Exam (elaborations)
Gender and identity in the media
- Module
- Media
- Institution
- Edge Hill University (EHU)
Gender and identity in the media
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Student number: 21505969 Assessment 2: Media, Culture and IdentitiesThe conflict between Angelina Jolie’s celebrity image as a female heroine, sex symbol, an activist
and a Dame, identifying how Jolie is constructed in the media
Introduction
This article will explore how Angelina Jolie’s role as an onscreen female heroine has changed to align
with modern day feminist discourses. There will be analysis of Jolie’s sex symbol status to
demonstrate how Jolie’s image is portrayed in the media. The emergence of Jolie’s changing celebrity
image as a dedicated humanitarian around the world will be analysed to inform how Jolie’s position in
the media has vastly transformed over the past two decades.
The beginnings of Jolie’s film career breakthrough launched when Jolie starred in the film Lara Croft:
Tomb raider (2001). Jolie plays a British female action heroine on a fearless quest to save the world,
though interestingly the film places prominence on the portrayal of the father and daughter relationship
(Tasker,1998). Jolie and her on-screen father Jon Voight (played by Jolie’s real-life father) are united
together in the film to provide Croft’s character, as the active woman, with an influential father figure to
guide and strengthen her position to fight and combat her opposition. Though, as Tasker (1998)
highlights Jolie’s later action heroine film roles including Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) and Wanted (2008)
portrayed Jolie as the female action heroine, who leads and coaches the central male protagonist to
become powerful. This shows Jolie’s pursuit as an onscreen female heroine has been a progressive
process for, as Jolie has clearly modified her role as the female heroine to acclimate with modern day
discourses. On the other hand, Tasker (1998) argues that the context of the films narrative functions to
re-inscribe traditional female roles. The female heroine arguably creates divide among feminist critics
as strong and powerful women are ambiguous in nature, the presence of the female heroine creates
ambivalent audience reactions (Tasker, 1998, p6). This suggests that Jolie is an onscreen chameleon as
the roles Jolie plays are often unpredictable signifying that Jolie was uncertain of her own identity as the
female action heroine.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) is one of the most popular cinematic female action adaptations within
the world of computer gaming with increased cultural visibility. Before, Jolie starred as Lara Croft it
was actress Rhona Mitra who became the embodiment of Croft in the computer animated series Tomb
Raider (1996) Tasker (1998) argues that there is no place the action heroine is unable to explore,
suggesting that the strong, active and independent woman can be seen
The use of Rosalind’s concept of ‘objectification’ of women in the media is evident of Jolie. As
Rosalind (2007) explains images of womanhood among heterosexual boys and young men becomes
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