The construction of femininity in the popular cultural text Avatar

Abstract

In this thesis, the findings of an in-depth study of how femininity is constructed in the popular cultural text Avatar are discussed. It is argued that popular cultural texts may have the potential to play a pivotal role in the identity construction of impressionable women. It is posited that women are influenced by such texts, which are considered to cultivate their attitudes and beliefs. Thus, the way in which femininity is constructed in these texts could empower women who may have limiting and stereotypical notions of femininity. Qualitative research methods are used to gain a deeper understanding of how femininity is constructed in the film Avatar. Themes regarding femininity are explored using textual analysis. It is postulated that femininity can be divided into four main themes: autonomous women (AW), authoritative power (AP), women challenging stereotypical traits (WS) and women displaying intelligence (I). These themes can be divided into various indicators. Indicators for the theme of autonomous women (AW), for example, include women being portrayed as assertive (A) and women being commanding (C). Indicators for the theme authoritative power (AP) include women having decision-making power (D) and being influential (I). Additionally, indicators for the theme women challenging stereotypical traits (WS) include aggressive physicality (A) and patronising (P) and lastly, the indicator for the theme women displaying intelligence (I) includes women being knowledgeable (K). It was found that femininity is portrayed in a liberal manner throughout Avatar. In this study, three main female characters are analysed in order to see how femininity is constructed. For future studies, it is recommended that all the female characters in the film Avatar be analysed, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how femininity is represented throughout the film. Having a larger sample size will increase the exploration of how femininity is constructed. Additionally, quantitative and qualitative methods could be utilised in order to gain an in-depth interpretation of how femininity is constructed. Furthermore, an increased number of indicators could be utilised to analyse the way in which femininity is portrayed in order to give a broader view on how femininity is being constructed.