Essay on Moulin Rouge Gender Inequality - 1219 Words

In today’s world, men and women are perceived equally by the society. In the past, authority and control define men while women are given the characteristic of helplessness. Men are able to get hold of high positions while women usually are subservient to them. In movies, we would usually see women portray roles that are degrading due to the stereotypical notions they associate with this gender group. Moulin Rouge, a movie set during the 1900s narrates the story of a courtesan woman, Satine, as she undergoes hardships to earn money, experiences love but unfortunately, due to her irrational choices, faces tragic consequences at the end. Satine is a symbol of how women are being treated by the society during the era before post-feminism,†¦show more content†¦This way of positioning deliberately substantiates the ideology that â€Å"male are active subjects who look upon female characters as passive objects (Ott Mack, 2010).† Females are not able to escape this g aze, for they are situated similar to a circus performer being displayed to amuse the viewers of the show. Satine is being contained in this inescapable world where she is responsible to please those around her. Men use their gender to their advantage, for they know their role in the society is more superior to those of the females. They take pleasure in gazing at Satine’s immaculate curves and remarkable good looks. Fetishism, which is the â€Å"psychic structuring of an object or person as a source of sexual pleasure (Ott Mack, 2010)†, is prevalent during the entire scene. Satine recognizes this power of manipulation she has on those fetishizing over her beauty. In the past, the male gaze is also apparent in the media. Madonna uses the male gaze to manipulate men to supply her with material objects. Material Girl becomes an anthem of women who are willing to be objectified for the sake of actualizing their luxurious desires. Both Madonna and Satine utilize beauty an d glamour to their advantage. Although Satine’s position of having superiority as opposed to the other female characters may be apparent, this frame of reference is entirely fallacious. The objectification of Satine byShow MoreRelatedGender And Racial Identity Of Film2128 Words   |  9 PagesYue Zheng Prof. Aili Bresnahan PHL 324 11/8/2016 Gender and Racial Identity in Film Gender and racial identity was a form of discrimination in the world and they were interrelated that fuelling the injustice social phenomenon and problem. For example, women were a particular group and as a symbol showed the social abuses, acts of violence and biggest discrimination based on the sexual difference and racism. The difference of color, race, gender were the big biases not only to deprive of women’s