Under The Skin - Stereotypes (Part 1)

How does " the female " in Under the Skin demonstrate, subvert or develop some of these traditional female/male qualities and what is the effect on the audience's positioning and response to her as a character? Give a range of examples

Traditional gender stereotypes
	Masculine
Feminine
Not aggressive	Aggressive
Dependent	Independent
Easily influenced	Not easily influenced
Submissive	Dominant
Passive	Active
Home-oriented	Worldly
Easily hurt emotionally	Not easily hurt emotionally
Indecisive	Decisive
Talkative	Not at all talkative
Gentle	Tough
Sensitive to others’ feelings	Less sensitive to others’ feelings
Very desirous of security	Not very desirous of security
Cries a lot	Rarely cries
Emotional	Logical
Verbal	Analytical
Kind	Cruel
Tactful	Blunt
Nurturing	Not nurturing

The Female, played by Scarlett Johansson, could be considered as a controversial political statement to modern society’s opinions. The characterisation conveys both qualities which link severely to toxic masculinity and feminism, however twists the opinions to highlight how society depicts a person based on their sex and gender identity.

When The Female firsts arrives on Earth, she is shown to portray stereotypical flirty feminine qualities which could define as masculine based on these traditional qualities. To emphasise these qualities, her appearance reveals her character before her actions; she’s dressed in a fur coat, with bright red lipstick, which is considered as stereotypical confident in her sexuality and her aims, the lipstick being shown through a shot of her reflection, creating an ominousness. When she begins on her ‘hunt’, she seeks for men in solitude in the protection of her van, and when finding them the fade of her seductive theme plays non-diegetically to prove her motives within the scene. Through underlying questions, The Female portrays the characteristics of an innocent lady whilst the portrayal of the men she seduces could be deemed as willing in the beginning. The ideology of men being ‘not easily influenced’ is shifted when they unknowingly fall for her, also contradicting the stereotype of ‘logical’. Whilst The Female is essentially a predator within these scenes, her non-aggressiveness makes it seem more innocent, however behind the true meanings of the hunting are not revealed until later. She is very separate from the stereotypical woman, significantly due to her lack of emotion since her status as an alien. Her complete disregard and lack of pity towards her victims portrays her to  be ‘unemotional’ as she, without any facial expressions, just continues on her job. Yet even this is wavered when she leaves a crying baby on the shore, after everyone else has died, a small transitioning shot showing her to be sympathetic, which is a significant quality of humanity in not men and women alike, yet stereotypically assigned to women. 

Her significant development in characterisation shifts after the release of the man who wants to go to Tesco’s. This could either be due to empathy because of circumstances or her realisation that her actions are unjust, portraying her ‘sensitive’ qualities. There is such a shift in her dynamic which results in her becoming the victim, following in the same footsteps of the men which she had previously taken. For when she’s alone on the bus, a man, who at first could be considered as gentle, consistently asks her if she’s okay. Once agreeing, the scene cuts to them in a food shop with her engulfed by the man’s coat. This could portray his ownership of her, showing her to be ‘submissive’ in her time of ‘emotionally display’. Their lack of introduction shows a distance within their relationship, for in shows a coldness, much like her impact on the men. This man is very similar in the stylistic of ways in which he aims to get what The Female got of her pray which is a non-aggressive, yet still inhuman way. 

The Female’s characterisation of gender stereotypes is completely shifted by the final man who she meets in the woods after running away. Their similarities are first highlighted when he asks her exactly the same type of questions she asked her prey, and yet she is completely unaware, considering them to be a normality. The significant difference which could be considered as quite traumatic is the the aggression which the man has, forcing himself upon her, when she is non-consensual. This evokes all of the ‘feminine stereotypes’ by being ‘emotional’, ‘submissive’ and ‘passive’, yet is a reaction that anyone would have in that situation. As The Female becomes more human, her dynamics shift more to the feminine stereotypes, which results in her becoming the victim. This could be a political statement on the way society opinionates toxic masculinity. The audience are made to align themselves with her character throughout various moments of the film; in the beginning the audience could say the men consented yet finding out her real reasons for this shows her to be toxic. Yet we sympathise with her during the last struggle with the man in the forest due to his aggression, conveyed through his actions and sound effects such as grunts and tearing her clothes off her. As The Female becomes more human, we do gain a sense of sympathy for her, yet in perspective the last man’s actions mirror her beginning ones but the ways in which they were handled evokes different reactions from the audience.