Sex and Gender in the Avengers.doc

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Sex and Gender in the Avengers

Society and culture has an enormous impact upon the actions, beliefs and behaviours of the

individual. Through exposure to the external norms and values of the society these structured

understandings of acceptable behaviour become internal frameworks for individual actions (eiten,

!"#"$. %ne of the most influential ways in which culture affects the identity of the individual is

through the establishment of gendered norms and roles. Gender roles can be understood as &shared

expectations that apply to individuals on the basis of their socially identified sex' (agly, ood )

*iekman cited in +lakemore, +erenbaum and iben, !""-, p$. These &socially encouraged

patterns of behaviour' are exhibited throughout various levels of society / including within the

media (Stainton 0ogers ) Stainton 0ogers, !""#, p1#$.

%ne of the most successful movies released in !"#! was 2arvel Studio3s The Avengers (ellard,

!"#!$. The movie centered on a team of superheroes who were assembled to stave off an alien

invasion that threatened the safety of the entire arth (ellard, !"#!$. The movie is culturally

significant because it involves a collaboration between the heroes in some of the most successful

superhero franchises in existence4 including 5ron 2an, Thor, The 6ulk, 7aptain America, 6awkeye

and +lack idow (ellard, !"#!$. The Avengers grossed over #8"" million dollars in worldwide

box offices and was nominated for an %scar (ellard, !"#!$.

ithin the movie there is a blatant tendency to subscribe to the hegemonic masculine ideal.

6egemonic masculinity is established within a culture through a process of consensual negotiation

or as a result of &power and achievement' (+eynon, !""!, p.#9$. These hegemonic ideals are

embedded within societal structures (+eynon, !""!$. As a result of this, the version of masculinity

that occupies the dominant position becomes ingrained in the social consciousness / even if it is not

consistent with the practices of most men (+eynon, !""!$. 2en who do not fit the hegemonic ideal

are subordinated and portrayed as being weaker (+eynon, !""!$. The hegemonic male is generallyunderstood to be white, heterosexual, physically powerful, successful and, most notably, dominant

(+eynon, !""!$. 5n terms of personality traits, hegemonic masculinity is generally associated with

being &rational, practical and naturally aggressive' (+eynon, !""!, p.89$.

ithin The Avengers there are multiple examples of the perpetuation of the hegemonic masculine

ideal. All of the :superhero3 characters display characteristics that are consistent with the masculine

stereotype idealised by estern society. Tony Stark (5ron 2an$ is a white, incredibly wealthy,

intelligent businessman who moonlights as a metal soldier that kills terrorists / he describes himself

as &a genius, billionaire playboy' (hedon, !"#!$. +ruce +anner (The 6ulk$ has a doctorate in


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particle physics as well as the ability to turn into a &giant green rage monster' (hedon, !"#!$.

Thor / who has been lifted from ;ordic mythology / is described as literally being a :god3 (hedon,

!"#!$. +oth 7lint +arton (6awkeye$ and Steve 0ogers (7aptain America$ are white, male, skilled

former soldiers with exemplary records of military service (hedon, !"#!$. All of the central

characters display characteristics that are consistent with the idealised version of hegemonic

masculinity.

inked to the idea of hegemonic masculinity are conceptions regarding the male body and the

importance of its physical superiority (+eynon, !""!$. ithin estern society there exists a cultural

idealisation of physical strength (+eynon, !""!$. 2en3s bodies are represented as being symbolic of

strength, virility and prowess and are strongly linked to ideas of dominance (+eynon, !""!$. The

male body has connotations of power and strength (+eynon, !""!$. 6owever, it is not male bodiesin general that are perceived as being desirable and dominant but a particular version of the male

body that occupies this position. &2en have long held muscles, especially of the biceps, neck and

shoulders, to be signifiers of proper masculinity' (+eynon, !""!, p.8#$.

ithin The Avengers the male characters all fit this masculine ideal of physical strength. The

imagery associated with and portrayal of its heroes involve emphasis on their muscles and physical

prowess. hen the character of Steve 0ogers (7aptain America$ is first introduced, he is boxing /

engaging in a physical activity designed to improve and emphasise his superior physi


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strength. 5n this way, the male body is associated with physical action and active participation in the

narrative (+eynon, !""8$.

hilst, The Avengers conforms to an almost textbook definition of hegemonic masculinity it

appears to eschew some of the generalised stereotypes of femininity. ithin estern society,

hegemonic femininity is associated with being attractive, passive, kind and maternal (+lakemore,

>A0$. omen are generally cast in the role of &homemaker' as opposed to that of &economic

provider' (+lakemore, +erenbaum and iben, !""-, p.$. 7haracteristics such as aggression and

competence are associated with the masculine ideal (+lakemore, +erenbaum and iben, !""-$.

There are two notable female characters within The Avengers. The viewer encounters the first,

?epper ?otts, in a scene where she is instructing Tony Stark in the performance of a particular task(hedon, !"#!$. She is represented as occupying a dominant position / giving orders to a

hegemonic male. She is also the 7% of a large, successful corporation and is generally depicted as

being intelligent and competent (hedon, !"#!$.

The second female character, ;atasha 0omanoff (+lack idow$ displays characteristics generally

associated with hegemonic masculinity. She is an integral member of the Avengers team with

valuable physical skills and intellectual abilities (hedon, !"#!$. 5n her first scene, she overpowers

a group of men using physical skill (hedon, !"#!$. 6er former occupation was that of an assassin

which is completely at odds with the stereotypical notions of women being &friendly, warm and

nurturing' (+lakemore, +erenbaum and iben, !""-, p.$.

+oth of these female characters appear to transgress ideals of femininity / empowering female

viewers to adopt alternative understandings of the female gender role (6ansen/2iller ) Gill, !"##$.

?epper ?otts and ;atasha 0omanoff perform stereotypically masculine tasks and roles within the

movie without apparent retribution or discrimination. +y depicting :powerful3 female figures within

movies, the stereotype of the traditional female is challenged which creates a space for the

formation of new norms and gender roles (6ansen/2iller ) Gill, !"##$.

6owever, this same flexibility is not accorded to men. There are no male characters who display

stereotypically feminine traits or behaviours. All of the male characters ascribe rigidly to the ideals

of stereotypical hegemonic masculinity. This serves to reinforce existing stratification within ideals

of masculine gender roles (Staiger, !"##$. +y casting male characters who behave in a way that is

consistent with current ideals of hegemonic masculinity, the stereotype is perpetuated and

strengthened (Staiger, !"##$. This serves to empower men whose masculinities and performance of


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gender roles are consistent with norm as well as solidifying the subordinate position of males whose

masculinity does not (Staiger, !"##$.

hilst the representation of females within The Avengers does subvert the some ideals of

femininity by avoiding the depiction of women as submissive, maternal and compassionate, it still

subscribes to the portrayal of women as sexualised ob@ects within the media (hedon, !"#!$. +oth

?epper ?otts and ;atasha 0omanoff are highly sexualised / 0omanoff in particular. ven though

?otts is introduced in her role as a 7%, she is dressed in a stereotypically feminine way with

particularly revealing shorts (hedon, !"#!$. 0omanoff3s signature outfit is a skintight leather suit

that serves to accentuate her breasts (hedon, !"#!$. ven though these women are depicted as

being powerful and dominant, their most notably feature is their physical attractiveness.

5n this way, The Avengers perpetuates the social phenomenon of ob@ectifying women and evaluating

them based upon their physical attractiveness (7ahill, !""-$. This is also problematised through

their position as powerful, successful women / their physical attractiveness is then portrayed as part

of this position (7ahill, !""-$. 5n this way, desirability and sexuality becomes a re


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Gender issues also seem to arise within the division of skilled knowledge and labour within The

Avengers. %f the three characters within the movie to be identified as having doctorates, all three of

them are male / this supports the stereotypical ideal of men being more knowledgeable and capable

than women (+eynon, !""!$. Speciality knowledge and skills are also divided along traditional

gender roles (+eynon, !""!$. Tony Stark displays specialised knowledge of engineering, +ruce

+anner is re


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(+oyle, !""8$. This, in turn, can result in a desire to &punish... the feminine threat' out of a need to

preserve their dominant position (+oyle, !""8, p.#1=$.

5n my opinion, the strong association between masculine hegemony and violence is a dangerous one

. The glorification of violence and its link to dominance and supremacy reinforces notions of

aggression as a re


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Sex and Gender in the Avengers.doc

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