Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

Judith Butler: gender roles

• dividing/ suggesting there are males and females is what is reinforcing diffrences in gender.
• she believed that gender roles are a 'performance' 
• not biologically fixed

Angela McRobbie: empowering women

• her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s
• she says that certain things that feminists see as offensive, actually empower women
• going against radical feminism 

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’ 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

This music video starts with Beyonce trying to fix her car, wearing really revealing clothes. Cars and manual work are mostly associated with men, which is further emphasised with beyonce not being able to fix the car and just leaving it. saying that she cant do a mans role. Also beyonce does/ wears things associated with women; revealing provocative clothes and house work, suggesting she is preforming the roles of a women.    

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women?

Although most radical feminists would go against this video. McRobbie would view this as an empowerment for women, suggesting that men are easily controlled using the female body. Also this video seems like a mocking of gender roles, as it can be viewed in a comedic sense. suggesting that she's not reinforcing stereotypes associated with women but going against it, laughing at the ridiculousness. as a result agreeing with McRobbie's theory.  

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

The male gaze if defiantly implemented here due to the revealing figure hugging clothes suggesting that she's is naked to please men. However this music video has a comedic sense, due to the colours and her over expressive gesture. So in my opinion it is more of an empowerment of women rather than objectifying, this is because although she is showing her body, she is embracing her femininity and sexiness making women in general more confident.