With
all of the current media coverage homosexuals are receiving it should come as
no surprise that more and more gay characters and gay-themed movies are
emerging from Hollywood. These characters and movies often tend to fully
personify the homosexual stereotypes that exist in our society today. Many
gay-themed movies have made their way into the lime-light and gay characters
are popping up in dozens of mainstream movies. By looking closely at these
movies and characters we can see the different messages Hollywood is now
sending out about gays. Though homosexual stereotypes are emerging in the movie
industry, the stereotypes being generated are extremely different from one
another. The gay-themed movies often create one picture of homosexuals, while
mainstream movies tend to paint an entirely different picture. Gays are
portrayed in perceivably negative ways in some movies and in others their
characteristics are emphasized in a positive light.
Mainstream
movies, nowadays, often include minor characters that are gay. With the
addition of so many minor, gay characters, endless stereotypes abound in these
mainstream movies. Unfortunately, mainstream movies often focus on the negative
stereotypes that have already been generated by society, thereby furthering the
impact they have on people’s views towards gays. The movies focus on
surface-level aspects of homosexuals like the way they act, look, and talk.
Most often the movies don’t delve into the deeper sides of these characters,
thereby sending the message that gays are one-dimensional. Some strong examples
of stereotypes in mainstream movies are Mean Girls, As Good as it
Gets, and My Best Friend’s Wedding – all movies that a large number
of people have seen.
In Mean
Girls Damien, who is played by Daniel Franzes, is shown as always being
into what the girls are wearing and if it matches or not. He acts, talks, and
gesticulates in a flamboyant and colorful manner. The film even makes a point
of showing us that his favorite article of clothing is a light pink polo shirt.
In As Good as it Gets Simon, who is played by Greg Kinnear, is portrayed
in a very similar, feminine manner. He even owns a tiny, yipping dog, which is
often associated with women. The movie basically shows the audience that Simon
is a painter who likes to garden and therefore he is gay, or vice versa. His
whole lifestyle and environment all seem to point to his feminine aspects.
Lastly, in My Best Friend’s Wedding, George, who is played by Rupert
Everett, is also portrayed in a stereotypical, feminine way, with his
flamboyant laugh and his song number, “I Say a Little Prayer for You.” This
feminine stereotyping of gays is only perpetuating the myth that gay men are
flamboyant and basically women trapped in male bodies. In truth, these ongoing
stereotypes (that gay men are feminine and lesbians are masculine or “butch”)
are far from adequately representing the gay population in America today. In
actuality it is estimated that only 15 percent of homosexual men fall into this
stereotype, while only five percent of homosexual women do (Byer 386).
On
the other side of the movie spectrum are gay-themed movies. Unlike mainstream
movies, these often portray gays in more human aspects. They look deeper into
the lives of homosexuals and open a door into their thoughts and feelings, not
simply focusing on what they wear or look like. Unfortunately most of these
movies are never viewed by conventional audiences. Some examples of gay-themed
movies that portray homosexuality in a different light than mainstream movies
are Angels in America, Beautiful Thing, and Big Eden.
Angels
in America focuses on the 1980’s era when AIDS began ravaging the gay
community. The movie portrays gays in a variety of ways allowing viewers to see
the spectrum of diversity that exists in the gay community. The gay characters
consist of a masculine Jewish man, a couple of ex-drag queens, a closeted
Mormon, and a famous, right-wing lawyer. With such a variety in personalities
and tendencies gays are portrayed as a truly diverse group, which in reality
they are. In this movie we also see a very real and emotional side of
homosexuals. They are presented as real people, with real fears and real dreams
just like everyone else. Gays are represented in a similar manner in both Beautiful
Thing and Big Eden. Though these movies focus more on the genuine
relationships that gays can share with one another, they also portray gays as
more like “normal” people. The characters are just like normal men except they
choose to have relationships with other men rather than women. Once again we
see that they have emotions and feelings that are just as real as
heterosexuals.
With
all the conflicting stereotypes of gays in movies today, it is extremely
important that people step back and look at the big picture. They should view
some of the lesser-known gay-themed movies so they are presented with a more
real look at homosexuals. Too often people try to peg homosexuals as
definitively acting one way or another, and if we only view movies that
perpetuate stereotypes than our personal ideas of homosexual behavior will most
likely remain. Instead, it is important for people to understand that, outside
of who they sleep with, gays are no different from everyone else.
References:
Byer, C. & Shainberg, L. (1994). Dimensions of human sexuality. Brown & Benchmark. (pp.386).
Fey, T. (Screenplay). (2004). Mean Girls. [Film]. Paramount.
Kushner, T. (writer). (2003). Angels in America. (Mini film). HBO Films
:) Very interesting.
ReplyDelete