Gender Ideology in Bond- “Run along my dear, man talk”

                                                                (Figure 2)

While the cultural and ideological landscape of Britain continues to evolve, Bond was first created in an older Britain, where traditionalist ideas and gender stereotype dictated the films’ ideological position. What can be argued as a highly masculine focussed film series, the representation of quintessential Britain remains firmly at the heart of the franchise, along with this unfortunate gender bias. 

In contemporary society it is viewed that “gender is not biological but it refers to a socially constructed set of behaviour patterns” (Poppa & Gavriliub, 2015, p.1200). Film theorist Laura Mulvey analyses these gender positions, labelling ‘the male gaze’ (Hein, 2006, Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema) as the dominant perspective presented in mainstream media. The theory of the male gaze describes the objectification of women, whom are frequently presented as sexual objects. In the 007 franchise, the Bond girl is the ultimate embodiment of male fantasy, an overtly sexualised character archetype usually young, attractive and almost always seduced by Bond. Even their names adhere to their objectification, such as ‘Pussy Galore’, ‘Holly Good Head’ and ‘Chew Mee’. These examples highlight ‘scopophilia’ (McQuillan, 2000, The Narrative reader) and the voyeuristic exploitation of women. 

Comparatively, a recent study shows “a slight trend away from the limited female roles of the fifties and the attendant feminization and glamorization of females, and toward a more autonomous and active participation” (Neuendorf, Gore & Dalessandro, 2009, P. 757). The use of the adjective “slight”, indicates a minor change in how the franchise continues to promote out-dated gender representations. Stronger female characters such as M (Bond’s no nonsense boss) were originally played by men. However, since Judi Dench’s portrayal of the role the increase in positive female representations have become more evident within the series. In the earlier films the character Eve Moneypenny was presented as M’s secretary whom Bond would occasionally flirt with. In Skyfall Moneypenny works alongside Bond in the field, marking her as his equal and portraying the rise in feminist ideology.

Although negative female representations seem to have relaxed over time, the formulae of the Bond girl remains a constant, proving a fundamental convention to the Bond world. In particular, the routine dramatic deaths of the protagonist’s female counterparts have become as iconic as Bond’s Aston Martin and in turn supports ideological gender stereotypes that position men as powerful and women as disposable. In order to cater for both ideals; the most recent films present a female character hybrid, whereby the bond girl is both smart and physically attractive. This, will subsequently appeal to a modern feminist audience, while remaining loyal to the Bond girl convention. Furthermore, the more recent Bond films address these old-fashioned ideologies by using tongue in cheek humour to counteract the dated representations. Women are now competitors of Bond, rather than objects for the male gaze to indulge in.

Conversely, Louis Althusser argues repressive “ideological state apparatuses” (Althusser, 2001, P. 85) and in many ways Bond is a product that conforms to these repressive ideologies. In this case, the feminist discourse takes a back seat, where M and their like are continually over-shadowed by the glamorous Bond girl; she remains an accepted and indeed desired character archetype of the mega franchise. These conflicting ideological perspectives concerning female representation remain unbalanced. While recent renditions of the franchise present characters that challenge gender stereotype, women in Bond continue to be positioned as the protagonist’s inferior. While core Bond components remain, some neoliberalist ideas within the franchise are challenged by using pro-feminist characters that will engage contemporary audiences.

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