Miss Congeniality
is an American police comedy film, starring the beautiful Sandra Bullock. This
movie can be considered as one of the girly movies, and it includes the ten common traits of the girly films that we learned in sociology class.
Define Gracie Hart
Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is FBI agent shows no signs of having
any femininity in her behavior or
appearance. Her appearance is a crucial aspect of her identity. She has the
feeling of ambivalence about the
role of romance, marriage and work in woman’s life. Thus, Gracie can be defined as
the protagonist, because she is a
single woman who works for a living, and whose work defines her.
Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), is Gracie’s colleague whose assigned to lead the
high profile case of a terrorist called “The Citizen” instead of her to stop
the attack. Both of them determine that “The Citizen” 's next target will be the
Miss United States beauty pageant.
Eric assigns her to go undercover as a pageant contestant to see if she can catch
“The Citizen”. This movie takes place in a large, well-known city, which is San
Antonio, Texas; where the beauty contest takes place.
The Transformation
The FBI used the assistance of the previous pageant
contestant coach Victor Melling (Michael Caine), to do the impossible task of transforming Gracie,
not only into a woman, but into a credible beauty pageant contestant. Victor
represents the consumer culture, in which everything goes right with him. There is a theme of personal transformation, as she becomes
beautiful and attractive. Gracie enters the contest as Miss New Jersey. She suits the example of the Miss United States
beauty pageant. She had the ability to transform which helps her lead to
resolve her conflicts and to achieve her goals.
The Past.
Gracie has difficult time to proceed in the transformation. Victor continues to
teach the tomboyish Gracie how to dress, walk and act like a contestant. She is
not used to such behaviors. She has the sense of nostalgia or glorifying the past during the contest when she demonstrates self-defense techniques during the talent
competition. She has the hard times when she can’t continue in this
undercover job. She thinks she doesn’t belong to this place.
The Happy Ending
Gracie gets to know the other contestants. Then, she discovers the evil element is present at the pageant. She will do whatever it takes to crush that element and protect her new friends, namely the other innocent contestants.
Gracie displays some femininity during the movie. She begins to have more womanly feelings and that attracts the attention of men, in particular, she starts to attract Eric.
When Eric fails to support Gracie, he then realizes that Gracie’s suspicions are correct, and he returns to help her. Gracie surprises everyone, including herself by discovering “The Citizen”. She and Eric save the day, and they arrest the criminals. At the end, Eric admits his crush on her, and she starts a relationship with Matthews. She finally lead succeeds in her goal of having affair with the man of her choice.
On March 26, 2013, I went to a fashion show titled “Luxos Fashion Show” at the St. Regis Hotel in Qatar. The event was organized by Design Creationz, which is a company that helps new designers in the Middle East to showcase their fashion lines. Three Brazilian/American women (Cricely Demenjon, Michelle Demenjon, Polie Campitelli) happen to be the co-founders of the company, Design Creationz. These three women have come together to create a social change that will give Qatari women as well as women in the Arab region the opportunity to attend a spectacular fashion show, brought to them from different Middle Eastern designers. There were fashion designers from Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, and Lebanon.
We learned in this week’s class the term “neo-feminism.” The author of the book “Neo-Feminist Cinema, Hilary Rander,” defines “neo-feminism” by personal choice, sexuality, fashion, and consumption. The models at the fashion show for example made the choice of being models to help the designers promote their fashion lines. Rander also says that the word ‘neo-feminism’ is used
“To refer to the tendency in feminine culture to evoke choice and the development of individual agency as the defining tenets of feminine identity–best realized through an engagement with consumer culture in which the woman is encouraged to achieve self-fulfilment by purchasing, adoring or surrounding herself with the good that this culture can offer,” (Rander, 6).
Another point to talk about is the fact that some women have an excessive need to shop, and they always want to be up with the latest fashion trends. It’s considered a neo-feminist thing because it’s associated with consumer culture as well. The fashion show will add a positive impact to women’s fashion in the Middle East. The fashion designers had the chance to showcase their work, and the attendees were introduced to the latest fashion trends (Abaya and dresses).
The models looked very chic and elegant. The models’ gestures were very feminine. “Women are expected to perform a femininity that exudes beauty, caring, nurturance, neediness, and compassion, complete with every range of possible emotion,” (Cinematic Sociology, 132). Below are some short videos of Luxos Fashion Show that I’d like to share with you.
Our society has designed us to embrace, believe and fulfill certain gender roles and stereotypes that are conventional and have been around for years. Women in the past were not expected nor encouraged to participate in sports. However, the times have changed and with more women breaking stereotypes and playing a huge role in sports, they are receiving greater support than ever.
Yet, there is a major issue at stake that seems impossible to change, people still confuse gender non-conformity with sexual orientation. Gender non-conformity basically means appearing and acting in ways that are considered unusual to that particular gender. For example, women in the past were expected to dress in a certain way that emphasizes their femininity whereas now, women are comfortable wearing pants, blazers, ties and flat shoes.
In men’s case, it’s completely different. Men are expected to be masculine at all times. In fact, most men will be harassed and called names for not being or looking masculine enough. This is the reason behind men preferring masculine sports while women have more freedom when it comes to picking their desired sport.
When I say freedom, I don’t mean family’s encouragement and approval, I’m talking about how the society looks at them hence masculine females are more tolerated than “feminine men”. I repeat, feminine and NOT gay men. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
I wanted to show how the opinion of two different men who play masculine sports could be interrelated yet so contradictory. I interviewed the first man, Ali, who does boxing for fun who was against women being a part of masculine sports. The second interviewee was Hamad, who does horseback riding for fun too. Hamad believed that horseback riding is a masculine sport due to family morals and beliefs yet he sees absolutely no reason why women should not go for masculine sports.
I made two videos for each interviewee, and Ali was kind enough to invite us to his regular workout
Hamad was also kind enough to work on such short notice as you can tell; he was wearing his thobe (traditional white garment for men)
As I’ve had my go at Feminism in The Hunger Games a few weeks ago, I was definitely interested to voice my
opinion on masculinity in movies. This week, Cinema and Society class got me
thinking beyond the gender gap but on the “expectations” we have going in on
powerful males, and male feminism through gender socialization. Gender socialization
starts at a very early age, where people learn the norms related to sex and
gender within a social construction.
Where the
70’s was an embrace of feminism, the 80’s was definitely the decade where films attempted
to “re-masculinize” men. Both movies in comparison are Herbert Ross directed films, one of which was “Play it again, Sam!” (1972, staring Woody Allen) was centered on a the male (feminine, looking for a partner) lead, “Steel Magnolias” (1989) on the other hand, was very feminine but also questioned masculinity. For example, the movie’s opening shot
is a women screaming because of male characters shooting at birds while they are getting
ready for a “pink and blush-y” wedding.
It was
listed as one of the 10 movies that make men cry: “"Steel Magnolias"… is another one of
those movies that will just tug at your soft spot. Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts,
and Sally Field bring on the tears, whether you're a man or a woman.”
The Funeral Scene
One of the
most poignant quotes is from Sally Field’s character M’Lynn Eaterton, who
addresses the divide directly: “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to
be made out of steel or something. I just sat there. I just held Shelby's hand.
There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman how
lucky I am. I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life and I
was there when she drifted out. It was the most precious moment of my life.”
The idea widely accepted idea for men
was that it was only acceptable to cry during a victory. In an article entitled
“When is it Okay for a Man to Cry?”
by the Art of Manliness (I kid you not, this is what the website is called).
The list names a few:
Shawshank Redemption (Prison, Victory)
The Pride of the Yankees (Victory)
Saving Private Ryan (…)
Braveheart (Victory)
Friday Night Lights (Victory)
We Were Soldiers (I mean…)
Gladiator (Victory)
The Champ (Victory)
Glory (Need I go on?)
And
also goes on to list the movies that men should never cry during:
Steel Magnolias (feminine)
Little Women (feminine)
Jerry Maguire (male
femininity)
The Notebook (TEARS to no
end)
The funny thing is, that it seems
second nature to dismiss Steel Magnolias as a movie purely for the enjoyment of
women. In an article on the American Politician Cory Booker, Jezbel’s headline
reads: “Watching Steel Magnolias Makes Him Cry: Cory Booker is Just like Us.” To which, I conclude that the line between masculinity and feminity is thick,
it’s definitely crossed in certain movies. (Or perhaps just a PR strategy to get people
to like Cory Booker.) Whichever it is, Steel Magnolias is still an exceptional film (as is everything else Sally Field has appeared in.)
Pictures credit: TriStar pictures(Steel Magnolias) and Paramount Pictures (Play it Again, Sam!)
In today's blog post I will discuss masculinity and how males are influenced to act as either the strong, dominant male or the "soft", weak male depending on where they are employed.
Today I went to Landmark and simply walked around and observed people's behaviors. I was very confused as to how I could relate my outing to masculinity. So I decided to compare male employee's behaviors in feminine stores to male employees's behaviors in masculine stores.
The first store I entered was the Body Shop. Their products consisted mainly of moisturizing creams, body lotions, and females cosmetics. There was one male employee among three females. The male was not masculine in any sense. His appearance did not represent any hint of masculinity. He was not physically built, he was very kind and sweet, and smiled a lot. His behavior represented the "soft," sensitive man.
I entered a an Adidassports store. All of the employees were males. They were all dressed in yellow adidas t-shirts. They seemed quite fit and had a more confidant masculine posture as they stood tall. This reflected the traditional masculinity male. However, they were very friendly and assisted me with my needs. This reflected the "kindergarten commando" because they were masculine in their appearance but kind and friendly. I assume this is because of how they are trained to serve customers in the store.
We see these types of behaviors in our day to day interactions with people. Some males are more accustomed to being the "ladies man" where they understand females better than the "traditional" male figure. They are more sensitive and understanding of the female gender's needs. The more "traditional" male figures view these "softer" males as weak and submissive, and that is what causes the power factor to exist. The physically larger and stronger males tend to feel like they have more power and influence over the "softer" male figure. However, in today's world we are experiencing more of the "kindergarten commando" where the physically strong men have been "remasculinized." They seem tough and insensitive on the outside. However, once you interact with them you see the more sensitive and "soft" side to them.
The public space in Doha is saturated with young males and females trying to prove their masculinity or femininity, for either gender. The stereotypical Qatari male wears the traditional attire, with the acceptable amount of accessories, such as branded cufflinks and a watch, as well as branded shoes. The females dress in the latest trends of Abayas and also branded accessories, such as handbags, shoes, and hand accessories. However, they act out their gender by the way they interact with each other, using voice tones and words that mark their gender.
For example, the Qatari male lowers his tone of voice, regardless of his natural pitch, especially when flirting with the females. The way they speak is also characterized by Qatari masculinity, which females are not expected to do. For example, they swear a lot, trying to be vulgar, especially to fit into masculine groups and avoid being the group's less masculine male. Because, if the male is marked as the least masculine, homosexuality is directly related. Hence, the type of language used is important in establishing masculinity.
For example, while in the movies, two males were seated close by, and were trying to gain our attention (us being a group of females), and instead of watching the film, they commented on the 'gayness' of it, because it was The Vow, a romance film. More interestingly, one of them answered a call, and spoke loudly to who I assume to be a friend of his. While explaining the movie, the male responded, "It's about how your mom met your dad" and began to laugh. Jokes related to parents and sisters, or in other words 'your mom' jokes are considered rude in this culture, because of the importance of family's honor in the Arabic culture. Hence, this male attempted to prove his masculinity to the females sitting close to him by being vulgar and rude. What also should be noted is his tone of voice clearly sounded manipulated to come off as low and deep.
By those standards, the other extreme belongs to females, who also alter their voice and type of language they choose in public. Cursing is out of the question, and the higher the pitch the more feminine. Hence, if the male leans more towards the feminine extreme, meaning if he uses his natural voice and less cursing, the homosexual jokes begin to fly around the group. Because of these stereotypes, each gender defines the other gender's qualities using these two extremes, even though the extremes are fake and an act
Once again, Sociology has given me another chance to look things differently. What I learn in class can almost always be applied to everything around me on daily basis.
In today’s class, we learnt how masculinity is portrayed in cinema. During the early cinematic ages, men were portrayed as masculine, rough, tough, aggressive, powerful and competent. However, in the 1970’s, the embrace of feminism directly influenced the media industry. The “New Man” was more soft and sensitive. Following the feminist era, the reclaiming of traditional masculinity backlashed the feminist and the political state America was in during the 1980’s. This decade could be best described as “remasculinization”. Nevertheless, things changed. The end of 1980’s introduced hybrid masculinity. By hybrid masculinity, I mean the combination of sensitivity, compassion, and vulnerability with toughness, aggressiveness, and decisiveness.
Masculinity was not only portrayed in the cinema, but within stars and artists. The artist who stood out the most to me was Tupac Shakur, as his masculinity was constantly being questioned because of his songs such as Dear Mama. This may be because he expressed his sensitive side by dedicating some of his songs to his mother. On a social scale, rappers and men in general are expected to be tough, heartless and tough, but Tupac wasn’t. Tupac had more of a hybrid masculinity expressed within his music. He had sensitive songs such as Dear Mama and rough-aggressive lyrics such as Only God Can Judge Me.
In the song Dear Mama, he says, “Dear mama, Place no one above ya, sweet lady, your are appreciated, Don’t cha know we love ya?” Again, we get to see his sensitive side mentioning his mom in the lyrics of his song, Keep Ya Head Up. This is evident when he says, “And I realize momma really paid the price, she nearly gave her life, to raise me right.” On the other hand, he expresses his rough side in his song Only God Can Judge Me by saying “I’d rather die like a man, than live like a coward.
All in all, Tupac Shakur exemplifies the hybrid masculinity throughout his music by mentioning the difficulties he endured and the social problems his community had. He tends to be sensitive and compassion while being tough and aggressive.
“… They say I’m wrong and I’m heartless, but all along I was lookin' for a father he was gone… Dear Mama, you are appreciated...”
I remember the first time I straightened my hair.
I was at a dinner party with my parents, but as per usual, all the kids were shooed away to the bedrooms. I was probably 11 years old at the time. The 16-year-old whose parents were hosting the party had just straightened her own hair, and the straightener was sitting on the dresser. My poufy mound of curls was an inviting opportunity. After about one hour of stroking my curly locks into pin-straight submission, the operation was complete.
She seems way too happy while straightening her own hair...
I loved the temporary new look. I had long hair back then, so when those curls were extended, my hair reached half way down my back. For an 11-year-old who attended a public elementary school in an upper-middle class suburb, straight hair was a coveted trait in my eyes.
My dad, however, was not keen on the idea. His reaction was priceless. “God created you with curly hair,” he preached. “If he wanted you to have straight hair, you would’ve had straight hair,” he continued, disapprovingly.
Now keep in mind, this was my dad’s philosophy for just about everything from colored nail polish, to eye shadow, to non-neutral shades of lipstick.
An army of lipstick, oh la la.
My mother and my aunts eventually overruled his decrees, and by seventh grade, I got a hair straightener for Christmas.
I think I had developed into a really low-maintenance tone to my morning routine by this point. On occasion, I would pull out the straightener, but I ruled the ponytail for a good two years.
High school provided a whole new set of reasons to straighten my hair. I couldn’t get through the assigned readings of Huckleberry Finn without falling asleep; I really appreciated the book after I was done reading it, but during the long passages on the river, I would read and straighten my hair simultaneously (and fail the quiz the next day… but anyhow).
The straightener, along with my own copy of Huck Finn, was sold in our garage sale before we moved to Qatar.
It’s funny because quite a few people would say how much they wanted my curly hair (my mother included) but I don’t think they understood how much of a hassle I found my own hair to be. There is a scene in Princess Diaries where the hairdresser is trying to brush Mia’s hair, and the brush breaks. That actually happened to me once at a salon in Lebanon (with a comb instead); it wasn’t pretty.
Mia underwent a transformation, but even after it caused her much grief, she kept her new look. hmmmmmmmm...
New country. New school. New haircut. I spent most of last year, and all of this year, with a relatively shorter haircut than what I was accustomed to in the states. It was probably the first time I fully embraced my bouncy locks. I got away from the barrage of US advertisements, TV shows, magazines, and movies that depicted one standard of beauty. I also grew up, and developed my own style, one where my hair wasn’t a source of cultural conflict, but rather a source of opportunity for individuality.
Some combination of boredom and experimentation led me to pick up my sister’s straightener on Saturday afternoon and burn my own hair for a one-time-only look. Aside from my parents and sister, no one in Qatar had ever seen me with perfectly straight hair.
Along with the oooohs and aaaaahs and “it looks really nice” responses, all of which were greatly appreciated, I also got a fair deal of interesting comments. Below is a list of some of the more interesting reactions, in no particular order.
-“You did something to your hair…”
-“Twirl. Work it. Can you whip your hair back and forth?” I did indeed.
-“It’s really different. Nice. But different.”
-“Who is that writing on the whiteboard?” I turn around. “Wow, I didn’t recognize you.”
-“Wow… now you look just like everyone else.”
Something about this comment struck a nerve. I definitely don’t look like the usual me, but how much do I look like everyone else? I may be “back to normal” today, but how far did I stray from the status quo?
And this connection is where all of this ties into sociology. In our discussion on the 10 characteristics of all girly films, a drastic transformation is required. Do I necessarily need to drastically change a fundamental element of my appearance in order to achieve some sort of catharsis? I like my curly hair. I like my straight hair. Movies may place a huge emphasis on drastic physical changes, but in the real world, such matters, at least for me, don’t turn the world upside down. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Movies teach us that appearance matters… all the time. From the moment a character wakes up, until the moment she goes to sleep. We are supposed to watch movies to see all the pretty people with their four-part ensemble of perfect hair, perfect make-up, perfect clothing, and perfect bodies. We shouldn’t pay to see people who look… well… normal.
Because of the poster above, I still measure my curls by how closely they resemble Meg Ryan's...
If you think of the hair-care industry alone, we go above and beyond the basic necessity of shampoo. We tack on conditioner, gel, mousse, hairspray, chemical burns, hair dye, straighteners, curlers, hair-dryers, and hair-moisturizers.
Half of these belong in some chemistry lab... not on my head
Why? We want the “look” we see glorified on all screens, magazine covers, movie screens, TV shows, our next door neighbor… We are constantly in a race to keep up with whoever Ms. Jones may be.
Surreal
I am fully aware that I knowingly partook in feminine beauty traditions that are repeated in much of the western world on a daily basis. I definitely cannot say that I enjoyed the 40 minutes it took me to straighten every strand of hair. I singed my ear in the process. I did, however, like the temporary results. But that is all they are… temporary. I will probably straighten my hair again, and this, in and of itself, is the reason I can’t fully claim that my sister’s hair straightener is a tool of torture inflicted upon the masses by corporate America’s consumption machine to uphold unreasonable standards of beauty?
Tools of Torture...
I chose to take part in the cycle, and I could just as easily reject it. But, I don’t.
Charlie McDonnel, youtube video creator, used the following words in one of his songs. They are often misattributed to Dr. Seuss but they originated with financier and businessman Bernard Baruch. “Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.”
Baruch may have been talking about assigned seats at a dinner party, but to me, his words are an anthem for anyone who is worried about hair, weight, image, and overall female sanity.
We all grow up one of two sexes, with biological characteristics that identify us as being male or female. From the minute we are born we’re automatically part of a culture that differentiates our gender into social and cultural aspects of being one of either sexes. Gender socialization, which is the process where people learn the norms related to their sex and gender, happens to every single baby. Even as really young groups, gender socialization automatically splits girls and boys as two separate groups. According to any sociologist, all these differences that we see between men and women aren’t natural, but are all socialized or socially constructed.
As a female who grew up in a Palestinian, Arabic culture, I most definitely was socialized into a specific category, femininity. All my physical, behavioral, mental and emotional traits characterize me as a female. I wear dresses, skirts, and jewelry. I cross my legs when I sit. I cry quite often and I’m not embarrassed to say that I do. I try not to use foul language, because that is “not how a lady acts.” That is one of the things I hear my parents and family say every once in a while, that a lady isn’t supposed to use foul language, talk and laugh loudly in public and talk in a very rough manner. At least in my culture, a girl is supposed to be and act like a lady because in my religion many different lines from the Quran and sayings by the Prophet, PBUH, exemplifies a lady as a pearl or diamond, that is so delicate. For me to be that pearl or diamond, I can’t do many things in public, especially in front of men.
It’s considered deviance in my culture for a woman to smoke. Women get negatively sanctioned if they have a cigarette in their hand or if they smoke a hookah. Smoking is considered to be a masculine habit, which automatically gives off a manly image. Many women smoke in public regardless of these cultural sanctions. This gives women power in such a culture, where women are said to be powerless. This could be considered to be a very masculine form of power based on domination and control, by simply holding a cigarette and going against all these negative sanctions. According to Sutherland, this form of power, which in a sociological perspective is called “power-over,” could be problematic because it’s abusive. So, smoking among women could influence other women to do it only to receive that kind of power as well, regardless off all the obvious health risks.
After watching Nadine Labaki’s first film, Caramel, I was excited to watch her new film, Where Do We Go Now. In this film, Nadine plays the role of the main character, Amal. Once again Nadine successfully brings up a sensitive issue that is happening in Lebanon and in a few Arab countries, religious war. The film features a group of women trying to keep their unprivileged village and its people safe from getting killed in the war. In the sequence of events, we see the conflict between people from different religious backgrounds, and as Nadine herself says, “it shows how men can be friends in one day and become enemies the next.” Just because their religious group is having a fight in another village.
Gender role was clear in the film, as we can see how women sacrificed everything to help their husbands and kids to coexist with the other habitants under the religious pressures that everyone went under from time to time.
As known and as it is always the case in almost all movies, women are stereotyped to cook. We see that in one of the scenes were all women are gathered in the kitchen preparing pies. We also see that one of the women prepares gel, and her son takes it to the city to sell it, they cook to live. In all the scenes women were shown doing activities that don’t require physical labour, yet necessitate to have moral and spiritual power. We see that when “” hid the death of her youngest son from everyone around her just so she doesn’t become the subject of religious conflict among different legions citizens. Femininity in the film was clearly stated through the physical appearance of women where the only clothing they put on were skirts and dresses. Through the behavior where they keep coming up with tricks in order to keep men out of the religious war happening in other villages, by burning the newspapers and breaking the television.
On the other hand men were associated with power in different scenes in the movie. For instance, men did all the work that required physical power such as moving the furniture, carrying sheep on their backs and carrying coffins on their shoulders. Men also have certain jobs to do, for instance, we see Rabee, painting the walls of Amal’s cafeteria. In some scenes men were chilling in the cafeteria drinking tea, smoking and playing cards, which represents men’s behavior during their past time. Men were impatient and easy to lost their temper. Moreover men show power on each other in fights. Showing physical power, having certain behavior and being emotionless sometimes represented masculinity.
Gender socialization was presented in the film in scenes that show the two teenagers, Nassim and Rokas, taking long travels on their bikes to sell products that are made by the village’s women in the city and brining grocery to their family and leaving the house in the early morning to be on time for the opening of the souk. They socialize to behave in a specific way that forces them to grow beyond their young age.
The way each character looked, behaved and expressed their feelings meant to give women femininity, and men masculinity.
The typical love story in Khaliji TV series is that of perfectly masculine man and a woman struggling with her femininity. Switching gender roles plays a vital role in turning the plot to the advantages of the lovers. According to Cinematic Sociology by Jean-Ann Sutherland and Kathryn Feltey: Gender is not just an identity or a status, it is continual process of negotiation; gender is something we do. (p.110)
For a relationship to work, the man and the woman have to be profoundly different, more different than alike. If both the man and the woman are depicted as masculine there will be no chemistry between the both whatsoever. Zwarat Al-khamees is a Kuwaiti TV series that depicts a great example of this typical romance. The show talks about the brother/sister (brother) relationship between two cousins. The young woman (Moza) plays the role of the tomboy that helplessly falls in love with the cousin (Ez) she grew up with.
However, the cousin cannot see beyond the boyish looks and the tough shell of her masculine attitude. Throughout the show, we see the young woman trying to win his attention by turning into a more famine character, and only when she does, he notices her and eventually marries her. According to her, she must turn into a needy, compassionate, caring woman for him to see her as a different person. The romantic relationship cannot exist if both are tough and masculine. The difference between the two is what flares the chemistry. They have to be more different than alike for the relationship to work.
Zwarat Alkhamees along with many other shows touch on this problem, and the only solution is that the change of the female character from masculine to feminine. However, it is never the opposite, a man would never change from being masculine to feminine to bring something to the relationship, nor there would be a relationship if both the partners were alike.
“Men are expected to maintain a masculinity that includes toughness bravado, strength, assurance and confidence all with little display of emotion. Women are expected to perform a femininity that exudes beauty, caring, nurturance, neediness and compassion, complete with every range of possible emotion.” (p.110)
Miss Congeniality movie revolves around the FBI agent Gracie Harts who works undercover as Miss New Jersey with her team to protect the Miss United States Beauty Pageant from a possible terrorist attack.
Throughout the movie we can see a huge transformation in Gracie’s identity. At the very beginning Gracie seems to be very masculine in both her looks and her behavior. She doesn’t wear any make-up, doesn’t do her eyebrows, she doesn’t even brush her hair. Moreover, she is aggressive in everything she does, including eating, walking, and laughing. One of the ladies she meets at a bar asks her if the FBI forces all women over there to wear these “really masculine shoes”, and Gracie clarifies that its not the FBI, its her own personal choice. Moreover, her beauty pageant consultant for the mission, Victor Melling, compared her walk to the walk of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
Gracie faces a hard time accepting her new assignment to work undercover as Miss New Jersey in the pageant. She gets a new look that shocks her colleagues, where she starts to look more feminine to others.
We can also see through the film how Gracie starts to socialize and learn the norms of this new culture she has to fit in. She takes the instructions from her adviser and watches video clips of beauty pageants and starts imitating the moves of the contestants.
At this stage Gracie’s front stage behavior is in the pageant trying to act more feminine, and her backstage behavior is with her team where she can act masculine, as she’s used to. However, as the time passes and through her interaction with the other girls in the pageant, Gracie seems to absorb more of these norms and attitudes and become more feminine overall, while maintaining some aspects of her original masculine identity, like power and independence.
Her transformation gets her the guy, her FBI colleague Eric Matthews, after she had really low chances in finding any guy who would be interested in her. This shows us how society as a social force puts a lot of pressure on individuals shaping their identities in order to have some of the things we desire, like a partner, which would be considered as positive sanctions for following the norms of the society for how we look and how we behave.
