The image above was taken from a movie poster advertisement for the 2011 film, X-Men: First Class. According to IMDb, this movie ranks in the #14 spot under the category of the Best Superhero Movies as of 2020.
Let’s look at the poster as an advertisement, without any backstory at all, using the Goffmanian Analysis:
- Function Ranking = With this particular movie poster, we can see that there are obviously fewer female characters than male. In regard to their rankings, it seems the men are more powerful, or have higher positions within the film because of how they are dressed. Of the four women, only one, Mystique, is in a uniform/suit similar to the men in this poster. The other three women are dressed in more revealing clothing, none of which includes a uniform/suit or armor. Without taking any plot points into account, this could indicate that the women are either less important, cannot protect themselves, or something else degrading.
- Licensed Withdrawal = Most obviously, we can note that every female character besides Mystique is turned away from the camera, some more subtly than others. Angel Salvador’s character is especially submissive in this poster; while she’s looking at the camera, her body is turned away, accentuating her curves and her presence as a woman. The other obvious pose that asserts femininity is Moira MacTaggert, who is posed as if she’s in the process of walking forward. She does not stand with her feet planted and a hard gaze on the camera; instead, her posture gives off a sense of weakness in this way. Overall, three of the four female characters on this poster gives us a feeling of inactivity, or at least less activity than the male characters.
Shared by: Maddie Glosny
Image Credit: https://www.fourthsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/xmen-first-class-poster.jpg
