The Breakfast Club: Representation of Gender

1097 Words5 Pages
The Breakfast Club written, produced and directed by John Hughes has been a powerful and influential film since its debut in 1985. Twenty eight years has passed, and in 2013; the culture, morals and the expectations of gender have change vastly. In 2013, the expectation of gender has become more diverse, and the restrictions on what a male or female can like, do or feel have been weakened. For example, the newest generation of the show My Little Pony has a large young adult male audience along with the targeted pre-teen girl demographic . In 1985, this was unheard of, and if a man were to watch such a show, he would surely have been ostracized. As far as 1985 is concerned, men did not like pink unicorns. Men did not feel emotion, and men did not cry. Despite his horrifying family dynamic, Bender does not cry. Instead he expresses anger, one of the only expressions that men were allowed to have. The audience is treated to a wide shot, so they fully see Bender’s aggression as he knocks books over and clambers up the staircase. He expresses this athleticism, as if a moment of visible vulnerability will make him any less of a man. Later in the scene, a close up of when Bender sits with his legs hanging off the stairs, and his frustration is evident, but never fully realised. Andrew challenges the gender expectation. When all of the teens are in a circle expressing their thoughts, their reasons for being in detention, Andrew admits that he tapes an unassuming kid’s buttocks together. The camera pans around Andrew, keeping him in focus (Though sometimes not in frame) as he confesses, the camera going around the other characters’ back, showing how they are all involved with this scene, and all involved in this insight into Andrew. Brian cries. He first starts bucking from silent little gasps, as one would sometimes do when trying to avoid crying. This is when Claire

More about The Breakfast Club: Representation of Gender

Open Document