Merskin, DebraHancock, Elizabeth2012-10-242012-10-242012https://hdl.handle.net/1794/12320This thesis uses Simone de Beauvoir's analysis of woman's immanence in the new edition of <italic>The Second Sex,</italic> translated by Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier, as a lens to analyze six mainstream Hollywood films in order to determine whether any elements of her description are visible in popular films made both during and after the implementation of the Hollywood Production Code (1930-1960). Applying Beauvoir's analyses to film as a critical lens helps explain why representations of women that have endured for centuries continue to appeal to mainstream American audiences. Beauvoir's analyses in <italic>The Second Sex</italic> detail the impact these representations may have on how women think of themselves and on their actual lived experiences.en-USAll Rights Reserved.Beauvoir, Simone de, 1908-1986Feminist FilmMediaElectronic Thesis or Dissertation