Miss Representation Over-Sexualised and Under-Represented Women in Film and Television
Hyper-Sexualised Females in Film and Television
Less than a third of all speaking roles in films across the globe are given to women – and females are twice as likely as males to be hyper-sexualised on camera. While females occupy merely 31% of speaking roles in cinema, only 23% of protagonists are female. As a woman in the screen industries, this issue is of importance to me as I aim to see a gender balance on screen and off screen as I enter the industry. The current female population is 49.6% globally, proving it’s more important than ever to create well-developed female characters and appeal to a broader audience. The results from this documentary will highlight the greater problems we have with society as a whole when it comes to valuing women and the effects this consequently has on young women across the world.
Key Research
This study explores the visibility and nature of female depictions in films worldwide by analysing gender roles in popular films across the ten most profitable territories internationally. The percentage of female speaking characters in top grossing movies has not meaningfully changed in roughly half of a century and women are still stereotyped and sexualised when they are depicted in popular content. While Hollywood is quick to capitalise on new audiences and opportunities abroad, this report discusses the industry’s slow progression in creating compelling and complex roles for females and whether this tendency to misrepresent women is an American phenomenon or if gender imbalance occurs on a worldwide scale.
The purpose of this study is to examine gender balance on screen and behind the camera in the 600 top-grossing films of 2007 - 2013. As the largest and most comprehensive study of gender prevalence in film to date, it assesses every speaking or named character across the sample of movies. Characters were evaluated for demographic and hyper-sexuality attributes and found that women make up a small amount of speaking roles and few films included gender parity. Additionally, the report scrutinised the distribution of gender behind the camera and found that less than a fifth of key creatives of these films were women.
This source examines the sexualisation of young girls aged 12 - 17 in the most popular Primetime television series in the 2009-2010 season. When underage female characters appear on screen more sexual content is depicted; younger characters are shown participating in a higher percentage of sexual depictions compared to adults; and the majority of the sexual incidents occurred within a context that qualified as ‘unhealthy’. The results show that by sexualising and fetishizing young girls, real teens are led to believe their sole value comes from their sexuality, contributing to a culture of young girls who have an unhealthy outlook on how society expects them to behave.
This source examines the top grossing films of 2014 and while complex female protagonists are slowly being introduced into big budget Hollywood movies, women are still being treated like second-class citizens. The gender gap shows that females comprise 12% of protagonists in the top grossing films of 2014 and the situation has only gotten worse over the last decade. Male dominance in the film and television arena is out of touch with the demographics of the movie going population given that women buy half of the tickets sold each year. The source continues to explore the need for greater diversity behind the scenes to change the landscape in front of the camera.
Question
Is the hyper-sexualisation and stereotyping of females on screen due to the lack of female key creatives behind the camera?
Sub-Questions
- Are women often pigeonholed in certain stereotypes more so than men?
- Has there been an increase of female nudity on screen over the past few decades?
- Is this issue restricted only to Hollywood or is it consistent globally?
- Why has the percentage of female speaking characters not changed dramatically in almost half a century?
- Is this issue a problem across all genres of film or television or is it restricted to action and drama?
- Is the hyper-sexualisation of females on screen promoting unhealthy views of personal validation for young girls?
It can be argued that de-sexualising women on screen begins in script development as the characters presented in screenplays have an impact on the casting process in film and television. This resource is relevant to the issue at hand in the documentary episode as it offers the solution of making changes in the way female characters are developed in the scriptwriting process in order to aid the disparity of genders on screen.
This resource evaluates male dominance and gender roles as seen across various genres of film including superhero and action films, animated films, romantic comedies and dramas. By broadening the scope of the research into different genres it offers a greater perspective by not limiting the issue to a singular area of story telling in film.
This source examines the little change that has occurred in the prevalence of single speaking and sexualised female characters across G, PG, PG-13 and R rated films over the last decade. This is relevant to the documentary episode as the solution offered is to introduce more women into the creative process at development and pitching levels.
This source delves into a different aspect of filmmaking by instead analysing the over-sexualised nature of costume designs for action heroines. The resource examines the extent to which female characters are portrayed making the most of their physical assets across a series of successful action films. By analysing the link between successful films and the sexualised appearance of female characters, an alternative view is offered on the way women are utilised to create a box office success.
This source offers an actress’ perspective on the issue and allows the documentary to speak on a more personal level by introducing a meaningful character. She discusses the issue of a shortage of compelling roles causing long breaks between projects she takes part in and her decision to start producing films in order to introduce more complex female characters into the film and TV landscape.
Offering another actress’ perspective on the issue, Scarlett Johansson discusses the change that Hollywood is beginning to make in big budget films with the introduction of Black Widow in Marvel films. Explaining that while her good looks have given her a leg up in Hollywood, she is frustrated at being pigeonholed as an object of desire and proves that even established actresses struggle in the industry.
New York Film Academy takes a closer look at women in film and what, if any, advancements women are making. Hollywood remains stuck in its gender bias but this source proves that there is a staggering amount of women in the independent sphere. This resource shows the problem that exists in Hollywood and discusses what can be done to increase women’s exposure and power in big-budget films.
One Line Synopsis
Miss Representation follows the journey of an up and coming female screenwriter on her mission to normalise hyper-sexualised female characters on screen and subsequently learn how the problem starts behind the camera.
Synopsis
Addressing the issue of hyper-sexualised female characters present on screen in cinema, Miss Representation follows the journey of an up and coming female screenwriter eager for change. As the sexual objectification of women continues in popular films, we are continuing to foster a generation of young girls led to believe their self-worth is based solely on their bodies. Through one woman's mission to pitch and produce a film free of hyper-sexualised females, this documentary will reveal an absence of influential women both in front of and behind the camera in an industry where the market is comprised of 50% females. It’s important we begin to see a change in an industry where an abundance of females exist, but not all of them have a voice.
Documentary Outline
Background & Need
For decades, female characters in films were the designated damsels in distress. They relied on the strength and power of men to save them from danger and existed solely as an object of desire for male characters. Writers in Hollywood started to catch on and and a movement began to start crafting strong female characters. But Hollywood didn’t get it quite right, and strong became synonymous with sexy and the attempt at creating complex female characters became women who acted like men, and continued to do it in scantily clad clothing.
As a moviegoer and a woman in the film and television industry, this issue is important to me both as a writer and as a person. With half the movie going population made up of females, this subject will speak to the 50% of audiences that want to see a change in the way their gender is represented on screen. The issue is crucial not only for audiences but for female filmmakers in the industry as research shows a link between the amount of women behind the camera with the amount of women who appear in front of the camera. We can see an inconsistency in gender distribution behind the camera when we compare Hollywood films with independent films. Over 50% of directors were females at Sundance Film Festival in 2012, which begs the question of why Hollywood is so resistant to change. Miss Representation is needed in a time when people are starting to passionately speak out and confront the absence of well-rounded females on screen and thus scrutinise the lack of influential women behind the camera.
Miss Representation aims to uncover the flaws in the industry related to gender balance and strive for change as we attempt to abolish the constant and needlessly hyper-sexualised nature of female characters throughout film and television story-telling.
Approach, Structure & Style
Miss Representation is an observational, self-reflexive documentary that will follow the journey of an up and coming female screenwriter in Hollywood. As a woman and an emerging practitioner in the industry, she will attempt to uncover the gender issue problems that exist throughout Hollywood. Through her story we seek to understand how these problems play out professionally but how this constant sexualisation of women on screen can will foster unhealthy ideals in young girls.
By conducting her own research and interviewing industry professionals, she will discover the extent to which women are hyper-sexualised and misrepresented across all genres of film. The guiding voices of influential women in the industry will allow her to analyse where the problem really starts. Pitching, writing, casting, on set, or in the edit? The filmmaker will attempt to pitch a script absent from hyper-sexualised and classically stereotyped women with the intention of funding it as a big budget Hollywood feature. This process will allow us to uncover what really occurs behind the scenes in the development process and uncover what the real driving force is behind the gender imbalance in the industry. With more and more successful Hollywood films driven by influential leading women, Miss Representation aims to question why this proven success hasn’t created more of a change in the industry already.
Overlay will consist of the protagonist developing and pitching her screenplay with the guidance of industry professionals. This story will be supplemented with stock footage from film and television showcasing women on screen in order to deliver its argument. Interviews with professionals will frame the piece and act as the leading voices throughout. The film will go above and beyond and deconstruct the issue of gender imbalance by incorporating the protagonist and the stakes that exist for her as a female in the industry. Miss Representation aims to provide a film that will not only act as a guide for emerging female practitioners on their journey in the industry but will speak to a broader audience of regular women who want to see change in the media the consume. Through the protagonist’s journey, the film tells a story of seeking empowerment for herself and women everywhere.
Theme
"What are we saying to kids when the female characters are hyper-sexualised, narrowly stereotyped or not even there?" - Geena Davis
Miss Representation explores the underlying theme of empowerment as we reveal an industry lacking influential women but are continued to be pigeonholed on screen. The film will challenge gender norms and confront the historic issue of women’s sexuality in the screen industries. The dynamic of empowerment vs sexuality for women is present both on a professional level and also seen on screen through all kinds of media, and this film aims to confront the issue through the protagonist’s journey. We will observe not only how this issue affects the screen industries but how the issue affects a society of women across the world. Entertainment is a powerhouse in the lives of everyday people and what is seen in media reverberates through how we, particularly women, approach our everyday lives. The protagonist’s main need is to thrive in an industry where the odds are against her as an emerging practitioner and also a woman in the industry. Miss Representation explores power balance between up and coming and established filmmakers, men and women and sexuality vs power within females themselves.
Main Characters
The protagonist is the director and filmmaker, Luisa Martiri. As an up-and-coming screenwriter in the industry we follow her journey as she explores what is necessary to transform the industry for a new generation of filmmakers. Incorporating her experiences as a filmmaker and as a woman in society she will be receiving guidance from more experienced and knowledgeable professionals who want to see change.
‘[In the past when] it has been a really male environment, it has been hard to get my voice heard, or to maintain the integrity of the character I play, or I’ve felt really disappointed to see what’s happened to the female character in the edit.’ - Carey Mulligan
Geena Davis is an academy award winning actor and advocate as well as the founder of Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The institute works collaboratively with decision makers and content creators and aims to inspire and sensitise the next generation of content creates to focus on gender equality and reducing stereotyping in children’s media. Geena’s voice is prevalent throughout the episode as she guides the film from a professional and research based standpoint as an experience practitioner and woman in the industry.
Carey Mulligan is an academy award-winning actress who has spoken up about inequality in the industry and sees the lack of three-dimensional female characters as detrimental to her career. Her voice speaks from the side of the lack of opportunity in Hollywood for established an up and coming actresses.
"I’ve been able to use it to my [looks] to my advantage in some ways. In other ways, it can be very frustrating at times because I’ve always thought of myself as being a character actor, and you can be placed in this specific stereotype that the media puts you in." - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an actress and action star, known for her sex appeal as an actress. She also regularly speaks out about feminist issues particularly those in the film industry and is an advocate for women and female characters being seen as more than an object of desire.
Diablo Cody is a screenwriter, director and producer well known for her diverse content and complex female characters seen in her films. As someone on the development and production side, she offers the view of how we can see more women on screen starting in pre-production.
Lena Dunham is a director, screenwriter and actress known for her original series Girls. A revolutionary series that challenges the perception of women on screen filled with complex female characters. As the first woman to win a Director’s Guild award for her work on Girls, she offers further perspective on what it means to have female creatives in the key development stages.
As influential women in media who are outspoken and passionate about these issues, there will a willingness from these women to take part in the project to speak out on an issue that is relevant and confronts the current film and television landscape in order to strive for change.