This strikes me as viral marketing for a troubled franchise, with the next Bond movie stalled while the studio MGM continues to teeter on the edge of bankruptcy, and a somewhat ironic source ... but its undeniably thought-provoking and worth 2 mins...
If you deconstruct the, ahem, Danielle Craig, you get a handy list of common signifiers of the stereotyped sexy female: killer high heels (built for discomfort and potential long-term injury); seductive black tights; tight, short(ish) dress (red a better choice for what seems the preferred reading?); bust/cleavage/decolletage prominently displayed; blonde - B(l)ond indeed. Short hair remains part of the common lesbian stereotype (seen to signify masculinity - look around your classmates and you'll note the general lack of long hair amongst the chaps, and preponderance of long hair amongst the ladies; its human nature to seek to fit in, conform and avoid grief for 'transgressing' common codes, even though we don't see these little details as conscious decisions) ... so Craig sports a long-haired wig.
[Notice how we start discussing gender but veer off into sexuality? We could also bring up age, plus social class/status - signified by the pearl necklace. In the exam you focus on the topic given, but should utilise useful explanation/analysis/argument drawing upon some of the 6 other identities; they generally interlink]
Judith Butler, 'queer' theorist, would recognise this: she argues that we learn to perform gender, a concept that exists in culture but not nature.
There's a lot more provocative material to be found at http://www.weareequals.org/ (producers of this vid). You can also make links between these issues and our exam work (useful for coursework too) on British cinema: there are several extensive posts on women's roles in the film industry. Here's one of the many resources cited/discussed/linked through the BritCinema blog:
Wednesday 9 March 2011
Monday 7 March 2011
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