Samantha Bailey

Media Identities Essay

Analysing Gender in 10 Cloverfield Lane

In this essay I will be looking at gender representation within a fictional, contemporary media text. I have
decided to analyze the representation of men and women within The Film: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). I
am going to look at different scenes from the film and draw on relevant theories to explore why each
gender may be represented in a certain way. I chose to look at this film as it seems to challenge and live
up to gender stereotypes and conventions throughout, as well as allowing the audience to have a deep
understanding of all of the character backgrounds. The lead role in this film is a female protagonist
(Michelle) who is taken in by a man (Howard) the she doesn't know, during a apocalyptic situation. I will
be focusing most of my study on these two characters, however there are only four people within the
whole of the text. Within the duration of this film the audience watch the main character struggle to
survive and escape from a nuclear fallout shelter dominated by men, with gender playing a large role in
the way the characters react to different situations and are perceived.

Literature Review

Within TV and film we commonly see the same repeated themes in relation to the representation of male
and female however, It is a lot more common now for contemporary media to challenge gender roles and
constructs. Harper (2015) Highlights that ‘gender norms’ contribute to ‘Upholding gender inequalities’.
This something that is very clear within the media, as it enforces social norms and values, via normalising
certain behaviours and appearances. Within TV and Film we commonly see characters conforming to
gender norms and values. An example of this could be representing a female character in a way that is
typically feminine for example relating a female character to the colour pink or having her appear as
weak. Male characters are typically the heroic character that protects the other characters these are
gender stereotypes are created by gender norms. ‘Constructions of gender have changed in recent years
in response to feminist critiques ’Marcus and Harper (2015) This has also been made clear in recent TV
and films as there are usually feminist reviews that have had a large impact on the way many films are
made with female protagonists and heros becoming more prominent within narratives.

Methodology

I will be conducting a qualitative study, looking at multiple different scenes from the film and analysing
things like: mise-en-scene, lighting, sound, semiotics and cinematography. These techniques allow the
audience to decode and encode what a certain character may represent within a scene and how it relates
to gender. During this study I would like to focus on the main ways that the film has conformed and
challenged gender stereotypes.

Analysis

In one of the very first scenes we see the main female character alone on a mattress on the floor, when
she wakes up and realises she has been abducted. The character is seen looking weak and vulnerable in
fairly revealing clothing (see appendix 1). Here we can apply the theory of the ‘male gaze’ this makes the
audience feel as if the character is being unknowingly watched and in this case it has also sexualised the
her. ‘The male gaze allows the audience to look at women for visual pleasure within a narrative’ (Laura
Mulvey,1989). I think the character is represented in this way to convey the stereotypical damsel in
distress waiting for a male hero to come to her rescue, as she then continues to try to call her boyfriend to
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save her but fails. This automatically makes the audience feel for Michelle as she becomes the victim
which is typical for a female character, so the audience can sympathise with her.

We are then introduced to the next character, Howard. Who enters the room calmly and starts to
rearrange to medical equipment next to the mattress. The first shot we see of Harold’s face is a low angle
and it is as if he is looking down on Michelle who is lying on the floor in fear of him and his intentions.
When applying Propp's theory (1928), Howard seems to have traits of both a villain and the hero. Propp's
theory argues that characters are given certain roles in order for progression within a story, the hero
within a narrative in the past is commonly a male character like a knight in shining armour. I think Howard
is represented in this way as it is clear that he is a caring character and he is trying to take care of
Michelle. However, the audience are still uncertain of his intentions, because of the way he is presented
from low angles in a dim lighting making him seem mysterious.

The first shot we see of the full room has Howard sitting in the side that is painted pink (See appendix 3).
Which is typically a feminine color. This challenges conventions as is would make more sense to have
Michelle in the more feminine setting. Harper (2015) highlights that ‘‘gender norms’ to refer to informal
rules and shared social expectations that distinguish expected behaviour on the basis of gender.” This is
an example of challenging gender stereotypes already and it helps us understand that Howard may not
have negative intentions as pink it typically a colour of love and femininity. Although at the start of the film
Howard is presented in this caring fatherly figure way, Michelle is still on the dark side of the room
chained up on the floor while Howard is still very dominant as he is always above Michelle and has more
power and he is still able to control her by threatening her and standing over when she does something
that he doesn't like (See appendix ).

In the scene where the audience are introduced to Emmett he is shown against a dark blue wall while
Michelle is on the other side against a pink wall. This shows the clear divide there is between the two
characters because of their gender. This is because Emmett is male and Howard doesnt want him around
Michelle, this is made clear in a later scene when the three are sat at the dinner table and Michelle is
friendly with Emmett which causes Howard to feel the need to re-assert his dominance by threatening the
the two of them violently. Although the dark setting Emmett is in makes him seem more masculine, he
seems to actually be more vulnerable and isolated than Michelle as he starts to tear up and opens up to
Michelle which is not typically a very ‘masculine’ thing to do. Gauntlett (2008) ‘Every so often there is a
wave of media coverage about contemporary ‘masculinity’ and the idea that it is ‘in crisis’. Emmett is not
the typical male character as he seems to rely on Michelle for mental and physical support throughout, he
also has a lot less power than Michelle as Howard seems to create a hierarchy based on favouritism
where Emmett is at the bottom.

As Howard and Michelle begin to become closer, it becomes clear that Howard wants Michelle to replace
his daughter. Michelle starts to take on a hyper-feminine roll, as her relationship with Howard seems to
determine how successful she is going to be in surving in the fallout shelter. She starts to act like
Howard's daughter and becomes interested in typically feminine things like fashion and cooking. ‘Murnen
and Byrne (1991) have defined hyperfemininity as an exaggerated adherence to a feminine gender role
as it relates to heterosexual relationships’. The only other female character we see in the film is an
unnamed woman who is trying to get into the fallout shelter (See appendix 5). She is also presented as
weak, scared and powerless and when applying Propp's theory she is a victim and used as something to
cause progression within the story rather than being an integral role. This scene however, also tells us a
lot about Howard and Michelle. In the scene Michelle is sympathetic with the woman and wants to save
her, whereas Howard tells her not to open the door and she eventually listens. This scene helps the
audience understand how much power Howard actually has as, even though he was not able to prevent
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her from opening the door physically, he was still able to talk her out of it. This shows that Michelle trusts
howard a relies on him for safety despite how suspicious she is off him.

In the final sequence of this film, Michelle’s character challenges gender stereotypes and conventions as
she becomes the most powerful person in all of the final scenes. First, the audience see her manipulate
Howard by using his own weaknesses against him as she acts like his daughter so he has a soft spot for
her, therefore outsmarting him. She then decides to use the skills she has learned to betray Howard after
he kills Emmett. She does this by designing a fallout suit in the way she had learned to design high
fashion clothing. This completely reverses the roles as Michelle seems to change her mentality and
completely rebels against Howard by pouring acid on him. This is a huge pivotal moment for Michelle
because she no longer needs Howard as she is able to defend herself which completely removes all of
her ‘hyper-femininity’. She then becomes heroic as she defeats the villain and saves herself by fighting
her way out of the area she is in Sarah J. Mahler and Patricia R. Pessar (2001) ‘People are socialized to
view gendered distinctions— as for example in the definition of male and female tasks’. When Michelle
does this it surprises to audience as fighting and killing are not things that are typical for a character like
Michelle to do .

When Michelle escapes the bunker she then comes face to face with the monster. This scene allows the
audience to truly understand how strong Michelle is. She also removes her mask and discovers she can
breath which I think is symbolic of her new found freedom with no overpowering male counter parts.

Morrell, R., Jewkes, R., & Lindegger, G. (2012) ‘The concept of hegemonic masculinity’

Conclusion

In conclusion, 10 Cloverfield Lane first appears to live up to gender norms and values created by society
and the media with the male characters having the most power and being the more dominant people
within the story. However, Michelle becomes the most powerful character in the whole story as she
challenges gender norms when creating elaborate plans and fighting the main male protagonist.‘Some
parts of popular culture are said to be ‘reasserting’ the traditional forms of masculinity, whilst others are
challenging them’ Gauntlett (2008). Michelle not only challenges gender roles by becoming the more
powerful character but she also kills the monster after she kills Howard, achieving more than all of the
other characters do throughout.

Appendix 1 Michelle
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Appendix 2 Howard

Appendix 3 The room

Appendix 4 Howard looking down

Appendix 5 - Other female character

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Appendix 6 Michelle Meeting Emmett

Appendix 7 Fighting Howard

Appendix 8 Michelle Escapes

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Bibliography

● https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933/

● Social norms, gender norms and adolescent girls: a brief guide - Rachel Marcus and Caroline
Harper (2015)( P,1- 4)

● https://www.filminquiry.com/character-conventions-propp/

● Mulvey L. (1989) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In: Visual and Other Pleasures.
Language, Discourse, Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London (p14-26)

● Pablo Gervás (2013) Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale as a Grammar for Generation (P-106)
http://drops.dagstuhl.de/opus/volltexte/2013/4156/pdf/p106-gervas.pdf

● Gauntlett, D. (2008). Media, gender and identity: An introduction. Routledge.

● Cvajner, M. (2011). Hyper-femininity as decency: Beauty womanhood and respect in emigration.

Ethnography 12(3), 356-374. https://doi.org/10.1177/1466138110392463

● Matschiner, M., & Murnen, S. K (1999). Hyperfemininity and Influence Psychology of Women
Quarterly, 23(3), 631-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1999.tb00385.x

● Sarah J. Mahler & Patricia R. Pessar (2001) Gendered Geographies of Power: Analyzing Gender
Across Transnational Spaces, , 7:4, P-442, https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2001.9962675#

● Morrell, R., Jewkes, R., & Lindegger, G. (2012). Hegemonic Masculinity/Masculinities in South
Africa: Culture, Power, and Gender Politics. Men and Masculinities, 15(1), P11–30.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X12438001
Samantha Bailey