Employment or empowerment? : a study of working women in The help (2011) and Hidden figures (2016)

Abstract

This dissertation conducts a comparative analysis of two mainstream American films involving women in the workplace, in particular African-American women, Hidden Figures (2016) and The Help (2011). The mediation of these issues in mainstream Hollywood cinema carries substantial effect in highlighting or downplaying these issues, and in turn reinforces or reconstructs the social norms. Without prior studies focusing on such films in depth, this dissertation utilises various theories regarding the representation of race and gender, supported by filmmaking conventions as a context, to shed light on the less-explored territory of race and gender dynamics in the filmic workplace, as well as the influence of cultural images conveyed. The implications of these films recreating the historical past, amid a strong wave of social movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo Movement, allow the audience to see and reflect on social progress. On the one hand, they explicitly highlight the marginalisation and discrimination faced by African-American people; on the other hand, they also attempt to downplay gender inequality by conforming to social norms and continuing the trend of using unfavourable images of female workers through white male ‘saviours’ and passive white female ‘villains’. Through the comparison between the films and their original, more progressive, and less restricted literature, the differences in gazes imposed across authorships are more clearly visible and accounted for.