Shaira Digamon BSOA 3-C

Jade Lykarose Galendo

Michie Mainit
Rialyn Roxas
Ciara Mae Ortiz

Activity 1 -1
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in this film/ tv show? Is he / she portrayed as a
creative member of the society or a person who has an essential function in the
community?
The film entitled Friend Zone is a romcom Thailand movie. The movie evolves
on two people who are bestfriends and never got the chance to tell their own feelings a
twist of stories which is fun to watch and full of comedic scenes. The protagonist in the
movie was portrayed as a besotted male protagonist Palm (Naphat Siangsomboon)
being friends with the object of his affections, Gink (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul).
Although it is painfully obvious that Palm loves her, both Palm and Gink somehow
manage to wave off all his actions as gestures of friendship. It was up to Palm to
somehow step out of his self-inflicted Friend Zone and find a way to demonstrate his
love for Gink or remain in a state of limbo forever.
2. Was there any stereotype in terms the gender role of the protagonist as showed in
the film/ tv show?
In the film, the role of the protagonist was shown as a male who is afraid to tell
his feelings to the girl he likes, and instead of telling her directly he chose the other way
of trying to get rid of his feelings for her by having other girlfriends but it turns out that
the relationships don’t last long and ended up still loving her best friend. There is a
stereotyping in terms of the gender role, men are dominant and men are also
stereotyped as playful boys, polygamous and unfaithful. As for the protagonist, he is
stereotyped as the type of best friend that is just one call away, and that many women
might want him as a best friend as portrayed in the film.
3. Who directed the film/tv show? Do you think if the director is of the opposite gender,
the film would have been told in another way? Why or why not?
The film Friend Zone is directed and written by Chayanop Boonprakob. He is a
writer and a director. The film was, he drew on experiences from both himself and his
friends, plus his imagination. He also used to work as a flight attendant, so he also drew
on that memory to shape the career of his leading man Palm. I think that if the director
is of the opposite gender the film would have been told in another way it might be
because of gender biases if a female writer or director is in charge of the film it might be
on women empowerment more on women as a great leader. It could also be in another
way because a director might want to add in the film the request of the people wherein
there are different perspectives and experiences in life that may add more color to the
film, with the ups and downs in facing problems.

I. KNOWLEDGE (2 points each). Define in your own words the following words.
1. Media Representation
Media representations are the ways in which the media portrays particular groups,
communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value
perspective. Moreover, media representation is influential knowing that it shapes the
perception of an individual towards a certain types of people or communities and other
essential topics. Perhaps, rather than examining media representations as simply
reflecting or mirroring "reality," we examine how media representations serve to "re-
present" or to actually create a new reality. Therefore, strong and positive
representation can help fight and break down stereotypes that can be detrimental to
individuals and limiting to society.
2. Objectification of Women
Objectification is a notion central to feminist theory. It can be roughly defined as the
seeing and/or treating a person, usually a woman, as an object. Mostly women are the
victims of objectification primarily occuring in the sexual realm. Objectification of women
basically creates an idea of lowering the worth of women, a being with humanity, to the
status of an object. In addition, objectification is an injury right at the heart of
discrimination: those who can be used as if they are not fully human are no longer fully
human in social terms; their humanity is hurt by being diminished. Thus, objectification
constitutes a serious harm to a person’s humanity.
3. Underrepresentation of Women
Various media themes influenced the way society views gender. Underrepresentation of
women is inevitable and most likely to happen. People start to detach from reality the
more they consume media. The media distort reality and are the primary cause of the
underrepresentation of women. We've witnessed how media put more emphasis on the
roles of men and set aside women. Generally, women's perspective are
underrepresented in media. We've seen in films and tv shows how women were
portrayed and described. They see women as weak and incompetent person that's why
mostly women are given less speaking roles and least to have the opportunity to be a
lead character. Therefore, due to the influences of biases and stereotypes,
underrepresentation of women exists.
4. Societal Norms
Societal norms are the unwritten rules of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are
considered acceptable in a particular social group or culture. Norms provide us with an
expected idea of how to behave, and function to provide order and predictability in
society. The idea of norms provides a key to understanding social influence in general
and conformity in particular. Nevertheless, societal norms vary from culture to culture
and often change over time. For example, desirable behavior among a group of friends
is not necessarily desirable behavior in the workplace. Thus, societal norms are broad
set of prescriptions that dictate behavior in certain circumstances.
5. Domestic Roles
Domestic roles refers to all activities necessary for the maintenance and survival of
human life. This includes the activities of looking after and educating children, cooking
food, washing clothes, and other household chores. Most likely women are subjected to
domestic roles. They are mostly whom accountable in performing these roles and
responsibilities. However due to ever-changing society domestic roles doesn't limit for
women only but it is also possible for men. Nowadays we have witnessed the presence
of men sharing more fully in domestic duties for an extended period of time. Hence, the
evolution of equality in gender roles are evident in the society today.

III. Comprehension and analysis

1. The film industry is claimed to be skewed to favor men. Why? Cite possible ways of
balancing the representation of women in the film and advertising industries?
In the film industry men have always been favored by many because they have
always been labeled as dominant which they think would make a great impact in the film
industry. I have seen articles that states that men are more creative in terms of writing
and directing in the film industry which over shadows the capabilities of women who
makes phenomenal films.
To balance out the representation of women in the film and advertising industry,
we need to acknowledge first those roookie writers who makes such creative story line
and plots, it is important that the selection of producers, writers, and directors shouldn't
be gender biased. If the director is a man then the writer should be a woman, if I were to
be honest, films written by women are exceptionally amazing.The industry should
Include news about and for women, this is is not just about covering “women’s issues”.
It’s about making sure content is balanced across gender lines and respects the
diversity.And, increase skills and leadership abilities through mentoring and
development programs, ensuring that women have the confidence and skills they need
to move up the ladder.

2.What is meant by stereotypical portrayals of men and women? Give examples to

support your answer.
Stereotypical portrayals of men and women means they are portrayed in such a
way that often results wrong notions about them. This gender stereotype is a
generalization about men and women, and became common as influenced by media.
Since most people today have access to various media forms, they can easily watch
entertainment shows and advertisements in which stereotypes of men and women are
observable. For example, men are seen as aggressive and dominant in character.
While most primetime television depicts men in their “masculine” role, strong and able,
various advertisements tend to picture men with “themes of sex appeal, career
orientation or occupying activities outside the home”. As for women, they are depicted
as “sex objects that are generally thin, beautiful, dependent, and often incompetent and
dumb”. In many television shows, women are objectified and equated to their bodies
and not their capabilities or skills. That’s what stereotypical portrayal of men and women
means.