be less dominant.

Alison’s sister Debbie is predominantly portrayed as the more dominant figure in the household. She is depicted to be extremely controlling “and the chokehold she exerts on those around, drives her husband Pete to hanker after the innocence of youth" this is suggested when he says, “She doesn’t understand, it’s like she wants to hold me in” the fact that he is submitting himself to be vulnerable to her suggests how he is somewhat scared which suggests that he is undergoing “the crisis of masculinity” which is caused by female dominance.

Her matriarchal nature is also visible in the club scene where Alison furiously shouts at the bouncer. Despite a combining shot of both of them showing the bouncers strength and muscularity in comparison to Alison's sister's petite figure and weakness, her personality and strong character when she uses derogatory language to lower his esteem repeatedly calling him “doorman” represents him as inferior in comparison to her female dominance challenging the historical idea that women should be seen but not heard. This establishes the binary oppositions of inferiority and superiority, respect and disrespect and matriarchy and patriarchy. The fact that only diegetic sound of dialogue and club music is used allows the scene to appear more realistic due to the seriousness of issues despite the scenes comedic conventions. In turn ideologies such as matriarchy, youth, patriarchy and sexuality are all addressed and adhere to contemporary issues regarding the idea that women are still objectified in society as the bouncer only lets in the younger prettier girls which suggests that appearance is still exceedingly significant in obtaining benefits.

However, Alison's sister's character can also be perceived as a symbol of female power and women fighting back, hence stereotypes within this scene are constantly fluctuated and her emotion and anger (illustrated by several close ups) reflect her passion regarding the issue and thus challenges the traditional role of women who should be acceptant of patriarchal society. Similarly, the films, “Joyce at 34 (1972) and A. Rothschild’s Nana, Mom and Me (1974) served to present women as self-sufficient, competent, and assertive. The feminist image of strong, capable and independent women was reflected in the portrayal of on screen heroines.”

Additionally, films such as the 1950 hit “Sunset Boulevard” initiate another form of female dominance through the “femme fatale”, “The typical complaint is that women in films are either 'virgins, mothers or whores’)” where the whore aspect is substantiated by the film, however it can be perceived that “Although they use their sexuality, they derive power from it and use their intellect to get what they want. They represent strong, active women and these virtues override the male-centered moral it is to enforce upon the audience.” The character of Norma therefore challenges the idea that women were not presented as powerful historically despite being sexually objectified; it can be argued that in the film the male is the main object of desire due to her obsession with him and thus contradicts the idea that “the narrative structure of traditional cinema establishes the male character as active and powerful: he is the agent around whom the dramatic action unfolds and the look gets organized. The female character is passive and powerless: she is the object of desire for the male character”.

However this can therefore illustrate that in the 50s women in films were presented as being dependent on men whether they were housewives or whores. According to Sharon Smith “The role of woman in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction, and the mating games she plays with the male characters.”
Nevertheless the film “Knocked Up” in terms of the sexually active “femme fatale” “sends women the message that it is acceptable to be a serious professional focused on your work without having to be glamorous or sexy to achieve their goals” which partially applies to Alisson as although she is hired due to her appearance, she does not explicitly flaunt herself to obtain her position allowing her to appear as more dominant. Debbie’s superiority is however questioned, despite her having control over decision making in the household and having ascendancy over her husband she “begins as an embodiment of everything women supposedly become if men “subject” themselves to marriage; she is nagging, cold, annoying, controlling, obsessive, uninteresting, and superficial.”

In turn it can be considered that it is unnatural for a woman to be dominant in a household and if she takes the role of a man she is established as “nagging, cold and annoying” this therefore suggests that women are not considered to be more dominant or responsible in “Knocked Up” as their rights are not appreciated by society which can also be inferred when Alisson states, “I don’t want to become like Debbie”. In the final scene Ben’s dominance finally becomes apparent when a heated argument takes place between him and Debbie after she doesn’t let him in the labour room. The scene solely focuses on the dialogue of the characters in order to reflect the significance of the argument; diegetic sound is also demonstrated through the background noises such as hospital scanners etc. to establish realism as the argument complies with the seriousness of the hospital atmosphere. Debbie is wearing light colored clothing as she can be perceived to be an epitome of innocence and vulnerability in comparison to Ben whose dominance is apparent due to his raised voice and serious tone, thus illustrating her inferiority. Long cuts are predominantly used in order to focus on the situation and emphasize its importance as a turning point in the film as Ben is now taking responsibility for his more dominant role in contrast to before, the length of each shot also signifies that Ben will now continuously adapt to this role. The fact that there is also no combining shot of both characters substantiates their difference of opinion and the lack of unity in the decision eventually made, however the cut to Pete subsequent to the argument indicates that she still possesses the dominant role over him and a combining shot of both is used to somewhat represent the unity between them. Medium shots are predominantly employed to emphasize their facial expressions and the emotion felt by each character which draws light upon the emotional situation of Alison giving birth. High key lighting reflects the jovial atmosphere of Alison giving birth despite the argument transpiring, reminding the audience of the films comedic conventions.
Alison’s is subsequently reduced to being another repressed female as “in the absence of male domination, she wasn’t allowed to be feminine and submissive the way she becomes in this final scene.”

Despite Ben being irresponsible and childish, after discovering that Alisson is pregnant, he ideologically becomes the “new man” which emphasises her dominance. It can be perceived that for this miraculous change to occur it took the productivity of a woman to make the man more effeminate which suggests that in another sense the female productive organs which are so often used to repress women are actually shown to make them more significant. Similarly, the film “Three Men and a Baby” captures the “zeitgeist” of the time in the late 1980s when the metro sexual man was initiated, the fact that the men become so emotionally attached with the baby suggests challenges the ideology that men should be more masculine and repress their feelings. Similarly, Ben’s responsibility came to light towards the end of the film as he “purchased a house, got a job, and finally read the baby books” . Despite being oblivious to previous sexual objectification by Ben and his friends, Alison can be viewed as subverting Laura Mulvey’s theory. “Mulvey argues that…it is the combination of the patriarchal order of society and looking as a pleasurable act (voyeurism) that create film as an outlet for female sexual exploitation. An important observation that she makes is that the dominance that men embody is only so because women exist.” The fact that Bens day job is “documenting the exact second when women appear naked in movies” substantiates Mulvey’s theory however the scene where Debbie and Alisson spy on Ben playing with the children can be considered to conform to aspects of “The triple male gaze” which is “the gaze of the camera, which (via the cinematographer/ director) chooses what is to be shown on the screen; of the male protagonist on the screen who directs our gaze to the female objects of his gaze, and, most crucial, the gaze of the male viewers in the audience, whose fantasies it is uniquely the intention of classical cinema to activate.” However, in this instance it adheres to the idea of the “female gaze” with the lack of sexual objectification. The audience is made to watch Ben playing with the children through the eyes of Alisson and Debbie who criticises him for playing “fetch” with her kids and treating them like “dogs” , therefore the male is shown to be a victim and oblivious to the fact that he’s being watched thus showing a shift in dominance and control from the male to the female.

Nevertheless, regardless of Alison being considered as dominant throughout the film, it can be considered that as a woman she must still sacrifice her dreams and career in order to rear her child after birth which opposes her life plan as she states to Ben that she didn’t think of having kids “for at least another 10 years” as she lives "In an age when professionals like the ones represented here are putting off having children until their careers are established" which in turn suggests that no matter how hard she tries, the glass ceiling affect will always remain, however she is still depicted as more dominant than women historically where “Female characters who are uninterested in motherhood and domesticity are frequently depicted as lacking something or paying a price for their success.”

In conclusion, it can be argued that Alison and Debbie both depict how women have changed and grown to be more independent throughout the years due to the control which they maintain over their male counterparts. While Gaye Tuchman argues that women were “symbolically annihilated” , Knocked Up depicts Alisson as a strong, career focused and independent woman severely emphasising the stupidity of Ben which challenges the historical stereotypes of women in films such as The Sound of Music where they are repressed and compelled to take on the role of childcare thus contributing to “sex role stereotyping” . Nevertheless, it can be argued that Ben becomes more dominant towards the end of the film and responsible towards Alison’s needs which suggests that the main aim of the film is to provide the male with his more dominant title, therefore mocking the idea of opposite gender roles as they are not typical of today’s society.

















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