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Movie “Blonde 2022” Compare & Contract Stereotypes
Taylor Seward
Stockton University
Introduction: Stereotypes inform one of the most present yet unintended outcomes of human interaction. When people interact, they develop beliefs and perceptions about others, both positive and negative. These stereotypes then inform the way people consider others or expect others in similar and dissimilar contexts. It should be noted that stereotypes are not based on facts yet people rely on them to make decisions. In the film industry, there are many situations where stereotypes emerge and affect a film. This could occur from the audience who forms different stereotypes about the studio that produces a particular film, the company distributing the film, and even the content displayed on the film. The filmmakers too could be a source of stereotypes in deciding roles and imagining particular characters and themes. All these areas can be either result of stereotypes or sources of spreading stereotypes, unknowingly. The 2022 Netflix film ‘Blonde’ which is based on fictionalized biographical analysis of Marilyn Monroe is the subject of stereotypes from both the film making the film’s audience’s perception of the filmmakers and distributors.
Body:
What are the common stereotypes for this sort of film and from the production company? ‘Blonde’ s a fictionalized biographical film that traces the acting life of Marilyn Monroe, an American Hollywood actress that features in many films in the mid-20th century. The film is an adaptation of a novel that also goes by the same name (Pitt et al., 2022). People may think that since the film is an adaptation of a novel, it does not do its own research to find the truth about the subject and so it can be taken lightly to be entirely fictional. On another hand, some people could feel that since this is based on the biography of a person, the film could be more educational and less entertaining. Given the film’s subject is a former actress, others could take it to mean the film is like a case study, that is relevant to the professionals in the film industry only. This film is produced by loan B entertainment which usually goes by the name Plan B. Founded in 2001, this film production company has received much critical acclaim some of which had won the most sought awards. As a result, people could develop stereotypes on the film and assume that it is of high quality and worth award-winning. Lastly, some people could consider the film of a similar standard as all Netflix films as the film is available on Netflix for streaming.
What stereotypes have you noticed in this film?
A fatherless girl is unable to settle with one man for a husband when she comes of age.
A blonde woman is attractive to many men.
A beautiful girl being raped by potential employers.
A blonde girl earning through sexually appealing images.
A beautiful girl is taken in for film character because of her beauty even when she faults during the auditions.
Single mother not on good terms with daughter after daughter asks about the whereabouts of the father.
Actress or successful women not able to fit into marriage.
Child inheriting mental illness from parent and grandparent.
Celebrity engaging in a romantic relationship with multiple partners.
Mental health issues lead the victim to kill others or themselves.
‘mentally fit’ parent being better than ‘mentally ill parent.
Emerging from a poor family and growing to stardom/ success.
The life of a beautiful celebrity is a mystery.
The white person helping a black person.
The exploitation of highly determined and hardworking women.
Mother intending to harm/ kill child.
Are the stereotypes in this film necessarily negative? Although there are few positive stereotypes, negative ones dominate the film.
Can there be positive stereotypes? Yes, positive stereotypes can be drawn in the film. For instance, in the film, Monroe, who is white helps a black woman Ella Fitzgerald, who is black and struggling with acceptance in the music industry rises to stardom. Here, it not only shows a white person helping a black, contrary to the dark history of racism (Ware, 2015), but also creates a positive stereotype that a white person, in a position to help, will do so to his black colleague or friend. it also creates a positive stereotype of women helping each other. For a long time and essentially in literature and art, a woman is presented as an enemy of a fellow woman (Zinngrebe, 2019). Though Monroe’s mother tried to kill her, we understand that she was mentally ill. The people who harm her the most are men, including MR Z and JFK who rape her. She is helped by women including the woman who retakes her in and helps her to get admission at a nearby orphanage. Therefore, there can be positive stereotypes in the film.
Has the media image of African American culture evolved through this film and how? Yes. This film show portrays a positive image of black people. The film shows that Ella Fitzgerald, an African pop musician is struggling with acceptance in the music industry by white audiences. The film however shows that black artists like Ella Fitzgerald can have white fans like Monroe and that their performances can be entertaining and get on demand by a white audience. Therefore, the media has portrayed a positive image of an African American culture which is shown to be consumable by a wider audience including whites.
Marilyn Monroe, the film star of this film is an extremely inspirational character. The film tracing her life especially in her coming to age, without both parents and yet making it into one of the most competitive industries in America, inspires all who have ambitious dreams to make it in life absent all odds. The film also condemns those in power who take advantage of innocent women, some of whom hold negative stereotypes. Instead, it shows the hidden hardworking and talented side of the women who need support to rise and who regrettably fall into the hands of exploitative people. Her birth name is Norma Jeanne she adopts the name Marilyn Monroe when she first appears for a pin-up girl job. She continues to use her stage name throughout her acting career. However, at the peak of her career, she gets into problems getting settled into a family. These problems with her current husband, and her Ex-s, lead her to be dependent on pills to manage her mental issues. unfortunately, she takes a pill overdose and dies, ending her illustrates and left to be fully explored career.
Miss Flynn is the neighbor who rescues Monroe from her cruel and mentally ill mother who is later declared unfit to mother a child. She comes to her aid in her time of need, calms her down, and arranges for her admission to an orphanage. She is the first exposure of Monroe to ‘good women’ out there.
Ella Fitzgerald is a black friend of Monroe. She is helped by Monroe to rise to stardom who brokers her clothes to perform with and who also gives conditions to entertainment join owners to allow Ella Fitzgerald to perform if they need Monroe to attend their show and sit at the front.
Mr. Z is the owner of the studio where Marilyn Monroe first auditions. He rapes her opening into her challenges enacting, personality, and self-worth, and perhaps triggers her mental health problems. He portrays the invasive and exploitative men who take advantage of innocent and poor girls looking for jobs.
Overall, I love this film. It sheds light on how determination and hard work can help one overcome the obstacle. It further shows that holding hope can help beat the odds and achieve ambitions. On the other hand, it portrays very insightful concepts about stereotypes. For instance, it shows that not all blondes are after sex or use sex and their sexual action to earn a living. it also shows that not all whites are aggressive to blacks, especially at the time Monroe was living in the mid-20th century (Phills, Hahn & Gawronski, 2020). All these examples of wrong stereotypes communicate a strong message about how stereotypes can create wrong impressions of people and make people judge others completely opposite of how they really are.
Do you think this film inspired folks within this culture? Yes, I think the film inspired people of African descent to trust that some whites can help them rise and achieve their dreams. It also inspired whites to be good and help blacks in their reach. Besides, it inspired men in leadership to act as exemplary and protect young innocent women looking to build their careers.
Conclusion: This film acts to demonstrate the uniqueness of people. This shows that by using generalized stereotypes about people one can be grossly wrong. People who get into contact with Marilyn Monroe see her as an attractive blonde and exploit her beauty. The first time her body is used in popularized images of a beautiful girl for commercial gain. She is raped by two potential employers at a young age, people she could have thought would be her ladder to success. She helps a black woman to rise to freedom contrary to what blacks would have considered impossible in the mid-20th century. Therefore, film critics stereotype and show that they can make people judge others unfairly.
References
Phills, C. E., Hahn, A., & Gawronski, B. (2020). The bidirectional causal relation between implicit stereotypes and implicit prejudice. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 46(9), 1318-1330. doi: 10.1177/0146167219899234
Pitt, B., Gardner, D., Kleiner, J., Landon, T. Robertson, S. (Producers) & Dominik, A. (Director). (2022). Blonde [Film]. United States. Plan B Entertainment
Ware, V. (2015). Beyond the pale: White women, racism, and history. Verso Books.
Zinngrebe, K. J. (2019). Palestinian women in Israel: embodied citizen strangers. Settler Colonial Studies, 9(1), 117-134. doi: 10.1080/2201473X.2018.1487272