Stereotypes In Films

In many films and modern tv shows there are a lot of gender stereotypes, but many of the racial stereotypes are in front of our faces and we do not even notice. For example, in the movie “Caucasian Chicks” directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans most people do not notice that the main characters are trying to be a stereotypical Caucasian female. When you watch the movie for the first time, you may not notice all the racial stereotypes in the movie; you just see a comedy movie starring two African-American males. What we don’t notice is that the movie is based on the stereotypical Caucasian female and how they act, how they are more “privileged” then everyone else, and the portrayal of their beauty standards.

The media labels Latinos as “Latin Lovers” (oversexed seducers), the “Crook”, and thugs. As for the Asian population, Asian men are considered as geeks, math whizzes, and are viewed as non masculine. Usually, the only time Asian men are viewed as masculine is when they practice martial arts. Asian women can be considered to be one dimensional, sexualized representations, and can also shown as the “nerdy” type throughout multiple shows and films. Native American tropes include silent, stoic men or bloodthirsty warriors.

On an abandoned meadow, six boys played together and were having the time of their lives. The colorful graffiti on the walls and used mattresses on the grounds gave the place a homely feel and was their getaway. Even if someone were a mile away they could hear the clanks of sword fighting, and odd combination with jovial laughter, something he hasn’t heard in a while.

Throughout this chapter, Korgen main arguments pertained to the media’s portrayal of Black and White biracial characters in movies. Typically the media portrays people with lighter skin to have more positive characteristics while people with darker skin more negative characteristics. Media is one first place young children get these images from and it can have a huge impression on them without even knowing it. They are placed within this social class of existence. “Viewers tend to pay the most attention to characters who share their age, race, and gender and those they wish they could be like” (Korgen, 2010, pg. 89). Biracial Americans go through the toughest scrutiny by both races on whether they fit into either group. I know my brother and sister have this issue from the time they were little especially my sister, she is lighter skinned and was never truly accepted by the black or white girls at school.

Harmful racial stereotypes have plagued the entertainment industry since blackface minstrel shows began in New York in the early 1800’s. Although the structure of minstrel shows changed over time; the images, blackface, and the caricatures of blacks continued. Early Hollywood films sustained the racist tradition of white actors performing in blackface with numerous silent movies that included white actors playing non-white characters in a particularly stereotypical fashion. Eventually non-white actors were allowed to play themselves in film, however they were cast in extremely prejudiced roles that degraded themselves like “the coon”, “the tom”, “the black buck” or “the mammy” for African American actors, and “the bandito”, “the greaser”, “Latin lover” or the “spitfire for Latino actors. Although there are some productive ambiguities within some of these roles, they are ultimately damaging.

Though the US is among the most culturally diverse nations, racial stereotyping is still evident. While assessing various Hollywood films, one can visibly observe racial stereotypes. Characters of ‘color’ (as they refer to non-Caucasian characters) are not significantly presented in the mainstream television and film shows (Lester, 2011). Numerous non-Caucasian characters are often given stereotypical roles that include maids, immigrants, prostitutes and other criminals. This applies to characters of African American, Hispanic, Irish, Jewish, and Middle Eastern origins.

Uneducated, lazy, submissive, irresponsible, fearful, violent, and animal-like are how black actors are stereotyped throughout countless years in Hollywood films. As a result of this stereotyping, many people who have never encountered a black person would believe the demeaning behavior that is shown in movies. To illustrate, black women in most films routinely portrayed as sassy, neck-rolling owls with huge attitude problems. An academic journal stated that, “A lot of shows with one black person [that character] come off as violent or mean, especially black women. They [are] normally loud and rowdy” (Adams-Bass et al.).

Other stereotypes women were perceived with are being inherently emotional and susceptible to falling in love with their targets. The movie “Allied” is an example of this, which tells a story about a woman who plays a French Resistance fighter who falls in love with a Canadian intelligence officer, during a mission in Casablanca. Throughout the film, they work together to assassinate the German ambassador, and eventually grow strong feelings for one another. The two get married and have a daughter named Anna. The husband learns from the Special Operations Executive (SOE) that they suspect his wife to be a German spy and orders him to spy on her to test if their suspicions are true.

I thought they were just normal people and now I still think they are normal people. I didn't have nothing against Muslims now or later the movie I still don't have nothin on Muslims. The first perception I had was that there are some bad Muslim, but not all Muslim are the same. They treat Muslim like they were all plan for 9/11 ,but not all of them were plan on the attack. After viewing the episode, I noticed at there is people that still don't like Muslims, at this time. Another belief I had about Muslim was there region, let them do the region in peace. There is alway that person that will get mad, because they are doing there beliefs. Like in the movie showed there send death notes to person calling on the call that is church time for

1. I like how you mentioned that it is wrong for certain race to be representing all the races. I like one of your reason, which talks about it is a bad example and children can be affected by it significantly.

Hitchcock uses camera shots and breaking the stereotype of his characters to intensify the film’s plot.

FEMALES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY: In today's Society many films are portraying female characters as objects of the male gaze. These influences in movies, such as the Disney films, are hard to miss. The representations can be categorised into 3 main forms of female objectification. The image of the 'seductive female', the value on 'beauty over brains' and the 'domestic woman' stereotype.

In many Western films, it is common to have well-defined heroes and villains, as well as clear differentiation between what the male and female characters can accomplish and how they should appear on screen. However, Japanese film director, Hayao Miyazaki softens these distinctions. Many of his characters, including the Princess Nausicaä, the wolf-girl San, and Sheeta of Laputa, were role models who defied cultural stereotypes of femininity and showed women that they could be anything they wished to become. Out of the thirteen titles to Hayao Miyazaki’s name, seven of them include female protagonists and three more films have either female co-protagonists or core characters to the story. In every one of his films, however, women play a strong and meaningful role while breathing in a certain depth of life into their character.

The birth of queer cinema was not a pretty one. American cinema’s representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender (LGBT) people historically has been negative. This not only reflects the views of the people viewing it, but possibly the intentional brainwashing of the masses by the creators of the films these characters star in. Starting after the Great Depression the thirst for cinema by audiences greatly decreased and the first of many restrictive laws by the Supreme Court against film content were passed. Claiming that films did not have First Amendment rights and they were not allowed to show publicly “indecent or immoral films. In terms of homosexuality, the Hays code marked the end of the pansy characters and the beginning of

These influential films laid out guidelines that were taken as being acceptable social standards that were adhered to. The dissemination tailored information gave great form to how ghe general public reacted. The set guidelines were very specific and repeated over and over in many mainstream films. Movies were creating and shaping how Americans would define guidelines which would dictate their society. The mainstream media filtered expected gender traits through powerful commercials using mainstream products to fortify