Structure

In many ways Judith Butler counterpoints earlier ideas of gender representation, for example, some of the ideas presented by Laura Mulvey seem to suggest that gender is fixed – male/female – that it is structured by institutions and those powerful individuals who are able to exert power and control for example Weinstein. While still recognising those arguments presented by Mulvey, Jean Kilbourne, Butler suggests that gender is fluid and changeable and can be altered by anyone at any point in time depending on how they see fit.

Putting it another way , it suggests that we can have multiple identities that are presented to different people in different ways whilst under different social settings, and different social conditions. For example, looking at a category such as lipstick lesbian, butch and femme, girly girl and so on, which illustrate the multiple, plural nature of identity, representation and performance with feminist critical thinking. Which can be explored and mapped out into similar studies on male identity and example of this would be the work of Sinfield, Dollimore and others.

The idea of identity performance is explored further in another post: Representation, Identity and Self However, to understand the approach of gender as performative and how to recognise it as a ‘phenomenon that is being reproduced all the time‘, which perhaps suggests that ‘nobody is a gender from the start.’ The question for Butler (and for students of media and cultural studies) is therefore: how can gender get established and policed? Which, of course, is why we look at her ideas in subjects like Media Studies.

However Laura Mulvey developed the theory of the male gaze which refers to the sexual interpretation of women in advertising and media. This links to the theory of ‘Negotiated Identity’. You can link the score advert to this theory by looking at the positioning and female representation in the advert. All of the females that are in the advert are wearing minimal clothing and they are also positioned in a way that suggests they are praising or looking up to the main male character which indicates that their only purpose in the advert is to please the man. This representation also supports the theory that during the 1970’s gender roles were very fixed, as it is hinted at that the women in the advert where told how to act and that they couldn’t express themselves further. Jean Kilbourne also produced a book that looked into the institutional problem in media of women being sexualised in all forms of media. We can also link the score advert to this idea as the females in the advert are advertised in a very specific way the glamorises their femininity which is very similar to the idea that Jean Kilbourne presents in her book ‘Killing us Softly’. They do this by making females in the adverts look flawless and the societal norm of beautiful.

Additionally the Score hair cream advert is an historical artefact from 1967, as such it can be examined productively by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts, particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques. When the advert was made in 1967 it was a period of slow transformation in western cultures with legislation about and changing attitudes to the role of women – and men – in society, something that the advert can be seen to negotiate. Similarly, feminist critical thought became much more prominent and pronounced during the counter cultural movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, which heralded, among other changes a greater acceptance of birth control and divorce, abortion and homosexuality. However, the Score advert was produced in the year of decriminalisation of homosexuality and as such, the representation of heterosexuality could be read as signalling more anxiety than might first appear.

However the idea of fluidity of identity is a far more new and modern concept Fluidity of Identity means that a persons identity is not set in stone and can be changed at anytime so you can identify as who you want to and you can display your beliefs. This backs Judith Butlers theory that quotes “Biological anatomies do not determine our gender”. This says that the idea of ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ are not actually not set genders but something that people represent on a daily basis. Meaning that nobody is born either male or female and that they can choose how they want to represent themselves throughout their day. She also hints that society’s thoughts and expectations of women are constantly changing.

This theory is defiantly not present in the score advert, however it is present in the far more modern Maybelline advert. This is shown in the fact that we can assume that the role of the female character has changed over time