The film industry has been traditionally dominated by men, and is a major contributor to the over-sexualization of women in popular culture. Feminist scholars have studied various aspects of gender inequality in both film and advertisements, but have not yet focused on film covers. As an advertisement for the movies they represent, film covers are a relevant area of study in feminist theory as it relates to popular culture. For this study, the researchers conducted a content analysis of the top twenty grossing films from 2004-2014 for male and female representation, to reveal whether unfair bias against women can be found in film covers. They found that men were represented 2.5 times more than women. They also found that women were more likely to be on a film cover if at least one man was also on the cover, effectively showing women as side objects meant to support their male counterpart. This research reinforces the need for female protagonists and representation in the film industry.
About the presenterCorey Petersen
I am a post-Master’s graduate student. I teach at several universities as an adjunct professor, and plan to apply for my Ph.D at the end of this year.