Miss Representation Analysis

Society by default places people into categories. The most prominent example of this is the gender binary, where each person is labeled and judged based on where they fall within that binary. Male versus female, one side is already at a disadvantage. Described in the films The Codes of Gender: Identity and Performance in Pop Culture and Miss Representation, women face many obstacles in today’s society, such as objectification and scrutinization. Media illustrates and reinforces these issues by portraying women as subordinate sexual objects for a man’s pleasure. Codes of gender breaks down the methods in which photography portrays the subordinate female. In Miss Representation, we see the analysis of the hypersexualized objectified female.
Media depicts women in a subordinate role in relation to men. Media objectifies hyper-sexualized representations of women in order to appeal to the male viewer. Codes of Gender unveils methods used in photography to perpetuate the idea that females are dehumanized subordinate objectified figures. These codes or methods include various actions, poses, or positions female models are forced to perform. For example, the feminine touch, the bashful knee bend, the head tilt, poses lying down, etc. all of which subordinate the female figure in relation to men. Miss Representation gives a broader view into society’s representation of women within media. The film emphasizes the impossible ideal standard, the hyper-sexualization, the objectification, and scrutinization, women must undergo to achieve any type of success in our current society. Miss Representation focuses on the average viewer, whereas Codes of Gender appeals more to intellectual viewer. Although each film takes a different perspective, both address issues women face in society as represented and visualized through media. One thing is clear; media is directly linked to societal beliefs. In order for one to change, we must address and change the