This article was written by Dr. Ann Kaplan, who, at the time, was developing her course on women and film at Rutgers University. She sets out propose potential solutions to the issues regarding female oppression in the film industry.
One of the main takeaways from the article that I want to utilize in my research, is that Kaplan gives details about how to view a film through a feminist perspective. She states that if you just look at the overall representation of female characters in film, the sexism is obvious. However, she claims that the feminist perspective is not so simple. She wants people to understand that the portrayal of women in film goes beyond just the woman’s role in a film, you have to look at the film in the context of the society that it was created in, as well as the directors and producers who were involved in the creation of the film.
Even though Kaplan acknowledges that these additional levels of analysis complicate the feminist view on film, she says that this approach will raise people’s consciousness about women’s oppression overall.
The in-depth approach would counteract a too simplistic charge of sexism. It would help us see the complex roots behind sexism, and how attitudes to women are intertwined with a director’s entire way of seeing the world
Dr. Ann Kaplan
Kaplan goes on to continue to talk about how women play a passive role in film. The reason behind this being that women are typically viewed as being a part of a man’s world rather than existing in their own. Even though females are typically viewed through the male gaze, we can still learn a lot from these films. Women can see how they are being represented, and in turn, voice their own opinions, and realize that their opinions are more generalized than isolated.
Representation of women in film is important because film typically reflects society and can shape social attitudes.
E367: Writing and Diversity 