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Making midlife visible : a construction of female stars' age biographies in contemporary Hollywood cinema

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  • Title:
    Making midlife visible : a construction of female stars' age biographies in contemporary Hollywood cinema
  • Author: Starmanns, S
  • Subjects: female stardom ; midlife
  • Description: My research project seeks to interrogate the cultural representation of ageing women by analysing the star images and changing roles of a selection of midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema and television. This subject connects with recent debates surrounding gender, equality and diversity in the film industry which have highlighted, amongst other things, the invisibility of midlife women in the sector (see Buckley, 2015; New York Times, and Peck, 2016; Huffington Post). Concerns about the representation of middle-aged actresses falls within the wider topic of academic and popular discussion surrounding the life stage of 'midlife', which sits uncomfortably between the culturally favoured phase of 'youth' and the fear of old age, decline and death in an increasingly "ageless society" (Fairclough, 2012: 92). However, what sets this research project apart from existing academic analysis of ageing female stars is its interdisciplinary focus on female midlife narratives. Drawing on insights from film studies, feminist cultural studies and age studies, in particular Margaret Gullette's (1997) concept of 'critical age autobiographies', my research investigates how cultural norms are mediated in popular culture. It does so by constructing critical age biographies of selected female midlife stars of contemporary Hollywood cinema, specifically focusing on Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Viola Davis and Frances McDormand. Through a detailed analysis of their films and shifting star image within these age biographies, my project determines how ageing and female star identity are constructed in the various discourses constituting a star's image and explores ways in which the abovementioned stars shape, resist or negotiate the cultural norms surrounding ageing through their labour in the film industry.
  • Publisher: University of Exeter
  • Creation Date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • Source: EThOS: Electronic Theses Online Service (Full Text)
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