For my portfolio, I will be analyzing the displays of gender in the theatrical release posters for each Marvel Cinematic Universe film. I’ll be using Goffman’s Gender Displays to analyze the poster, along with my own personal reflection. The first poster that I will be analyzing is the original Iron Man film, released in 2008.
Feminine Touch
- We can see in Pepper’s character that she is standing with her hand on her hip, making her the only character in the poster that is touching their own body. This makes her look authoritative, but also slightly sexualized when you take her clothing into consideration.
Relative Size
- Tony Stark/Iron Man is positioned larger and higher above the rest of the characters, showing his importance above all other characters. Arguably, this could be seen as more powerful than Pepper’s character, but it also establishes Tony as the main character of the film since he is larger than the rest of the characters.
- Pepper is also sized larger than the secondary male characters, giving her some sort of power over the other males in the film.
Ritualization of Subordination
- Pepper’s clothes are revealing, showing her shoulders and having a lower neckline. All male characters are fully clothed on the poster, so this objectifies Pepper’s femininity and allows her to be seen as a sort of sex symbol.
Overall, there are definitely some stereotypical displays of gender in the poster, but I expected more elements that Goffman has introduced to be present. Male characters definitely look more serious in the poster, whereas Pepper is made to look feminine and slightly flirty, which perpetuates sexualization of women in the poster.
Shared by: Grace Knudsen
Image Credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/JVfEbCF1atpQNmE58