gender in films part 1 - women onscreen

Male and female roles have changed throughout history. These roles are reflected in films and media. Writers as a whole have to remember this when we write anything, whether it be movie scripts or novels. What we believe or see in our society gets reflected in our writing, whether we know it's happening or not. 

Today I'm diving into how female characters are portrayed in films (next blog tackles the male side of things). There are, of course, stereotypes out there about what it means to be female, and I need to explain those before I describe characters. We have all seen several of these film stereotypes and you may recognize several of them. 

Stereotypes of Women

1. The "perfect" wife -  We see this in several sitcoms from the 50s. Women are serving, cooking, and being primarily domestic in this stereotype. Men would be doing almost no domestic work compared to the women in their lives, so if you're searching for an example in your head look for who's doing the most domestic work. Look up Bewitched or I Dream of Genie if you're stumped.

2. All about the man - In this stereotype you see a woman focusing her whole life on having a happy ending with one man. Think Cinderella and Grease and you have the perfect picture of this. They may even change to please the man, especially in the case of Grease. 

3. The strong independent type - This is more common now than it used to be. Think Alita Battle Angel or Captain Marvel. These women don't need a man at all because they are sometimes stronger or as strong as the men. They may end up with a romance, but it doesn't cause them to change themselves or their drive to go for their goals. 

4. Pretty face/everyone loves a blonde - There are several movies that focus on what women wear and give them a grand total of two infuriatingly stupid lines in the script. They are there to be "decorative". They could be cut out of the plot entirely and the movie would still make perfect sense. Several blonde actresses with great bodies (Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, etc...) have been cast in these roles in several films, mostly in the early days of Hollywood.

Today's Films

Today we still see all of these, sometimes intermixed together. What has been trending, with all of the superhero movies we see put out year after year, is stereotype 3. We are seeing more and more examples of princesses that don't need men, female action heroes that lose their men and continue on with their lives, and intelligent women that don't depend on men for their worth. 

Sadly, we also see all of the other ones mixed with it in some of the reruns of old sitcoms and film classics. Watch anything involving Marilyn Monroe and you will see her objectified and made sexual by her clothing. I dream of Genie is a clear example of one who only serves her man (mind you, she's a genie, but still...). Westerns do every stereotype, sometimes all in one film. 

I am not saying classic film and sitcom shows are evil (They Arent!). What I'm saying is that old ideas of female roles exist in every classic film because they were made in a time where that was what society expected. Today women are in the workforce and have fought (and still fight) for film and minority representation. There are always films that break the mold and go against the grain, but most films (and novels) represent the society that made them. 

Wrapping it up

Next blog will take on the male stereotypes and film representation, and much like the stereotypes above, not all of them are good. Keep in mind that when we write our novels, or read our favorite authors, we need to understand what society the author is pulling from. Be careful writing historical novels with a 2019 outlook on life, because I guarantee you they didn't treat women's rights the same in the roaring twenties. 

As always, let me know what you want to hear about. I want to inform my fellow writers well. 

        

Pictures:

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/6/7/15740202/wonder-woman-origin-story-amazons-marston-explained

https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/jeannie-50th-anniv

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a26860987/grace-kelly-death-true-story/

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/02/18/alita-battle-angel-movie-box-office-figures-budget-success/

Old Hollywood - a writer's snapshot of Hollywood and stardom

We've all (well, some of us anyway) seen old Hollywood films of many different genres. Stardom began with becoming famous, and if you were female, being sexualized in front of a camera. The sexualized role of women both has, and hasn't, changed in today's movie business (based on what movies and directors you watch), but Hollywood itself has changed.

First I need to clarify that the 'golden age' of Hollywood is what I mean when I say 'old Hollywood'. This was 1915 to 1963. This includes the silent movies and "talkies" of any genre. The term "t
alkies" was used when sound in movies first became possible, and many actors had to get with the change or find another career. In that time period film provided an escape from reality (mostly an escape from the reality of the great depression and several wars)  and people fixated on entertainment.

Because of the focus on entertainment actors and actresses got the spotlight and lots of money, as well as scandal, large homes, and parties. This is probably the origin of celebrity status and tabloids. If you look up "old Hollywood" on google you'll find no end to the scandal references. Every move they made was public.

Being an actor/actress in the golden age

From here on I'm going to focus on the lives of a few hand-picked, well-known people and how they lived. I could talk about gender differences in film, but I'd be writing forever, so I'm saving that for another time. That subject may be touched on here and there, but the next blog will explore it far more.

Marilyn Monroe is sexualized to the max in every film I've seen her in. She is known for her body and her hair color. She was a very good actress, and like some actresses and actors today, she died young (36) of an overdose and had several husbands. Those husbands included Jimmy Dougherty, Joe Dimaggio, and Arthur Miller. She had a rough childhood, to say the least, and was in the foster system. Her real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson.

John Wayne is a name anyone who watches Encore Westerns knows well. He's known mostly for western genre films and being a masculine, tough hero with a good heart.  He battled lung cancer, survived, then died of stomach cancer. He's nicknamed the "duke" because that was the name of his dog and he spent so much time with that dog. Unlike Marilyn, he had a nice childhood. His real name was Marion Robert Morrison. 

These two famous people are just two examples of the golden age of Hollywood lifestyles. I didn't go into detail, but I can do a complete blog on anyone, so comment if you want to see that. 

In summary, celebrity status has not changed, but the way films are produced has. Television ended this era because nobody wanted to go to theatres as much, especially when you can see the film from your living room. Celebrity lifestyle, as crazy as this sounds, hasn't changed much based on looking at the stars of the golden age. They still have big homes, money, several marriages, and parties. 

As always, comment what you want to read about and God bless!

John wayne picture - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne

Marilyn Monroe picture - https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/suite-marilyn-monroe-lived-us-smile/story?id=60752810

Main picture -  https://www.tes.com/lessons/N1nShoeX7__Zzg/the-golden-age-of-hollywood

www.biography.com

http://www.american-historama.org/1929-1945-depression-ww2-era/golden-age-of-hollywood.htm

prohibition and speakeasies - a writer's snapshot of the 1920's and alcohol

Prohibition, the 18th amendment, created bootlegging and speakeasies. As most everyone familiar with the roaring 20s knows, it was a time where everyone drank, despite the 18th amendment, and bootleggers made millions. Prohibition was repealed, obviously, since we can sell alcohol with a proper license.

In truth, prohibition laws had too many holes in them to work. These gaping holes included selling alcohol to pharmacies and priests. These holes were abused frequently. If you read The Great Gatzby you will see a shining example of this, because Gatzby was a pharmacist who sold these "prescriptions" (according to the law, that's what he was doing). Believe it or not, some priests did share with their congregations. The holes were there because the law wouldn't pass without these holes. Frankly, prohibition shouldn't have passed at all because all it did was make drinking go underground and become fashionable.

Now, we're onto the topic of speakeasies. If you've heard of the Stork Club or Cotton Club, you know the name of a speakeasy that survived until after the 18th amendment was repealed. Major celebrities went to speakeasies to drink and party, including Babe Ruth (who drank quite a lot). Most of what people there drank was bathtub gin.

To make bathtub gin (don't do this at home!) you ferment a mash of potatoes, corn sugar, fruit, or beets in a still, which produces 200 percent alcohol. You mix that with glycerin and a touch of juniper oil for taste. You then water this down by half, using your bathtub ( a sink was too small). I repeat, Do Not Do This At Home! For some to even tolerate this, it was mixed with pops, juices, and fruits. You couldn't, or shouldn't drink that straight.

After I just gave you that recipe, I feel the need to say it again. Don't Make Bathtub Gin! Cocktails were necessary because it tasted so bad and you'll kill your stomach trying to. You can buy good stuff from a store and drink responsibly and legally, instead, so do that.

Law enforcement had a nightmare dealing with what I just explained above, and so did anyone who sold alcohol of any kind (rubbing, paint thinner, etc.). The US government would add wood alcohol to make products including alcohol in the ingredients impossible to use for bootlegging. Gangsters tried to boil it out, but it wasn't completely successful. 50,000 people died of tainted alcohol during prohibition. To deter drinkers, the US government also added more of this chemical, kerosene, and pyridine.

Moral of this story, drink responsibly and enjoy your freedom to drink. And, in case you forgot, Don't Make Bathtub Gin!

Comment about what you want to hear about and God bless!

http://www.heartlandbrewery.com/inside-the-speakeasies-of-the-1920s/

http://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-prohibition-underworld/bootleggers-and-bathtub-gin/

The 1800s - a basic snapshot

The 1800s was a time when, to put it bluntly, you had to do everything yourself. Factories and buying your clothes and food wasn't an option (for most of the time period). Towards the 1900s clothes in factories were an option, but early 1800s you made them yourself.

Usually, my blog posts involve detective work and laws, with some exceptions, but today I am branching out into time periods because some writers write historical novels. You could, most definitely, create a detective from the early or late 1800s. I'm going to give you a basic snapshot of what 1800s life was like.


In my research, I have found that early and late 1800s are different situations. I am going to be talking about the early 1800s. According to iamcountryside.com, it is suggested that you ask the Amish about their homesteading life if you want to know more about the late 1800s.

Daily Life

The first paragraph said it all: you do everything yourself, unless you were rich. If you were wealthy, you paid someone else to do it. Your kids worked alongside you and most were only educated to 8th grade. If you had money, they could be educated further. Handmade was the standard and when factories came around, some of these people lost their living (in the late 1800s, I mean). 

Homes were heated with fireplaces. The wealthy had bed curtains, and brick houses with floors and windows (think Scrooge's bed, but in a brick house with less fancy linen), but others had cabins with dirt floors. "Cabin Fever" is carbon dioxide poisoning because the door wasn't open enough and you had no windows. 

Gender differences were huge in this era. Women were married off via courtship, most were only educated to the 8th grade, and they were taught mostly homemaking. They were not encouraged to work, but homemaking was so different then that homemaking alone was work. Courtship was a time of freedom because they could reject and accept whomever they wanted and didn't have the responsibilities of running a household. After courtship, that power was over. 

Men, on the other hand, were taught to be breadwinners and support the household with their income. They looked for a woman who could take care of the home while they worked all day. Also, someone who could give them children. They courted in their late teens, same as women.

 I say this as a summary of the society standard, but I'm sure there were some out there who broke the mold, on both male and female standards. Men had simple expectations. I'd say, for this time period, that women did, too, because everyone was working constantly wherever they were. Life was hard in the early 1800s. 

One last thing I'll touch on in this section is self-care and hygiene. Take away the modern medicines, vaccines, showers, bathing daily, and extra hair and body care products we have today. Make opium legal again and make herbs the main medicines to cure ailments. Make it common to take one bath per 1 month and make your bathtub a wooden tub with all the family's bathwater still in it (if you aren't the head of the family). Also, you'd be using homemade lye soap and making it yourself with animal fat. You only wash your hands and face daily, in a small bowl of water. Are you there in your imagination? Do you feel disgusting and want to shower with your bath and body works shower gel and wash your hair with silky conditioner? Yeah, me too. 

What happened in this time period?

This was the time period of railroads, politics and presidents, and many other exciting events. Here are just a handful that happened (see http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1800s.html for more). 

-the invention of the battery (1800) -library of congress  (1800) -West Point Military Academy (1802)

-ultraviolet radiation discovered (1801) -Ohio became the 17th state in the union (1803)  

-New Jersey abolishes slavery (1804)  -first working locomotive (1804)  -first Oktoberfest (1810)

-Pride and Prejudice (1813)  -Battle of waterloo (1815)  -the rosetta stone (1822) 

-first photographs (1826)

There's so much more on the link above. It was hard to pick just a handful. A lot of inventions and discoveries happened in this era. 

Religious and societal beliefs of the time

Last, but not least, I'd like to introduce you to what the hot topics were of the 1800s. 

Mormons began in 1830 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. We know them now as people that have more than one spouse and come to your door with pamphlets. That isn't true of all of them, but that's the expectation we get from the musical The Book of Mormon, a musical that makes comedic relief of Mormon beliefs. 

The 1800s hot topics included abolition (opposing slavery), temperance (best explained as alcohol = evil), and social reform. Many names were connected with abolition, like William Lloyd Garrison,  the Grimke Sisters, and Frederick Douglas. At this time, some of the women's movements were beginning, as well, and these women also supported abolition. Other reforms involved school systems, headed by Horace Mann, and treatment of the mentally ill, headed by Dorothea Dix.  

I hope this has been informative and useful. If you want more information, I'm putting the rest of my sources below. This topic is also explored by many historical villages, such as Roscoe Village, which is where I picked up some of this. As always, check my facts and keep me accountable, writers. I aim to write truth. 

https://sites.google.com/site/ibcinthe1800sandhowtheychanged/

https://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume7/mar09/courtship.cfm

https://morsesociety.org/cpage.php?pt=11

https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/stories/how-fast-could-you-travel-across-the-us-in-the-1800s (the picture)

Saint Olga of Kiev - intelligence and power

Saint Olga of Kiev is a name few know. I only heard about this woman, the patron saint of widows and converts, last week.

Olga of Kiev was widowed after her husband, Igor I of Kiev, was assassinated by the Drevlians in a terribly gruesome way. The tribe that killed him then sent a marriage proposal to her and she accepted- or so it seemed.

(I'm sure you're wondering why this is important to writers and mystery/suspense fans about now. Well, here comes the violent part, so you can stop wondering.)

She sent for a party of men from the proposing tribe to celebrate the marriage with her, then buried them alive in a pre-dug ditch while she asked them loudly whether this was honorable enough for them. If this wasn't violent enough, she then set up a bathhouse and invited a party to join her there. She locked them in and burned them alive. 

About now you're probably wondering if this can get worse for the tribe who assassinated her husband, and it can. 

She declared that she wanted a banquet to honor her fallen husband and grieve for him just once more before she wed the other tribe's prince. Once there, she did grieve for her husband. During the meal, she got the tribe drunk and ordered her men to kill everyone there, egging her men on as they did so. 

Even after she had done all this, it wasn't enough. She held their village under siege, then offered them a way out: a few pigeons and a dove. They were delighted, gave her exactly that, and went on their way thinking everything was going to be okay. She had sulphur tied to the birds, lit the sulphur, and set the whole place on fire by sending the birds home. She took survivors as slaves. 

She continued to avoid remarrying to save the throne for her son, and she was successful in this. When her husband had died, her son had been three years old, thus wasn't ready to rule. 

Why was this woman a saint?

After what you just read, the question above must be somewhere in your thoughts. Believe it or not, this woman brought Christianity to Russia and the Constantine Empire. She successfully converted a great many of her subjects to Christianity, but wasn't so successful with her son. 

She had great intelligence and wit in avoiding proposals, and great power that, once she accepted Christ, was used for good. What she did before her conversion may have been anything but Christ-like, but she genuinely accepted Christ and became a saint. 

Why is she important to readers and writers out there? For one thing, as a Christian, it comforts me to know that if God can forgive this woman, he has plenty of grace to offer us. 

For another thing, it's good to remember that your characters are not static and should not remain static, if you want them to appear realistically in the readers' minds. It isn't impossible for real people, like Olga of Kiev, to make an abrupt change in their lives. This simply illustrates that it can be realistic for a character to be ruthless in one part of the book and change as the book goes on.

What do you want to hear about, fellow writers and readers? I aim to please, so comment below. 

Inspired by Chicago - The truth in the satire

The musical Chicago is a famous, favorite musical. It may interest many to know that Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart were real people, but had different names. The woman reporter who covered these events wrote the show Chicago as a satire and wanted us, as the audience, to hate the characters portrayed. They weren't written to be related to, at all.

Maurine Watkins, 28,  wrote about Belva Gaertner (Velma Kelly) and Beulah Annan (Roxie Hart) as if they had been guilty and played the system. She was put on the murderess row beat because it was too boring for the men, apparently. Murder, boring? Ha!

What you have to know about a reporter's access to jails was that they had 24-hour access in 1924. They competed with police to solve crimes, in their minds. Watkins would go in acting like what they used to call a "sob sister". As a result, they talked to her and she could use their words against them.

Sob sisters were a way of playing the system and creating sympathy for the woman trying to get off for murder, rather than sympathy for victim. The "sob sister" would become upset over the "wrongly jailed woman", creating press coverage that made the woman look good to a jury. Think Mary Sunshine, if you need an illustration of this.

Another thing to note, in this time period in Illinois, was that all male juries were the, stubbornly common, normal. The Victorian ideal that women didn't become violent, but only became that way for good reason, was alive and well here. This created an easy way to play the jury, by being a weak looking female to get off for murder.

Belva Gaertner

She was a cabaret singer and divorcee, and a woman who was possessive of her men, dangerously possessive. Unlike the musical portrayal, she didn't do a double homicide. She shot Walter Law in her car after a cabaret gin party and claimed to remember nothing, except hearing an explosion and feeling him fall on her.  Belva Gaertner and William Gaertner divorced multiple times and it was he who divorced her for abuse the last time. Thus proving that women can be abusive, too. 

Beulah Annan

This one was almost the same as the musical, pregnancy claim and all. Except for one thing; she changed her story three times. 

She shot her lover Harry Kalstedt, whom she met while working as a book-keeper. Afterward, she left her husband's phonograph playing for hours, then finally called her mechanic husband to say she killed a man. She divorced her husband, whom she had used as a meal ticket, directly after the trial on grounds of desertion. She had faked a pregnancy for sympathy and broken down in front of the jury in the course of the trial. 

Her first story about the crime was that his advances caused her to shoot to defend her honor. The story morphed into him leaving and her shooting him for leaving. The story she settled on was self-defense. "They both reached for the gun", which was said at the actual trial and made into one of Billy Flynn's featured songs in the musical. 

What ultimately happened

These two women were acquitted, but did I even need to tell you these women were let off the hook? If you watched the musical, no, but I say it for the benefit of those who don't know. 

Annan died of tuberculosis at age 29. Gaertner lived to the ripe old age of 80 and lived with her sister after her husband died in 1948. 

As usual, check my facts and keep me posted on what you want to hear about. I aim to arm writers with truth and history.

Informants, legal informants

Informants are legal, first of all. They confidentially provide information to law enforcement agencies. Yes, they can get paid, but that is the minority. Most got caught doing something and complied with a sting operation (being undercover) to get leniency or charges dropped.

One thing to remember with this topic is that their identity is protected unless they are called as a witness in court. Also, to be a legal informant, many things are considered. Some of this is common sense to an investigative mind, but some aren't. Below is a simple list of what is considered.

1. age
2.alien status
3.are they party to privileged info?
4. relevance of info
5.relationship to anyone involved
6.ability of officer to ensure they only do what they are supposed to / how they would use legitimate organizations for info
7. motivation
8. various risks to case
9. can statements be backed?
10. reliable/truthful?
11. prior record as witness
12. criminal history
13. risk of flight or harm to general public?
14. substance abuse.
15. relative in law enforcement?
16. harm to self/family if inform?


When it comes to legal informants, the pre-chosen (a common example is drug buying) crime is pardoned so they can be undercover and help bust someone. If they do what was pre-arranged well they receive their leniency, charges are dropped, or they are paid. It's rather simple compared to some legal concepts. It's a deal made with law enforcement, at its most basic.

It is equally important to note that private investigators don't get this legal privilege and don't have the regulation law enforcement agencies have. Law enforcement and PIs aren't the same. They may have helpful sources on the side, but they aren't called informants in that situation.

Check my research. Keep me honest, fellow writers. I aim to educate you with the truth. When you write your informants to life, keep in mind the paid are the minority and there are laws to follow when using them. I can only put so much in one blog post, so if you want to hear more, comment below.