Representation of Women in Horror Quiz

Who wrote about the “final girl” in 1992?
Carol J Clover coined the phrase of Final Girl in her book.

In what book did they write about the “final girl”?

The book was called Men, Women and Chainsaws, based around the male and female audience around horror films.

List three traits of the “final girl”/three ‘conventions’.

Based on stereotypical conventions the final girl falls under these 3 traits:

1) Innocent having never taken drugs, drank alcohol and importantly never had sex

2) Beautiful and skinny (not necessarily fit but skinny)

3) The female tends to be tomboyish by acting outside the female stereotype now and then.

Who wrote about existing research on women’s roles in media texts in 1983?

Jeremy Tunstall looked into what roles women were given in the media.

What were the 4 roles mentioned?

The 4 roles that Jeremy deduced were:

1) Sexual, a female who is in relations with the protagonist

2) Marital, the female is a stay at home wife to the protagonist

3) Consumer, the female falls under the product being sold itself

4) Domestic, the female is a stereotypical worker such as cook or cleaner.

In 1992 research showed that men dominated women on-screen, but by what ratio?

The men outnumber the women 2 to 1, even then the women that appeared were not diverse.

What was the only genre in which the ratio of males to females was more equal?

The only time men and women were equal is in the TV adverts, even then it is an approximation.

Name one of the three problems with the findings?

Males were more likely to be shown with fancy jobs or hobbies whilst women were more likely to be at home looking after the kids and the house.

Why does the reading suggest that Ripley (Alien) is ‘more progressive’ than Lara Croft (TR)?

Lara Croft was turned into a sexual stereotype whilst Ripley was never objectified throughout the movie.

What are the 3 ‘C’s when discussing the portrayal of women in some lifestyle magazines?

Women were shown to be either cooking, cleaning or caring.

Who wrote Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema?

(Briefly) describe what is meant by the ‘male gaze’

Give an example

Laura Mulvey was the author and her theory was based around the idea that the camera in any horror films is a representation of a man and his sick desires to see women suffer, each time a girl in any film is about to die they are usually held down before they can escape to which the camera will stare at the constrained woman before she is murdered.

Which magazine removed the male centrefold in the 1980s and why?

Cosmopolitan had to remove their centerfold as the readers found it more humorous than anything.