Dressed Resembling a Girl: The Male Portrayal of Female Characters in Film
Robin Woitesek
Research Paper: “Dressed Resembling a Girl: the Male Portrayal of Female Characters in Film”
Course: Intro to Sociology
Instructors: Professor Cheryl Thayer
My name is Robin Rudolph Woitesek and I am graduating Oakton in Spring 2022 with an Associate's Degree in Sociology. I have always had a deep love for film ever since I was a child and when I became interested in sociology through Oakton I would often find a lot of similarities between the themes and ideas of movies in sociological ideas. After I graduate I will be transferring to Lake Forest College where I will double major in Sociology & Anthropology and through the self-designed major I will also be majoring in Film & Television Studies. I hope one day to become a film professor as well as to work within a film institute to continue to help restore and archive important cinematic films that have made an undeniable mark onto cinema throughout the decades.
This research essay delves into the sociological aspect of male actors portraying female characters in film, especially concerning the ideas of masculinity and femininity within our own society and how when those values are being imposed onto individuals to fit into certain criteria if what is deemed to be 'acceptable' for both men and women. I decided to takes these ideas and apply them to films where the lead male actor is portraying a female character to see how the ideas within femininity and masculinity are being adapted, changed, and/or challenged by through these male characterizations of the female experience. You can view the presentation slides here.
