Sepulveda 1

Sarai Sepulveda

Professor McCann

English 1302.203

13 March 2022

Title

It is a troublesome revelation when one discovers that deep within their mind lies a pre-

programmed, motherboard of misogyny. A thread of commands that the average person is yet to

be conscious of for the mind has grown accustomed to the subtle sexism that has taken over their

daily life. The term “internalized misogyny” is often used to describe this kind of prejudice as it

provides a distinction from blatant misogyny. One can never truly know what any kind of

misogyny feels like, unless they are a woman because the woman is the one who recognizes it,

experiences it, and suffers through it to continue living a normal life. But the normal life should

not be known for neglected sexism or misogyny, as it would then be stealing the infamous title of

the present world. Anywhere one can find a woman, one is also sure to find another who dislikes

her for reasons that can only be accurately explained by the woman herself. Consequently, there

are widespread declarations of misogyny all around the world because unfortunately, sexism

transcends borders. The media and its branches frequently aid these proclamations as they reach

many to educate them on the problem that continues to persist in other countries as well. The

most notorious one of them all? The film industry: the place that, for women, breeds both

success and failure at the cost of abuse. For women in the film industry, they are met with

exigent and degrading standards that today, many have grown tired of. Multiple movements have

been initiated to spread awareness of the situation, but it has begun to feel like superficial

progress. The mistreatment has taken on different forms throughout countries as they each
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attempt to deal with this issue that has been manifesting inside the industry for decades. Through

the multicultural perspectives of Indian, German, Nigerian, South Korean, Chinese, and French

countries, the different ways in which misogyny has established itself within each country’s

respective film industry can be seen in feminist movements, patriarchal ideologies, and

stereotypical roles.

MeToo, IchAuch, मैं भी

The words feminism and misogyny are often seen together, still, they have nearly

opposite meanings that cause turmoil in India’s film industry but unity in Germany’s film

industry. These two countries have long been familiar with “show business” and how things

work around those parts, including the mixed and stereotypical attitudes towards women.

Stereotypes have been seen to grow violent and sometimes sexually abusive within the film

industry when certain people start to take a wrong idea and turn it into something much worse.

After the MeToo movement’s resurrection a couple of years ago, various countries began to face

the influence of the movement too. This social movement where women are given the courage to

come forward about their sexual abusers has sparked feminist groups in India and Germany to

rise for their female actresses, directors, producers, writers, and more. In India, the ignition is

first seen with a prominent female figure in the industry that decided to take that first step, “It

was when Tanushree Dutta, a former Bollywood actress, spoke out in September 2018 about the

sexual harassment and intimidation she faced from a senior actor named Nana Patekar in 2008,

that the MeToo movement began to catch on in the Indian mainstream” (Lakkimsetti 305). This

was the pinnacle moment of the movement and for the women of India because those who were

suffering in silence suddenly had a great group of people to support them through the midst of
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the fire the film industry was spewing. Lakkimesetti continues to explain the ironic way the

patriarchy gave them a boost in the right direction: 

Along with the acknowledgment that this was the first-time women felt that they could

openly share their experiences of sexual harassment without feeling judged or

misunderstood, activists also had the triumphant feeling that the “conspiracy of

silence”—which had kept women from sharing their experiences of sexual violence even

with others they had close bonds with—was finally broken (306). 

There no longer was a need to hide for the tables were finally turning as misogyny began to take

the role of women in becoming the oppressed element of India. This reversal was not all

permanent as sexual violence towards women in the film industry continues to loom over the

country. Despite all of this, the optimist feminists view it as a minor victory for the revival of the

movement pushed the issue of misogyny into the political table, which meant that the problem

would be up for discussion. While the MeToo movement has only recently sparked the need for

female equality in the film industry for certain people, in other places, feminism has long been in

power over the big screen. Over in Germany, a feminist film movement has been in power since

the 1890s and with the MeToo movement, the work of great females in the film industry has

begun to gain recognition. Baer states:

Their work has achieved recognition in the context of feminism’s revitalization in

Germany over the past decade--driven not least by the interface of digital media and

protest cultures--and amidst the resurgence of attention to institutionalized sexism and the

marginalization of women in the global film and media industries, evident in the recent

#TimesUp and #MeToo movements (214). 

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In Germany, the need for equal representation of females in the industry has been sought after

since the late 19th century. Up to today, female involvement has become a long-time project

where they only hope to expand the participation of women to everywhere in the film industry.

There have been multiple successful female artists in Germany’s film industry such as Maren

Ade and her film Toni Erdmann (2016) (215). Her success has not only gained her fame but has

directed attention towards the existing restrictions women face in the film industry for solely

being female. Other German artists make the decision to not only tackle misogyny but also take

down the film corporations that encourage it throughout the country. Baer even goes as far as to

say that “we are living in a post-feminist age” where the relationship between women and

cinema is for furthering the awareness in a German context (216). India and Germany have taken

on distinct views on the issue of misogyny within the film industry, yet they still both aim to

utilize the most out of feminist movements and resurgences to end the prejudice against women.

The South Korean and French Patriarchy

Women are often painted as the most angelic of symbols because the concept of purity

and innocence is what the woman is most associated with than say male domination or

expression of patriarchal ideologies within the South Korean and French film industries. If one

were to travel back in time when misogyny was at its peak, one would land right in South Korea

in the 1980s, or anywhere one was put two seconds ago. South Korea’s film industry during this

time had a close-minded view on the roles women should play in films and if they were to play a

role, it would be a titillating one that would simultaneously represent the country’s pride. Lee

writes that this specific genre often had a “tight linkage between erotic visuals and South Korean

ethnocentric nationalism aligned with masculinism” (102). Women were not only being

objectified for the male’s entertainment but for the twisted pride, these same people had for their
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country. The pride originated from the women being seen as symbols of colonization or

domination, so if a South Korean man was in control of a woman, then he was in control of the

country. Unfortunately, many people were blind to the patriarchal hold the film industry had on

South Korean women as this issue continued to persist beyond the 1980s. Not taking note of an

issue can sometimes be an innocent mistake because it did not simply catch one’s attention, but

when it focuses on an issue such as misogyny, not realizing it, is a sure sign that sexism is in

control of one’s thoughts. This problem is one that plagued André Bazin, film critic for Le

Parisien libéré through the years of 1944 to 1958 in France. He was one of the many who never

realized the misogynistic critiques they were making by ignoring the messages misogynistic

films were sending to France. To illustrate, “He pinpoints the lack of credibility of the character

played by Gérard Philipe in Une si jolie petite plage, an orphan in state care exploited in the past

by innkeeper Jeanne Marken and then destroyed by a femme fatale, but without seeing the film’s

misogynist subtext” (Sellier 129). Bazin publicly making critiques of misogynistic films without

even calling out the misogynistic themes is one of the ways France’s film industry continued to

grow its internal sexism. South Korea and France both made their misogynistic film industries

the reason behind the bias towards women that underlies the countries today.

The Chinese and Nigerian Film Industries

When one combines the notion of a marginalized practice and some sprinkling of

stereotypical ideals directly targeted towards women, one would be working with the Chinese

and Nigerian film industries. Stereotypes have long been around for any group of people who

share a prominent characteristic, such as being female. Today, the stereotypes still linger for

women and it often ends up restricting them from pursuing other career areas. In Nigerian films,

women are often portrayed as the “typical” female who only takes care of the kids, makes food
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for her husband, and only ever leaves her house for domestic duties. This depiction of women is

one that strongly misleads the true value of females in the country of Nigeria and within the film

industry as well. Onyenankeya states, “the depiction of gender roles has failed to go beyond the

domain of traditional roles and images of women deeply rooted in the “dominant social value of

patriarchy”’ (74-75). The root goes so deep, that this is a problem that many are realizing is still

around to this day. The portrayal of women never reaches any hints of independence for they are

always hanging on the man, the stereotypical figure who always saves the day for the woman.

While in Nigeria this ideal is based on gender, in China it focuses on more materialistic

elements. “During this same period, however, feminist research in Chinese studies evidenced the

opposite trend, centering on a universal notion of gender at the expense of class, nation,

economic system, and geopolitical regional differences,” Wang states to explain the different

factors that have taken over the views of women in the Chinese film industry (591). This is a

patriarchal force deep in action.

Conclusion

To conclude, misogyny in the film industry can be seen through the multicultural

perspectives of the Indian, German, Nigerian, South Korean, Chinese, and French film

industries. Each country represents the different ways sexism has manifested itself throughout its

film industry and how it often burdens the women of each nation. Film is meant to be for the

entertainment of all, but when its cost is to ruin the lives of a whole gender, then it is not worth

the pleasure. Misogyny has been a problem for a long time and today, it, unfortunately, continues

to cause sufferings for many women. One can only hope that it will soon all come to an end.

Works Cited
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Baer, Hester. “Feminist Film and Media.” The German Quarterly, vol. 91, no. 2, [American

Association of Teachers of German, Wiley], 2018, pp. 213–16,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/44974037.

Lakkimsetti, Chaitanya. “Stripping Away at Respectability: #MeToo India and the Politics of

Dignity.” Feminist Formations, vol. 33, no. 3, 2021, pp. 303–317.,

https://doi.org/10.1353/ff.2021.0052.

Lee, Yun-Jong. “Woman in Ethnocultural Peril: South Korean Nationalist Erotic Films of the

1980s.” Journal of Korean Studies, vol. 21, no. 1, 2016, pp. 101–135.,

https://doi.org/10.1353/jks.2016.0005.

Onyenankeya, Kevin Uwaecheghi, et al. “Sexism and Gender Profiling: Two Decades of

Stereotypical Portrayal of Women in Nollywood Films.” Journal of International

Women's Studies, vol. 20, no. 2, Jan. 2019, pp. 73–90. ProQuest,

https://tamiu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/

sexism-gender-profiling-two-decades-stereotypical/docview/2186187587/se-2. Accessed

7 Mar. 2022. 

Sellier, Geneviève. “André Bazin, Film Critic for Le Parisien Libéré (1944–1958): An

Enlightened Defender of French Cinema.” Paragraph, vol. 36, no. 1, 2013, pp. 118–132.,

https://doi.org/10.3366/para.2013.0081.

Wang, Lingzhen. “Wang Ping and Women’s Cinema in Socialist China: Institutional Practice,

Feminist Cultures, and Embedded Authorship.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and

Society, vol. 40, no. 3, 2015, pp. 589–622., https://doi.org/10.1086/679522.

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