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

© 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue III Version I 39 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C Gender Representation in Female Superhero Movies This sentence was meant in protest of the use of abusive language against Harley. Harley responds to Roman’s insulting words. Harley has tried to establish her place against the domination of masculinity. Harley: “I am the one they should be scared of; Cause I am Harley Quinn.” Harley has challenged patriarchy and expressed her supremacy. Harley thinks people should take her seriously and give her dignity. Rene: “I underestimated you and I am sorry.” Harley: “I am used to it.” Harley has become accustomed to all negligence, humiliation, and negative attitudes as women face in the patriarchal society. Harley: “I invested the cash in a little start-up.” Harley wants to be self-sufficient by starting a business. She is shown as a woman entrepreneur who is trying to be self-sufficient by standing on her own two feet. The desire to live as an independent woman has been expressed. Slang words like ‘dumb’, ‘slut’, ‘silly girl, ‘bad girl’ etc. were used by other characters against Harley. Words of praise or positive sentences were not presented in the conversation. But Harley has protested every time. She did not accept the dominance of patriarchy but challenged it. The movie uses Roman as a symbol of masculine domination. That is clear in the dialogue. He wants to convey that Harley, as a woman, needs protection. This has been said more than once. But Harley did not accept it, but rejected it and expressed her desire to live as an independent woman. Towards the end of the movie, Harley has invested in a business that hints at women's economic independence and self-reliance as opposed to Patriarchy. Male Gaze's presence in the conversation did not exist and the traditional gender role did not exist. Because there was no attempt to sexualize Harley Quinn anywhere but there was no sentence in the conversation that has been used to objectify women. d) Second Topic of Discourse Analysis The second topic of discourse analysis is whether male superiority has been represented despite the fact that it is a female superhero movie. Natasha Romanoff is portrayed as the most important character in the movie Black Widow. Natasha's on-screen time was 89 minutes which is the highest in this movie. Natasha is a woman, and the second most important character is also a woman named Yelena. Yelena's on-screen time was 64 minutes. Alexei, the third most important character after the 2 women, came in. His on-screen time was 51 minutes. Alexei was not an important part of the movie's main story. The story of this movie goes through Natasha first and Yelena second. Natasha Romanoff herself was the centerpiece of the most interesting part of the story. Alexei could not act as a completely independent character here. He really needed help. Natasha and Yelena proved all kinds of assistance with their skills. So, there is no presence of patriarchal domination here. The two most important characters in the Suicide Squad movie were men. In the 1st case Idris Elba whose On-Screen Time was 78 minutes. Then Rick Flag whose on-screen time was 47 minutes. Harley Quinn is the only female superhero character in the movie with an on-screen time of 53 minutes, which is less than that of Idris Elba and almost equal to Rick Flag. Idris Elba and Rick Flag are said to have led the story of the movie. They have been leading the squad for some time. Important decisions were being made through them. Harley Quinn had no direct or indirect role in decision-making. Harley Quinn led nowhere. No one accepted her lead or was seen anywhere. On the other hand, Harley was seen as a scared person in a few scenes. In some scenes, she has worked under men or taken protection for some time. Therefore, it can be said without any doubt that Male Superiority has been found to exist here. The most important character in the movie Birds of Prey is Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn's On-Screen Time was 66 minutes. No other character has been present for so long and the on-screen time of the main male character Roman in this movie was only 26 minutes. Roman played the fifth important character. The narrative of this movie has come to the fore mainly through Harley. The centerpiece of the interesting part of the story was Harley herself. Male Gaze was present in several places in this movie but Male Superiority was absent. Simply put, no male character has been able to surpass Harley Quinn, the movie's main superhero character. IV. D iscussion and C onclusion The same person played the role of the female superhero in both movies Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. Her real name is Margot Robbie who acted as Harley Quinn. The difference in the representation of Harley Quinn is noticeable between the Suicide Squad and the Birds of Prey movie. The director of Suicide Squad was a man named Janes Gunn and the director of Birds of Prey was a woman named Cathy Yan; Robbie's representation has changed a lot since the director changed from male to female. Harley's over- sexualization or objectification can be noticed in the Suicide Squad. But there was no over-sexualization in the Birds of Prey film. There was a scene with a male lead in Suicide Squad. Robbie has acted under male leadership for quite some time. But Robbie herself gave the lead in the movie Birds of Prey and She did not accept any male leadership here. Robbie's tendency to live as a completely independent person is not noticeable in the movie Suicide Squad. The movie Birds