The image above was taken from a movie poster advertisement for the 2017 superhero film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. According to IMDb, this movie ranks in the #18 spot under the category of the Best Superhero Movies. 

Let’s look at the poster as an advertisement, without any backstory at all, using the Goffmanian Analysis: 

  1. Relative Size = Star-Lord’s character resides in the center of the film poster, with other characters creating a sort of border around him. The only woman in the foreground (the rest are in the background) of the poster is Gamora’s character, yet she still manages to seem smaller in comparison to Star-Lord. It could also have to do with the fact that her pose is much different than his, which I’ll touch on later. 
  2. Ritualization of Subordination = As previously mentioned, Gamora’s character has taken up a pose that is below Star-Lord. He is meant to be the immediate focus of the poster, which makes him take on a higher position, almost looming over her. It asserts a sort of dominance over Gamora especially. 
  3. Licensed Withdrawal = The three visible women on the poster are standing in what could be classified as more feminine poses from the men. While each woman seems to be looking right at the camera, they are not as open and dominant in posture as the men. The major aspect of their stances that suggests a change from regular stereotypes, is the fact that two of the three women are 1) making eye contact, and 2) holding weapons. While this strays from the norm of film posters, it is still important to recognize that the male characters face the cameras, with their upper torsos framed toward viewers, giving them more of a dominant perception. This subtly draws the viewers eyes to the woman’s body and even weaponry, rather than her face, giving her more of an objectified effect than anything else.

Shared by: Maddie Glosny
Image Credit: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A11Agdd1EQL._AC_SL1500_.jpg