Film and the Second Sex: Situations and Characters in Popular Hollywood Cinema

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Date

2012

Authors

Hancock, Elizabeth

Journal Title

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Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

This 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.

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Keywords

Beauvoir, Simone de, 1908-1986, Feminist Film, Media

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