She’s the Man is a popular comedy, released in 2006, about a girl named Viola who wants to try out for the boys soccer team after the girls team at her school is cut. After being told no about playing with the boys, she acts as her twin brother for two weeks at his boarding school, where she tries out for the boys team. She acts as a boy in that time, demonstrating stereotypical boy behavior, while defying the norm for the expectations of a girl. She’s the Man is a movies which breaks the stereotypes of the classic expectations and abilities of a female, while the movie also enforces the classic expectations of a male.
The movie shows does a good job of showing viewers that girls are capable of playing sports as well as boys and of making the argument that many girls may not want to be “ladylike” all of the time, or a debutant. After Viola’s boyfriend told her that she could never play soccer on the boys team, she breaks up with him and creates an elaborate plan to show him he was wrong. In the last few minutes of the movie, the team which Viola switched to at her brother’s school plays her old school and her ex boyfriend, and she ends up bringing home the victory for the new school.
Although the movie does a good job on the female side of things, if reinforces some stereotypical male behavior. For example, at one point in the film, Viola’s friends help her seem cool by all walking past her and pretending to be in love with her. This enforces the idea that guys need to seem shallow and popular among girls in order to feel good about themselves. Another male stereotype in the movie is when they made fun of Viola’s ex for crying after losing the game. This enforces the commonly referred to “tough guise” which society says all males must put on, leading to many men to act abusively to women, or to have to hide their true feelings, and are unable to show any emotions.
I agree Jane! It definitely starts to break the stereotype of what a athletic girl is like, but also reinforces boy's stereotype. This was probably one of my favorite movies growing up1
ReplyDeleteThis is a great connection to stereotypes of media to the real world. I really like the examples you have here and good comedy, brings back some good memories of this movie. Thanks for sharing Jane.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great stereotype of where a girl is restriceted by the boys but she fights through it and shows everybody what she can do. I agree with your connection.
ReplyDeleteI think that this movie is a good representation that breaks the typical girl stereotype because Viola isn't completely girly and she sticks up for herself by proving that she can play just as well as the boys on the soccer team.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this I think it's a great example of gender stereotypes and how they're not always true.
ReplyDeleteI think that this film, like a lot of popular culture, furthers the pigeon-holing of male behavior. Boys are expected to all fit a certain role, and arguably have less range of self-expression than do women in our society. Men are expected to conform to a very restricting stereotype, albeit that stereotype traditionally includes places of power in society.
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