Feminist Theory's Fact File
Judith Butler:
Butler argues that feminism made a mistake in trying to make "women" a discrete, ahistorical group with common characteristics. Butler writes that this approach reinforces the binary view of gender relations. Butler believes that feminists should not try to define "women" and she also believes that feminists should "focus on providing an account of how power functions and shapes our understandings of womanhood not only in the society at large but also within the feminist movement." Finally, Butler aims to break the supposed links between sex and gender so that gender and desire can be "flexible, free floating and not caused by other stable factors". The idea of identity as free and flexible and gender as a performance, not an essence, is one of the foundations of queer theory.
Bell Hooks:
Feminism is the struggle to end patriarchal hegemony and the domination of women and feminism is not a lifestyle choice, it's a political commitment. She also said that race, class and gender determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed.
Lisbet van Zoonen:
Gender is constructed through codes and conventions of media products and the idea of what is male and female changes over time. Gender is also constructed through cultural and historical context. Additionally, she states that woman's bodies are used in media products as a spectacle for heterosexual male audiences, reinforcing patriarchal hegemony.
Application to Humans:
Butler's theory that there is a binary view of gender because of grouping women in a single group with common characteristics can be applied to Humans because she is saying that although it seems as if all women fall into one category women have very varied characteristics and roles. This is evident in Humans because there are many female figures who portray different roles. For example, there is the mother figure who is not sexualised in any way and just wants to be maternal and other figures like the girl in the brothel scene at the end of the first episode as she is heavily sexualised and viewed only for sex.
Additionally, Hook's theory that race, class and gender determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed can be applied to humans because there is constant sexualisation of the female body. There is the brothel scene which is meant to be heavily sexualised and the episode even touches on an adult mode for the female robot Anita. This is not the same with the male figures in the episode as non of them have connotations to sex. Furthermore, when they are buying Anita you can see other female robots in the background completing tasks that are stereotypically a woman's job and there are many references to the female robots being able to clean which is another stereotypical role for women.
Finally, van Zoonen's theory that women's bodies are used in media products as a spectacle for heterosexual male audiences can also be applied to humans because of the references to the adult mode for female robots and the brothel scene in the final montage because it shows that the robots only purpose is to be in that room and please men.
Butler argues that feminism made a mistake in trying to make "women" a discrete, ahistorical group with common characteristics. Butler writes that this approach reinforces the binary view of gender relations. Butler believes that feminists should not try to define "women" and she also believes that feminists should "focus on providing an account of how power functions and shapes our understandings of womanhood not only in the society at large but also within the feminist movement." Finally, Butler aims to break the supposed links between sex and gender so that gender and desire can be "flexible, free floating and not caused by other stable factors". The idea of identity as free and flexible and gender as a performance, not an essence, is one of the foundations of queer theory.
Bell Hooks:
Feminism is the struggle to end patriarchal hegemony and the domination of women and feminism is not a lifestyle choice, it's a political commitment. She also said that race, class and gender determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed.
Lisbet van Zoonen:
Gender is constructed through codes and conventions of media products and the idea of what is male and female changes over time. Gender is also constructed through cultural and historical context. Additionally, she states that woman's bodies are used in media products as a spectacle for heterosexual male audiences, reinforcing patriarchal hegemony.
Application to Humans:
Butler's theory that there is a binary view of gender because of grouping women in a single group with common characteristics can be applied to Humans because she is saying that although it seems as if all women fall into one category women have very varied characteristics and roles. This is evident in Humans because there are many female figures who portray different roles. For example, there is the mother figure who is not sexualised in any way and just wants to be maternal and other figures like the girl in the brothel scene at the end of the first episode as she is heavily sexualised and viewed only for sex.
Additionally, Hook's theory that race, class and gender determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed can be applied to humans because there is constant sexualisation of the female body. There is the brothel scene which is meant to be heavily sexualised and the episode even touches on an adult mode for the female robot Anita. This is not the same with the male figures in the episode as non of them have connotations to sex. Furthermore, when they are buying Anita you can see other female robots in the background completing tasks that are stereotypically a woman's job and there are many references to the female robots being able to clean which is another stereotypical role for women.
Finally, van Zoonen's theory that women's bodies are used in media products as a spectacle for heterosexual male audiences can also be applied to humans because of the references to the adult mode for female robots and the brothel scene in the final montage because it shows that the robots only purpose is to be in that room and please men.
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