Award Date

12-15-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Journalism and Media Studies

First Committee Member

Olesya Venger

Second Committee Member

Kevin Stoker

Third Committee Member

Soo Kim

Fourth Committee Member

Joanne Goodwin

Number of Pages

70

Abstract

This study seeks for a better understanding of the correlations between major milestones in the women’s movement and how that is reflected onto the silver screen. With the rise of sexual assault allegations against prominent figures in Hollywood, and the growth of the #MeToo movement, we in turn are beginning to see an influx of films being released, and older films being rebooted, with an all-female led cast. One of those all-female film reboots is Ocean’s Eight, a film coming from a male-dominated trilogy and genre. Because of this correlation, the question of whether the narratives within Ocean’s Eight reinforce gendered stereotypes that have been engraved over time? Is the film just a marketing ploy for Hollywood to gain back a positive reputation with female audiences and profit from the popularized “female empowerment” topic Are there double standards placed on female leads in Ocean’s Eight versus their male counterparts in Ocean’s Eleven? Also, are the women in Ocean’s Eight being sexually objectified the way women usually are in heist films? A textual analysis was conducted on the narratives, characteristic traits, the portrayals of same sex friendships and costume design from Ocean’s Eight in comparison to Ocean’s Eleven. What was found from the analysis was that Ocean’s Eight broke some stereotypes and eliminated sexual objectification in the characteristic traits and costume design, but still reinforced stereotypes and objectification through the narrative and the portrayals of same sex friendships.

Keywords

female empowerment; feminism; gender stereotypes; media; sexual objectification; women's movement

Disciplines

Broadcast and Video Studies | Journalism Studies

File Format

pdf

File Size

0.460 MB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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