Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 23 Issue 3

This study has analyzed the gender representation of female protagonists in superhero films that have come out in contemporary times. The common feature of superhero movies is that they show a lot of action, conflict, and war. Viewers can think of action from different perspectives. Excessive violence created by superheroes in movies can distort the social thinking of spectaculars. The superhero characters in films are portrayed as role models. Children think of seeing a superhero character from such an ideal place with morality and values. (Miller et al., 2016) It’s necessary to understand the meaning the movie has tried to convey and the message it has tried to give us. This is not a male-led superhero movie. It’s a female-centered superhero movie. So, it is possible to present the gender role differently from male-led films. (Vitzthum, 2015) This study has found out if the traditional gender role has been maintained or if a different role has been represented. Most movies are represented from the place of the male gaze, now this study has found out whether the female-led superhero movie has moved away from the traditional perspective or how far it has moved to represent the female gaze. Since this study has worked on the representation of the female protagonist, Stuart Hall's Representation Theory is the most suitable for this research. Based on this theory the research has been conducted. Also, from which point of view women are represented in the movie is an important aspect of this study. For this, Feminist Film Theory has been used as the second theory. The study is done based on one research question that how gender is represented in female superhero movies? For getting the answer to the question I also need some sub-questions. They are- • Has the female protagonist been represented according to traditional gender roles? • Is there any male or female gaze perspective used in movies? The purposive sampling technique (also known as judgment, selective, or subjective sampling) is a sampling approach in which the researcher chooses members of the population to participate in the study based on his or her own judgment. Purposive sampling is a non-probability sampling technique in which components chosen for the sample are picked based on the researcher's judgment. Researchers frequently feel that by applying sound judgment, they can produce a representative sample and save time and money. Personal judgment must be utilized to find answers to research questions and to achieve research objectives through purposeful sampling. One of the most cost- effective and time-effective sampling approaches is purposeful sampling. If there are only a few primary data sources that can contribute to the study, then purposeful sampling may be the only viable option. (Purposive Sampling, n.d.) I have chosen 3 films for this study. The first one is Black Widow which is released in 2021. I have chosen this because out of thousands of films, this movie has achieved the 12th position at the box office in 2021. ( 2021 Worldwide Box Office , n.d.) After this movie, no significant female-led superhero movie came out. Black Widow is one of the latest released female superhero movies. So not much research has been done on this movie. So, there is ample opportunity to do research on Black Widow. Another two movies are Birds of Prey (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021). The representation of the female protagonist has been analyzed in these movies. The answers to the research questions have been found through the analysis of these three movies. II. M ethod This research is done by using discourse analysis and content analysis to find the research questions. a) Discourse Analysis Zellig Harris introduced the term "discourse analysis" at the beginning. Interpersonal Activity, the transaction between speaker and hearer, written form messages, spoken form messages, interviews, commentaries, speeches can be analyzed using this method. We can analyze and investigate all those features that are part of the total communication act. Conversational behavior and speech arts can be interpreted through discourse analysis. (Discourse Analysis, Types, Elements, Importance, Text Complete in Urdu and Hindi, 2018) Discourse analysis involves the study of language beyond sentences. It examines how speakers use language to construct meaning and identify. It also views social problems as institutionalized and seeks societal change. (Discourse Analysis, 2021) Discourse analysis works on all subjects that give meaning to texts. Text works as an object of discourse analysis. It can be oral or written text. (Introduction to Discourse Analysis, 2020) This method analyzes the framing, foregrounding, and backgrounding of texts. (Critical Discourse Analysis, 2020) In this study, my discourse is on whether male superiority has been represented despite the fact that it is female superhero movies. Another topic of discourse analysis is to find out how the female superhero is represented through language. The discourse Analysis method is the most suitable for finding these aspects of cinema. © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue III Version I 30 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C Gender Representation in Female Superhero Movies