Harry Potter Stereotypes Essay
Samantha Johnson
Professor Harper
WST 394
26 March 2017
Gender Stereotypes in the Arrival of the Tri Wizard Championship Schools
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we have already seen firsthand how gender and stereotypes take place in the Yule Ball clip from class. Another important gender stereotyping scene in this same installment of Harry Potter takes place during the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs through the descriptions of their headmasters, and the performances that both schools give before the Hogwarts students.
In the book, we are given the description of Madame Maxime as surprising the Hogwarts students to the point of collected gasps among them. The book describes Madame Maxime as a particularly “large” woman. …show more content…
The boys are dressed like warriors in very dark colors. They carry staffs with them. Their performance consists of slamming their staffs into the ground and hoo-rah-ing in unison, almost representative of a war cry. This part of the film is obviously about presenting the boys’ masculinity as they demonstrate strength and power in their performance. This performance gives the gender stereotype that boys are meant to be strong, to be protectors, and to be powerful. This performance only deepens the stereotypes present in this scene of the film. It would also be clear to cite that Judith Butler discusses gender performance as an actual performance (The Big Think Video). Both the Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons must perform their gender for the Hogwarts students to establish that they are the ideal definition of society’s standards for men and women’s gender roles.
As we can see, the book and the film renditions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are excellent sources of gender role assignment and stereotyping. The Beauxbaton girls are meant to represent femininity at its’ most liberal, and the Durmstrangs likewise represent masculinity at its’ core. These two schools are parallel opposites, and yet the Hogwarts students seem to be set as the middle pathway to gender roles. They are neither fully feminine as the Beauxbaton girls or fully masculine as the Durmstrang boys, but an equal combination
Professor Harper
WST 394
26 March 2017
Gender Stereotypes in the Arrival of the Tri Wizard Championship Schools
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we have already seen firsthand how gender and stereotypes take place in the Yule Ball clip from class. Another important gender stereotyping scene in this same installment of Harry Potter takes place during the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs through the descriptions of their headmasters, and the performances that both schools give before the Hogwarts students.
In the book, we are given the description of Madame Maxime as surprising the Hogwarts students to the point of collected gasps among them. The book describes Madame Maxime as a particularly “large” woman. …show more content…
The boys are dressed like warriors in very dark colors. They carry staffs with them. Their performance consists of slamming their staffs into the ground and hoo-rah-ing in unison, almost representative of a war cry. This part of the film is obviously about presenting the boys’ masculinity as they demonstrate strength and power in their performance. This performance gives the gender stereotype that boys are meant to be strong, to be protectors, and to be powerful. This performance only deepens the stereotypes present in this scene of the film. It would also be clear to cite that Judith Butler discusses gender performance as an actual performance (The Big Think Video). Both the Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons must perform their gender for the Hogwarts students to establish that they are the ideal definition of society’s standards for men and women’s gender roles.
As we can see, the book and the film renditions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are excellent sources of gender role assignment and stereotyping. The Beauxbaton girls are meant to represent femininity at its’ most liberal, and the Durmstrangs likewise represent masculinity at its’ core. These two schools are parallel opposites, and yet the Hogwarts students seem to be set as the middle pathway to gender roles. They are neither fully feminine as the Beauxbaton girls or fully masculine as the Durmstrang boys, but an equal combination