FloRida, Cixous

Men and women have specific “roles” in society that are mainly created through media portrayals. Many ads we have studied throughout Critical Media classes have been for products targeted towards males, like car or alcohol commercials where women are dressed provocatively and in ways that are subject to the male gaze. Cixous’ message that men are in the dominant position and define the ways in which women are portrayed definitely connects to this idea. “If woman has always functioned ‘within’ man’s discourse, a signifier referring always to the opposing signifier that annihilates its particular energy, puts down or stifles its very different sounds, now it is time for her to displace this ‘within,’ explode it, overturn it, grab it, make it hers, take it in…(165)” This reminds me of Lyortard and his ideas about totalizing metanarratives. Cixous clarifies specific ideologies that we need to rid of, mainly ones that stifle women. Men and women are considered polar opposites, especially between what active roles men are supposed to acquire and passive roles that women “accept.” Cixous’ article states that women are not taken seriously when speaking. “Her word almost always falls on the deaf, masculine ear, which can only hear language that speaks in the masculine.” Roles women play have been considered those of shame. Cixous wants woman to gain recognition through writing. This is a mode praising of characteristics of the feminine. Cixous states , “That is why writing is good, letting the tongue to try itself out—as one attempts a caress, taking the time a phrase or a thought needs to make oneself loved, to make oneself reverberate.” Women are characterized by their nurturing and patient qualities. “A man is always proving something; he has to ‘show off,’ show up the others. Masculine profit is almost always mixed up with a success that is socially defined.” There is a major misconception that women are equal to men in our society. Cixous wants women to make their voices heard.