Email this article 
A FRINGE LOOK AT THE FEMALE PORTRAYALS IN THE CINEMA INDUSTRY: THE REPRESENTATION OF THE IMAGINED FEMINIST WOMAN FIGURE BY “THE FALL” SERIES / SİNEMA SEKTÖRÜNDE KADIN TASVİRLERİNE AYRI BİR BAKIŞ: “THE FALL” DİZİSİNDE HAYAL EDİLEN FEMİNİST KADIN FİGÜRÜNÜN TEMSİLİ
Abstract
This study explores how an idealized image of a feminist woman, presented as a symbol of feminism through her speech and lifestyle, is depicted and reflected on screen. “The Fall” series portrays a female model who was expected to conform to all guidelines of feminism through a masculine perspective. In "The Fall," a series about a high-ranking female detective trying to solve a serial killer case, the narrative explores how the series depicts the feminist character demonstrated in her conduct, speech, and interpersonal relationships. This character's portrayal of feminism, especially her strong feminist attributes, illustrates how men view feminist women and highlights how feminism is idealized in her persona. This study claims and validates Stella's feminism not only through historical qualitative analysis, tracing the key issues that feminism focused on during the struggle for rights, but also by exploring the key characteristics revealed through discourse analysis, reflecting feminist texts in Stella's speech and character. Despite the feminist idealistic depiction of Stella character, she was also the target of violence due to her occupation and her defiance of masculinity. Even if her sexuality sparked a scandal and she was condemned to loneliness due to her lack of private life, marriage, or motherhood, her nightmares revealed her psychological disorders.
Bu çalışma, konuşması ve yaşam biçimiyle bir feminizm sembolü olarak sunulan idealize edilmiş bir feminist kadın imgesinin nasıl betimlendiğini ve ekrandan nasıl yansıtıldığını ele almaktadır. Seri katil vakasını çözmeye çalışan yüksek rütbeli bir kadın dedektifi konu alan "The Fall" dizisi ekseninde, anlatının, karakterin davranışlarında, konuşmasında ve kişilerarası ilişkilerinde sergilediği feminist kişiliği nasıl serimlediği incelenmektedir. Stella karakterinin feminizmi tasviri, özellikle de güçlü feminist nitelikleri, erkeklerin feminist kadınlara nasıl baktığını gösteriyor ve feminizmin onun kişiliğinde nasıl idealleştirildiğini vurguluyor. Feminizmin haklar mücadelesi sırasında odaklandığı en önemli konuları izleyen tarihsel nitel analizler ile Stella'nın konuşmalarında ve karakterinde ortaya konulan özellikler, onun feminist kadın karakter özelliklerini serimler ve doğrular niteliktedir. Stella karakterinin feminist ve idealist bir şekilde betimlenmesine karşın, mesleği gereği ve erkek egemenliğine meydan okuması nedeniyle o da şiddetin hedefi olmuştur. Sonuçta, cinselliği bir skandala yol açmış ve özel hayatı, evliliği veya anneliği olmadığı için yalnızlığa mahkum edilmiş olsa da, kâbusları psikolojik rahatsızlıklarını ortaya koymuştur.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alejandro, A., & Zhao, L. (2024). Multi-method qualitative text and discourse analysis: A methodological framework. Qualitative inquiry, 30(6), 461-473. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004231184421
Aleramo, A. (1980). Selva d’amore, Roma, Newton Compton Editori.
Arendt, H. (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from https://monoskop.org/images/e/e2/Arendt_Hannah_The_Human_Condition_2nd_1998.pdf
Armstrong, E. (2020). Marxist and Socialist Feminism. In N. Naples (Ed.), Study of women and gender. Companion to Feminist Studies (pp. 39-64). Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.smith.edu/swg_facpubs/15/
Barton, R. (2021). Trauma, motive and the post-Troubles psychopath in The Fall. Television & New Media, 22(1), 32-46.
Benecchi, E., & Colapinto, C. (2011). 21th Century: TV series go beyond the screens. In Previously on. Interdisciplinary studies on TV Series in the Third Golden Age of Television (pp. 433-446). Frame.
Cahill, A. J. (2003). Feminist Pleasure and Feminine Beautification. Hypatia, 18(4), 42-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.2003.tb01412.x
Cash, T. F. (2004). Body image: Past, present, and future. Body image, 1(1), 1-5. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/s1740-1445(03)00011-1
Clark-Taylor, A., Bryant, J. L., Storey, S., & Nigro, J. L. (2015). Sisterhood & Feminism: Engaging Gender and Women’s Studies Students in the Community. The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, 1(1), 7. Retrieved from https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=sfd
Cleary, K. (2016). Feminist theories of the body. The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of gender and sexuality studies, 1–6. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss668
De Beauvoir, S. (1997). Introduction to the second sex. na. Retrieved from https://newuniversityinexileconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Simone-de-Beauvoir-The-Second-Sex-Jonathan-Cape-1956.pdf
Delmar, R. (1976). Looking again at Engels. Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, in J. Mitchell and A. Oakley (eds).
Diamond, N. (1985). This is the feminist issue. Feminist Review, 19, 45-64. https://doi.org/10.2307/1394984
Eplau, L. A., & Gordon, S. L. (1985). Women and men in love: Gender differences in close heterosexual relationships. In V. E. O’Leary, R. K. Unger, & B. S. Wallston (Eds.), Women, gender, and social psychology (pp. 257-277). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Retrieved from https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2017/07/Peplau-Gordon-85.pdf
Ercan, E. U., & Uçar, S. (2021). Gender Roles, Personality Traits and Expectations of Women and Men Towards Marriage. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 16(1), 7-10. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1301732.pdf
Feltham-King, T., & Macleod, C. (2016). How content analysis may complement and extend the insights of discourse analysis: An example of research on constructions of abortion in South African newspapers 1978–2005. International journal of qualitative methods, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406915624575
Ferguson, A., Philipson, I., Diamond, I., & Quinby, L. (2002). The feminist sexuality debates. Sexualities: Difference and the diversity of sexualities, 3(11), 351. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Forum%3A-The-Feminist-Sexuality-Debates-Ferguson-Philipson/6e0ffa26e73912d9c9483afe4fc052046e42e959
Ferguson, K. E. (1984). The feminist case against bureaucracy. Temple University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Feminist_Case_Against_Bureaucracy.html?hl=EN&id=sBtH2NO3IMwC&redir_esc=y
Fisher, S. (1986). Development and structure of the body image (vols. 1, 2). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Development-and-Structure-of-the-Body-Image-Volume-1/Fisher/p/book/9780898596847
Fisher, S. (1990). The evolution of psychological concepts about the body. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body images: Development, deviance, and change (pp. 3–20). New York: Guilford Press. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1990-98350-001
Gamble S. (2000). The Routledge critical dictionary of Feminism and Postfeminism (A Alshami, trans) (1st ed.). Routledge. (Original work published 2000). Retrieved from https://cmich.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01CMICH_INST:01CMICH&tab=Everything&docid=alma991008167289703781&context=L〈=en
Göle, N. (1997). The gendered nature of the public sphere. Public culture, 10, 61-82. Retrieved from https://www.wiko-berlin.de/fileadmin/Jahrbuchberichte/1996/1996_97_Goele_Nilufer_Vortrag_Jahrbuchbericht.pdf
Gómez Ponce, F. A. (2018). Versiones y conversiones del asesino serial: Escenas del museo gótico en The Fall.
Goodman, J. L., Winston, D. J., Greenfield, R. A., Chandrasekar, P. H., Fox, B., Kaizer, H., ... & Buell, D. (1992). A controlled trial of fluconazole to prevent fungal infections in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. New England Journal of Medicine, 326(13), 845-851. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199203263261301
Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: a meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological bulletin, 134(3), 460. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460
Habermas, J. (2020). The public sphere: An encyclopedia article. In Critical theory and society (pp. 136-142). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/487737
Hayfield, N., Clarke, V., Halliwell, E., & Malson, H. (2013, September). Visible lesbians and invisible bisexuals: Appearance and visual identities among bisexual women. Women's Studies International Forum, Vol. 40, pp. 172-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2013.07.015
Hooks, B. (1986). Sisterhood: Political solidarity between women. Feminist review, 23(1), 125-138.
Humm, M. (2006). Beauty and Woolf. Feminist Theory, 7(2), 237-254. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700106064422
Humm. (2003). The Dictionary of Feminist Theory (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press Ltd. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv2f4vg6k
Jaggar, A. M. (1983). Feminist Politics and Human Nature. Rowman & Allanheld, Harvester Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Feminist_Politics_and_Human_Nature.html?id=xVI6ZYDkDSYC&redir_esc=y
Jeffreys, S. (2008). Women and sexuality. In Women's History: Britain, 1850-1945 (pp. 172-192). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203930151-14/women-sexuality-sheila-jeffreys
Jermyn, D. (2017). Silk blouses and fedoras: The female detective, contemporary TV crime drama and the predicaments of postfeminism. Crime, Media, Culture, 13(3), 259-276.
Kelkar, G., & Nathan, D. (2002). Gender relations and technological change in Asia. Current Sociology, 50(3), 427-441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392102050003008
Kik, F. J. (2019). Women-led films: different female representations in popular cinemas. International Journal of Social Sciences, 8(2), 88-107. Retrieved from https://www.eurrec.org/ijoss-article-21937
Klinger, B. (2018). Gateway bodies: Serial form, genre, and white femininity in imported crime TV. Television & New Media, 19(6), 515-534.
Krawczyk-Łaskarzewska, A. (2014). “She is a bit of an enigma…”: “The Fall” and the Problem of Fashioning Female Detectives. Journal of Popular Television, 2(1), 27-40. doi: 10.1386/jptv.2.1.27_1. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/10315486/_She_is_a_bit_of_an_enigma_The_Fall_and_the_Problem_of_Fashioning_Female_Detectives
Krolokke, C., & Sorensen, A. S. (2006). Gender communication theories and analyses: From silence to performance (No. 50). Sage. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Gender_Communication_Theories_and_Analys.html?id=IEhqiWR1Rt0C&redir_esc=y
Krolokke, C., & Sorensen, A. S. (2006). Three waves of feminism: From suffragettes to grrls. Gender communication theories & analyses: From silence to performance, 1, 1-23. Retrieved from https://feminism-and-freedom.tshisimani.org.za/documents/three-waves-of-feminism-from-suffragettes-to-grrls.pdf
Liskova. (2009). Feminist Sex War. In O’ Brain (Ed.), Encyclopedia of gender and society (Vol. 1). Sage. https://www.academia.edu/15890496/Feminist_Sex_Wars
Maltz, R. (1998). Real butch: The performance / performativity of male impersonation, drag kings, passing as male, and stone butch realness. Journal of Gender Studies, 7(3), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.1998.9960721
McBean, S. (2021). Feminist diagrams. Feminist Theory, 22(2), 206–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700121997182
McRobbie A (2007). Post-feminism and popular culture. Feminist Media Studies 4(3): 255–264.
Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). Body image. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/body-image
Millett, K. (2016). Sexual politics. Columbia University Press.
Mohajan, H. (2022). An overview on the feminism and its categories. Retrieved from https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/114625/1/MPRA_paper_114625.pdf
Mulvey, L. (2013). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. In The sexual subject (pp. 22-34). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/media/1021/Laura%20Mulvey%2C%20Visual%20Pleasure.pdf
Newman, J. (2003). Gender and cultural change. In Gender, culture and organizational change (pp. 10-29). Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Gender_Culture_and_Organizational_Change.html?id=HYLxFZ2dRcYC&redir_esc=y
Neyer, G., & Bernardi, L. (2011). Feminist perspectives on motherhood and reproduction. Historical Social Research, 36(2), 162-176. https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.36.2011.2.162-176
Orbach, S. (2006). Fat is a feminist issue: the anti-diet guide; Fat is a feminist issue II: conquering compulsive eating. Random House. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Fat_is_a_Feminist_Issue.html?id=2VssAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y
Özbey, A. U., & Bardakçı, A. (2019). ‘Women’ in public and private spheres in the context of modern feminist theories from ancient civilizations to the present. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 14(20), 1790-1821. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.596196
Pateman, C. (1983). Feminist critiques of the public/private dichotomy. Public and private in social life (pp. 281-303). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003601678-15/feminist-critiques-public-private-dichotomy-carole-pateman
Peplau, L. A., & Garnets, L. D. (2000). A new paradigm for understanding women's sexuality and sexual orientation. Journal of Social Issues, 56(2), 330-350. Retrieved from https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2017/07/Peplau-Garnets-2000.pdf
Posavac, H. D., Posavac, S. S., & Weigel, R. G. (2001). Reducing the impact of media images on women at risk for body image disturbance: Three targeted interventions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 20(3), 324-340. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.20.3.324.22308
Rodak, L. (2020). Sisterhood and the 4th wave of feminism: An analysis of circles of women in Poland. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 10(1S), 116-134. https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1163
Rodker. (2019). Feminism (H, Dhafer, Trans.). Islamic Center for Strategic Studies. (Original work published 2019).
Saguy, A. C. (2013). Why fat is a feminist issue. Sex Roles, 66(9), 600-607. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0084-4
Shontz, F. C. (1969). Perceptual and cognitive aspects of body experience. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved from https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Perceptual-Cognitive-Aspects-Body-Experience-SHONTZ/31546045094/bd
Steenberg, L. (2017). The Fall and television noir. Television & New Media, 18(1), 58-75.
Taylor, C. (2016). The History of Sexuality and Feminist Theory [Taylor & Francis]. In The Routledge Guidebook to The History of Sexuality. https://www.academia.edu/31174179/The_History_of_Sexuality_and_Feminist_Theory
The Fall. (2013–2016). In IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294189/
Thompson, J. B. (2011). Shifting boundaries of public and private life. Theory, culture & society, 28(4), 49-70. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276411408446
Trevisan, F. (2022). Against white feminism: by Rafia Zakaria, London, Hamish Hamilton
Twenge, J. M., & Zucker, A. N. (1999). What is a feminist? Evaluations and stereotypes in closed-and open-ended responses. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23(3), 591-605. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1999.tb00383.x
Wilk, K. (2024). Feminist film theory: The impact of female representation in modern movies. Studia Humana, 13(4), 13-22. Retrieved from https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/sh-2024-0021
Wischermann, U., & Mueller, I. K. (2004). Feminist theories on the separation of the private and the public: Looking back, looking forward. Women in German Yearbook: Feminist Studies in German Literature & Culture, 20(1), 184-197. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20688978
Zaytoun, K., & Ezekiel, J. (2016). Sisterhood in Movement: Feminist Solidarity in France and the United States. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 37(1), 195-214. https://doi.org/10.5250/fronjwomestud.37.1.0195
Ziemke, T. (2013). What's that thing called embodiment?. In Proceedings of the 25th annual cognitive science society (pp. 1305-1310). Psychology Press. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248425645_What's_that_Thing_Called_Embodiment
Zrilić, N. (2023). Sympathetic Portrayal of the Serial Killer in the Television Series" The Fall" (Doctoral dissertation, Sveučilište u Zadru, Odjel za anglistiku).
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejlll.v10i2.699
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Latifah Aydın, Nilüfer Pembecioğlu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The research works published in this journal are free to be accessed. They can be shared (copied and redistributed in any medium or format) and\or adapted (remixed, transformed, and built upon the material for any purpose, commercially and\or not commercially) under the following terms: attribution (appropriate credit must be given indicating original authors, research work name and publication name mentioning if changes were made) and without adding additional restrictions (without restricting others from doing anything the actual license permits). Authors retain the full copyright of their published research works and cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the license terms are followed.
Copyright © 2017-2026. European Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics Studies (ISSN 2559 - 7914 / ISSN-L 2559 - 7914). All rights reserved.
This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.
