"The WWE Divas are the sexiest women on television"[1]
How and Why Have the Representations of Women Changed Over Time in World Wrestling Entertainment?
WWE is a worldwide company and their shows are shown on the television, the internet and as live events. Throughout their shows the audience expect to see a number of common conventions to take place, such as, the wrestlers using some dangerous weaopons, seeing rivalries begin and also seeing beautiful women objectify themselves by using their bodies to please men. Some of WWE's conventions were not always a part of their shows, things have changed a lot over the years. For example, the way in which women are represented in WWE has changed rapidly over the past 50 years and this is due to the major changes which have taken place in society. Once women broke into this particular industry, they were in it, solely to wrestle, to prove a point that women can be tough too, however this representation gradually changed into a promiscuous sex object from what we see in todays WWE broadcasts. In the late 1990's, the WWE (then known as WWF) went through its "Attitude Era". This is were WWE became a lot more "extreme "and "hardcore". The wrestling itself would become a lot more violent and brutal, the language became rather foul and the representation of women became a lot more sex appealing to men. This support sLaura Mulvey's theory of the "male gaze", a technique to attract more men to watching professional wrestling, however it is believed that children watch professional wrestling the most, therefore the way in which these women objectify themselves is surely inappropriate for them. Mulvey wrote an entire essay titled "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" which evaluates how women are viewed as ‘the bearer of meaning and not the maker of meaning’[2]
[1] WWE Raw/Smackdown/PPV events (it's repeated often on all shows)
[2] ‘Visual pleasure and narrative cinema’, Laura Mulvey (1975)
Monday 26 January 2009
Self Evaluation 2
Attainment - 2 - I believe my level of work is to a good standard and that I am putting in the time and effort to produce some decent work.
Effort - 3 - Although I do not get involved in class discussions much, I believe my effort is shown through the written work which I produce.
Punctuality -3 - This was an issue before, however has changed. Sometimes being on time for period 1 lessons is difficult, however I try my best to arrive to lesson on time. I have also attended all lessons apart from on one occasion when I was ill.
Homework - 2- Most of the time it is completed on time and is always done to my best ability.
Abilty to work independently - 1 - The majority of tasks set are independent, therefore I feel as though I do this well.
Quality of writing - 3 - At the moment I believe that the quality of my writing is satisfactory, however it can be improved on a lot.
Organisation of media folder - 2 - It is organised quite well, however it could be better.
Oral contributions - 4 - I only tend to contribute when asked to.
Med 5 blog - 1 - My med 5 blog is always presented to a high standard and the quality of the written work is also to a high standard and is posted up on time.
Med 6 blog - 1 - Athough there has not been many tasks set to be posted on the med 6 blog, all work which was has been completed and is presented well.
Effort - 3 - Although I do not get involved in class discussions much, I believe my effort is shown through the written work which I produce.
Punctuality -3 - This was an issue before, however has changed. Sometimes being on time for period 1 lessons is difficult, however I try my best to arrive to lesson on time. I have also attended all lessons apart from on one occasion when I was ill.
Homework - 2- Most of the time it is completed on time and is always done to my best ability.
Abilty to work independently - 1 - The majority of tasks set are independent, therefore I feel as though I do this well.
Quality of writing - 3 - At the moment I believe that the quality of my writing is satisfactory, however it can be improved on a lot.
Organisation of media folder - 2 - It is organised quite well, however it could be better.
Oral contributions - 4 - I only tend to contribute when asked to.
Med 5 blog - 1 - My med 5 blog is always presented to a high standard and the quality of the written work is also to a high standard and is posted up on time.
Med 6 blog - 1 - Athough there has not been many tasks set to be posted on the med 6 blog, all work which was has been completed and is presented well.
Sunday 4 January 2009
First Paragraph
How and Why Have the Representations of Women Changed Over Time in World Wrestling Entertainment?
WWE is a worldwide company and their shows are shown on the television, the internet and as live events. Throughout their shows the audience expect to see a number of common conventions to take place, for example the most obvious being a wrestling match. Some of WWE's conventions were not always a part of their shows, things have changed a lot over the years. For example, the way in which women are represented in WWE has changed rapidly over the past 50 years and this is due to the major changes which have taken place in society. Obce women broke into this particular industry, they were in it, solely to wrestle, to prove a point that women can be tough too, however this representation gradually changed into a promiscuous sex object from what we see in todays WWE broadcasts. This could perhaps support Laura Mulvey's theory of the "male gaze", a technique to attract more men to watching professional wrestling, however it is believed that children watch professional wrestling the most, therefore the way in which these women objectify themselves is surely inappropriate for them.
WWE is a worldwide company and their shows are shown on the television, the internet and as live events. Throughout their shows the audience expect to see a number of common conventions to take place, for example the most obvious being a wrestling match. Some of WWE's conventions were not always a part of their shows, things have changed a lot over the years. For example, the way in which women are represented in WWE has changed rapidly over the past 50 years and this is due to the major changes which have taken place in society. Obce women broke into this particular industry, they were in it, solely to wrestle, to prove a point that women can be tough too, however this representation gradually changed into a promiscuous sex object from what we see in todays WWE broadcasts. This could perhaps support Laura Mulvey's theory of the "male gaze", a technique to attract more men to watching professional wrestling, however it is believed that children watch professional wrestling the most, therefore the way in which these women objectify themselves is surely inappropriate for them.
Essay Plan
Essay title
How and Why Have the Representations of Women Changed Over Time in World Wrestling Entertainment?
My topic
For my study I will be looking at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and will attempt to discover how and why the representations of women have changed so much over the years. Once upon a time, women were solely in the business to wrestle however as the years went on, their clothes came off! It’s arguable whether or not this would support Laura Mulvey’s theory of the “male gaze”. This is due to the fact that men are not the only fans of WWE as it is watched worldwide by men, women, and children. It is also questionable as some say the majority of WWE fans are children, therefore it would be rather controversial for women to be exploiting themselves in such ways on a show which children watch.
Other Texts
In this study there are a variety of other texts I will look at to compare my primary text, WWE with. I will see what the key conventions are in these particular texts and see whether WWE also display these conventions. I will be analysing the similarities and differences of these texts. The texts I will be looking at are…
- World Wrestling Federation -WWF (Now WWE)
- World Championship Wrestling – WCW
- Total Nonstop Action –TNA
- Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC
- Gladiators
WWF
Although this is the very same text as WWE, it has changed rapidly over the years in terms of representing both women and men. I will look at how the characters have changed and how the wrestlers were represented back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, especially for women, as they has just entered the industry in the 50’s. I will also look at how heroes and villains representations have changed over the years.
WCW
WCW no longer exists as Vince McMahon (chairman of WWF) bought it in 2001, however WCW does have a long legacy and was around for a very long time before being bought by WWF. WCW was the WWF’s primary rival and is remembered for The Monday Night Wars as WCW’s flagship show “Nitro” beat WWF’s flagship show “RAW” 52 weeks in row in ratings in the late 90’s. WCW is where a lot of WWF’s wrestlers would go once they were getting a little too old. I have chosen WCW as a text to look at as it was very similar to WWE in many ways.
TNA
TNA is what some would say is the new WCW. This is due to the fact that it is the WWE’s primary rival at the moment and is growing rapidly. In terms of women, when TNA first began in 2002, there were not any women, however 6 years later in 2008 there were a variety of women and a new championship was introduced, the TNA Knockout Championship which was for female competitors only.
UFC
Unlike WWE, WCW and TNA, UFC is completely real and is not scripted. It’s also not in the same genre as professional wrestling; UFC is MMA – mixed martial arts. This means it is a similar genre as it is a violent sport. UFC’s roster is 100% male, however they do have 3 women employed are they to show scoreboards and to keep the audience entertained. The fact that they wear provocative clothing could also support Mulvey’s theory of the “male gaze” as UFC’s primary target audience is young males, therefore the women being dressed in this promiscuous way would appeal to them.
Gladiators
Gladiators is an interesting text as it was around in the early 90’s then stopped airing on television, however came back in 2008, therefore its highly likely that the representations of the gladiators would have changed. Although this text is not the same or similar genre to WWE, the representations of the athletes in both texts are similar.
The Conventions of a Professional Wrestling Show
In this section I will be looking at what makes a pro wrestling show and what the audience expect to see when viewing one. I will look at things such as the setting, the use of violence (weapons etc), women in provocative clothing, men in provocative clothing, storylines etc.
Hybrid Genre
This section will feature information about the hybrid genre and the issue that has followed with all professional wrestling companies and how they have borrowed aspects of different genres to make a new professional wrestling genre. For example, in the 80’s wrestling was purely wrestling and nothing else, however today it is referred to as a rip off a soap opera. This would mean that the storylines would be a lot like soap operas, containing sex etc.
Comparing the Representations
I will go through all the representations from my other texts and look for a link within the WWE.
Before and After
Here, I will fully analyse the change which WWE has gone through over the years, especially in terms of representing women. This means from the 1950’s – 2000’s. I will also analyse the change in representation which the men have gone through in detail. Some wrestlers being shown as the new man etc.
Books used:
1- Mulvey, Laura, (1975),-'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema'
2- Gunter, Barry, (1995), 'Television and gender representation'
3- Tuchman, Gaye, (1978), 'The symbolic annilation of women in the mass media'
4- Gauntlett, David, (2002), 'Media, gender and identity'
Websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment
http://www.wwe.com/
How and Why Have the Representations of Women Changed Over Time in World Wrestling Entertainment?
My topic
For my study I will be looking at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and will attempt to discover how and why the representations of women have changed so much over the years. Once upon a time, women were solely in the business to wrestle however as the years went on, their clothes came off! It’s arguable whether or not this would support Laura Mulvey’s theory of the “male gaze”. This is due to the fact that men are not the only fans of WWE as it is watched worldwide by men, women, and children. It is also questionable as some say the majority of WWE fans are children, therefore it would be rather controversial for women to be exploiting themselves in such ways on a show which children watch.
Other Texts
In this study there are a variety of other texts I will look at to compare my primary text, WWE with. I will see what the key conventions are in these particular texts and see whether WWE also display these conventions. I will be analysing the similarities and differences of these texts. The texts I will be looking at are…
- World Wrestling Federation -WWF (Now WWE)
- World Championship Wrestling – WCW
- Total Nonstop Action –TNA
- Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC
- Gladiators
WWF
Although this is the very same text as WWE, it has changed rapidly over the years in terms of representing both women and men. I will look at how the characters have changed and how the wrestlers were represented back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, especially for women, as they has just entered the industry in the 50’s. I will also look at how heroes and villains representations have changed over the years.
WCW
WCW no longer exists as Vince McMahon (chairman of WWF) bought it in 2001, however WCW does have a long legacy and was around for a very long time before being bought by WWF. WCW was the WWF’s primary rival and is remembered for The Monday Night Wars as WCW’s flagship show “Nitro” beat WWF’s flagship show “RAW” 52 weeks in row in ratings in the late 90’s. WCW is where a lot of WWF’s wrestlers would go once they were getting a little too old. I have chosen WCW as a text to look at as it was very similar to WWE in many ways.
TNA
TNA is what some would say is the new WCW. This is due to the fact that it is the WWE’s primary rival at the moment and is growing rapidly. In terms of women, when TNA first began in 2002, there were not any women, however 6 years later in 2008 there were a variety of women and a new championship was introduced, the TNA Knockout Championship which was for female competitors only.
UFC
Unlike WWE, WCW and TNA, UFC is completely real and is not scripted. It’s also not in the same genre as professional wrestling; UFC is MMA – mixed martial arts. This means it is a similar genre as it is a violent sport. UFC’s roster is 100% male, however they do have 3 women employed are they to show scoreboards and to keep the audience entertained. The fact that they wear provocative clothing could also support Mulvey’s theory of the “male gaze” as UFC’s primary target audience is young males, therefore the women being dressed in this promiscuous way would appeal to them.
Gladiators
Gladiators is an interesting text as it was around in the early 90’s then stopped airing on television, however came back in 2008, therefore its highly likely that the representations of the gladiators would have changed. Although this text is not the same or similar genre to WWE, the representations of the athletes in both texts are similar.
The Conventions of a Professional Wrestling Show
In this section I will be looking at what makes a pro wrestling show and what the audience expect to see when viewing one. I will look at things such as the setting, the use of violence (weapons etc), women in provocative clothing, men in provocative clothing, storylines etc.
Hybrid Genre
This section will feature information about the hybrid genre and the issue that has followed with all professional wrestling companies and how they have borrowed aspects of different genres to make a new professional wrestling genre. For example, in the 80’s wrestling was purely wrestling and nothing else, however today it is referred to as a rip off a soap opera. This would mean that the storylines would be a lot like soap operas, containing sex etc.
Comparing the Representations
I will go through all the representations from my other texts and look for a link within the WWE.
Before and After
Here, I will fully analyse the change which WWE has gone through over the years, especially in terms of representing women. This means from the 1950’s – 2000’s. I will also analyse the change in representation which the men have gone through in detail. Some wrestlers being shown as the new man etc.
Books used:
1- Mulvey, Laura, (1975),-'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema'
2- Gunter, Barry, (1995), 'Television and gender representation'
3- Tuchman, Gaye, (1978), 'The symbolic annilation of women in the mass media'
4- Gauntlett, David, (2002), 'Media, gender and identity'
Websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment
http://www.wwe.com/
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