IDEOLOGY : GENDER AND FEMINISM

Under the Skin: Gender and  Ideology

Throughout the film, we are aligned with the female central character. We are

constantly watching her and watching others, with her. We should consider

what the film wants us to think about her and how it wants us to feel about

her.

Should we see her as a woman? Or as something that is becoming a

person? Or as an inhuman monster?

The film’s ideological position is enigmatic; do we feel anything towards her

as she abandons a baby or when she is murdered at the end? Could such

meanings be open to spectator interpretation?

Is it possible to say that this ambiguous and enigmatic movie has an

ideology? How useful is it to see the film from a feministic or post-colonial

critical approach? Does such an approach lead us into understanding or

appreciating the film any further?

Traditional gender stereotypes
	Masculine
Feminine
Not aggressive	Aggressive
Dependent	Independent
Easily influenced	Not easily influenced
Submissive	Dominant
Passive	Active
Home-oriented	Worldly
Easily hurt emotionally	Not easily hurt emotionally
Indecisive	Decisive
Talkative	Not at all talkative
Gentle	Tough
Sensitive to others’ feelings	Less sensitive to others’ feelings
Very desirous of security	Not very desirous of security
Cries a lot	Rarely cries
Emotional	Logical
Verbal	Analytical
Kind	Cruel
Tactful	Blunt
Nurturing	Not nurturing

1  How does " the female " in Under the Skin  demonstrate,subvert or develop some of these traditional female/male qualities and what is the effect on the audience's positioning and response to her as a character? Give a range of examples.

2        Now look at these reviews for Under the Skin and highlight the main points made about gender stereotyping in them:

https://rebeccahussein.com/2014/04/12/some-thoughts-on-under-the-skin/ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/15/scarlett-johansson-under-skin-extraterrestrial

http://www.deletionscifi.org/episodes/episode-9/alienating-the-gaze-the-hybrid-femme-fatale-of-under-the-skin/

•       These writers do not all agree about how the film portrays women. In what ways do they disagree?

•       Why is Under the Skin more difficult to agree on when discussing gender representations?



Gender politics and sexual identity issues are at the heart of this film. 
Feminist debates about the representation of Johansson’s character have
centred around the idea of female objectification and power. She is
represented and objectified differently in the first half of the film to the
second half. Some feminist readings have seen the film 
( particularly the second half) as an exploration of what it is to become a woman in the post-feminist world, whilst others have seen the film as a confirmation of Creed’s ‘Monstrous Feminine’ idea   

Further discussion on Creed and horror  here