The image above was taken from a movie poster advertisement for the 2005 superhero film, Batman Begins. According to IMDb, this movie ranks in the #19 spot under the category of the Best Superhero Movies. Again, in order to focus on the advertisement itself, it’s important to push any prior knowledge of the film aside. Let’s look at the poster as an advertisement, without any backstory at all. 

Superhero movies are notorious for one character or a group of characters fighting evil and saving the day. Most of the time, this means a woman is the one being saved at some point. This film poster puts this plot point at the forefront of anything else that occurs in the film. In this particular film poster, Goffman’s Gender Displays was used to explain how gender portrayal here can be quite damaging to women. The categories below provide evidence for how this particular image keeps men in power positions and women in the stereotypical role of weak and needing to be saved. 

  1. Function Ranking = In this case, we see Rachel Dawes’ character passed out and in the arms of the superhero, Batman. His suite alone gives him a higher status over her, since she is dressed in street clothes and therefore a regular woman in the eyes of the audience viewing this advertisement. 
  2. Ritualization of Subordination = While this aspect of Goffman’s gender displays may be a bit of a stretch, the fact that Batman is carrying the woman to safety asserts his dominance, or at the very least, her submission. It is clear here that Batman is more powerful than Rachel as he seems to effortlessly carry her. 
  3. Licensed Withdrawal = Similar to Ritualization of Subordination, this form of gender display invites the audience to observe the curves of the woman’s body. Even passed out, she can be defined as beautiful in our modern standards today. Our eyes are drawn from Batman’s face to Rachel’s limp form in his arms, which some people may also say is romantic. This standard comes from the ancient stereotype of men being the protector. 

Shared by: Maddie Glosny
Image Credit: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/7btElv0phok8r5maCTpjulcCuMNAawb7FBPOePkMscWsctJobQoAeFZDv2fzoYJGLE3EINJOBS6JBsQbZz0KbapwvyOZku1rrpMhtB-DJ6kFWbKu