Sex Object = Academy Awards

[Woogyman]

Do you guys believe female oscar winners have been portrayed as sex objects in films they have won the Oscar(s) in? (or nominated in) Looking at the following movies...

Monster

L.A. Confidential

Casino



or your general views/thoughts!



Thanks.

[Steve Crook]

name='Woogyman']Do you guys believe female oscar winners have been portrayed as sex objects in films they have won the Oscar(s) in? (or nominated in) Looking at the following movies...

Monster

L.A. Confidential

Casino



or your general views/thoughts!



Thanks.

Make a list of all the winners (and possibly all of the nominees) and then say how many of them might have won because they are regarded as sex objects. It probably is the case for some of them, but is it for all of them?



Did Helen Mirren win for The Queen because she was a sex object?

Helen can be very sexy, but was she at all sexy in that role?



And when you've done it for the ladies, do it again for the fellas and see how many of them might have won because of their looks rather than because of their acting ability



Steve

[penfold]

name='Woogyman']Do you guys believe female oscar winners have been portrayed as sex objects in films they have won the Oscar(s) in? (or nominated in) Looking at the following movies...

Monster

L.A. Confidential

Casino



or your general views/thoughts!



Thanks.

Have you seen Monster ?? If so, you would know that Charlize Theron is heavily disguised in it; and plays the absolute antithesis of a sex object in the film.



Actually, your question makes no sense. Are you asking if the actresses have won Oscars by playing sex objects; or are you asking if the actresses, once nominated, have been portrayed as sex objects in the media ???



Get your question sorted, watch the films, form your own opinion, and then share; then we'll bat it about a bit and let you know what we think, how does that grab you??

[Wicked Lady]

I've often thought that being too attractive was a disadvantage for getting an Oscar for both male and female actors.

[narabdela]

name='penfold']

Get your question sorted, watch the films, form your own opinion, and then share; then we'll bat it about a bit and let you know what we think, how does that grab you??

Excellent advice. No gain without pain in this life I'm afraid. I'm willing to discuss your conclusions, but I'm not going to sit an exam for you. The purpose of an education is to assimilate information and learn how to process and use it.

[Moor Larkin]

Dangerous Talk

[Woogyman]

Sorry for not making much sense! I've actually done most of my research!



My actual question is "Have Female Oscar Winners been portrayed as a Sex Object in the film they have won the Oscar (or nominated in)"

My hypothesis, is that a large number of female actresses have been portrayed as a sex object in films they have won Oscars in.

Going deeper into this and asking is it the sex role which got these actresses nominated for an Oscar and even win (which will be hard to find out). This is why i am also looking into Institutional detail - The Oscars; the voting system and how it might affect nominations. I did find out, "Actors constitute the largest voting bloc, numbering 1,311 members" therefore voting may be rather bias!



I also looked into Winning Trends and found that a large number of actresses have won (or been nominated for) for portraying hookers (girls of the night, party girls, whores, call girls, madams, etc.), example:

1. Julia Roberts was nominated as Best Actress for her role as a LA hooker/escort in Pretty Woman (1990)

2. Mira Sorvino won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as a bubble-headed prostitute in Mighty Aphrodite (1995) - in the same year, two other nominees for Best Actress also played prostitutes: Sharon Stone for Casino (1995) and Elisabeth Shue for Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

3. Kim Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as a Veronica Lake-look-alike hooker in L.A. Confidential (1997)

4. Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Oscar as a serial-killer prostitute in Monster (2003)



After these findings, i watched the following films, Monster, L.A. Confidential and Casino and looked into whether the actresses have been portrayed as sex objects in these films. My findings...

Casino (1995) - Sharon Stone plays Ginger McKenna a attractive hustler and prostitute. She was nominated for best actress in a leading role. This supports my question since Sharon Stone was represented as a sex object (sexually attractive) throughout the film and was nominated for her role.



Monster (2003) - Charlize Theron plays Aileen Wuornos a serial killer and prostitute. She won the Best actress Oscar. However, she was not portrayed as sexually attractive which doesn't support my theory/question, but the question is did she win the award for playing a prostitute, a serial killer or playing a lesbian (love scene with Selby). I can also look into the concept of the Male Gaze!



L.A Confidential (1997) - Kim Basinger plays Lynn Bracken a Veronica Lake look a-like and a call girl. She won an Academy Award for best actress in supporting role. Throughout the film, she was portrayed as a sex object, sexually attractive (after looking into the mise-en-scene of couple scenes). She played a call girl and won an Oscar.



Watching these 3 films i found that these actresses have won Oscars/or nominated for one for playing a sex associated role, though only one was clearly not portrayed as a sex object (Charlize Theron in Monster). So, to some extent my research and analysis of these films supports my idea that female actresses have been portrayed as sex objects in the films they have won/nominated for a Oscar.



Now, i don't know what do actually do, have i finished? or shall i look into something else?



Thanks.

[CaptainWaggett]

Are you looking at those actresses who have won the Best Actress Oscar while not playing sex objects - Hilary Swank, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts to name 4 since 2000?

[Woogyman]

name='CaptainWaggett']Are you looking at those actresses who have won the Best Actress Oscar while not playing sex objects - Hilary Swank, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts to name 4 since 2000?

No, should i?

I suppose, looking into something that disagrees with my theory would be relevant. These characters are rather sexually attractive but obviously didn't play a sex role. I mean, a sex object doesn't necessarily mean playing a sex role (call girl, etc.).



Sex Object: any person seen only as sexually attractive.



So, actually these actresses may support my theory!

[Steve Crook]

name='Woogyman']Sorry for not making much sense! I've actually done most of my research!

No you haven't. You haven't even started.

Now, i don't know what do actually do, have i finished? or shall i look into something else?



Thanks.

You've looked at 3 films, you've considered 4 cases. Your results show a large(ish) number that support your theory - but only from a minuscule sample of all the people that have been nominated.



That's why I suggested in my first post in this thread that you look at some more. And look at the men as well as the women.



If I was marking your paper it'd be an instant fail.

1/10 Must try harder



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='Woogyman']No, should i?

I suppose, looking into something that disagrees with my theory would be relevant. These characters are rather sexually attractive but obviously didn't play a sex role. I mean, a sex object doesn't necessarily mean playing a sex role (call girl, etc.).



Sex Object: any person seen only as sexually attractive.



So, actually these actresses may support my theory!

Yes, you should look at things that appear to disagree with your theory.

That's how you test a theory



Steve

[moonfleet]

name='Woogyman']No, should i?

I suppose, looking into something that disagrees with my theory would be relevant. These characters are rather sexually attractive but obviously didn't play a sex role. I mean, a sex object doesn't necessarily mean playing a sex role (call girl, etc.).



Sex Object: any person seen only as sexually attractive.



So, actually these actresses may support my theory!

Quote:"Sex Object: any person seen only as sexually atractive"



For who ??....some actors can be "perceived" as sexually atractive AND play very well, as Sharon Stone did in "Casino" !!!



Moon.

[Woogyman]

Thanks! I need help to create open questions for a focus group which will help answer/test my theory...

[Steve Crook]

name='Woogyman']Thanks! I need help to create open questions for a focus group which will help answer/test my theory...

Why?



Here's a novel idea, why not just research it yourself



Steve

[Woogyman]

I asked, i needed help creating questions, not asking you to create the questions. I mean, my theory being that female oscar winners have been portrayed as sex objects in the films they have won the oscar in, but how will i create open questions to test it? I mean, asking the members of the public won't help me, how will they know that playing a sex object is what got the actresses to win an Oscar. How will it help?



On Thrusday im going to the BFI (bfi National Library), what shall i look out for and photocopy? Just a list of past Oscar winners? I don't want my time there to be a waste of time. Thanks.

[D Cairns]

You can get a list of Oscar winners online, and read about the films online, although seeing as many of the films as possible would be a good idea.



By your definition, Sharon Stone would not qualify as a sex object as her character is a schemer and vamp who uses both sex and love to get ahead, but also does drugs, has an obsession with James Woods' character, is a gambler. There is more to the character than sex, and she is certainly self-motivated, rather than being a plaything for men.



It's pretty obvious Charlize Theron got her award for 1) a surprising and effective performance and 2) the stunt of making hersle flook less attractive. Kim basinger got hers because she had been around awhile, dropped off the radar, and made a comeback in a popular film. Stone got hers for showing she could act.



To test a theory you need as large a group as you can get, and you shouldn't fix the results by choosing three actresses who have played prostitutes. There is a theory that many times actresses win for playing prostitutes: why not test it by counting the total number of tarts-with-heart roles to get nominated or win since, say, 1968? It wouldn't take long at all.



You don't need to go to the library to do any of this, as long as you have a computer.

[Steve Crook]

name='Woogyman']I asked, i needed help creating questions, not asking you to create the questions. I mean, my theory being that female oscar winners have been portrayed as sex objects in the films they have won the oscar in, but how will i create open questions to test it? I mean, asking the members of the public won't help me, how will they know that playing a sex object is what got the actresses to win an Oscar. How will it help?



On Thrusday im going to the BFI (bfi National Library), what shall i look out for and photocopy? Just a list of past Oscar winners? I don't want my time there to be a waste of time. Thanks.

Make a list of all the winners (and possibly all of the nominees) and then say how many of them might have won because they are regarded as sex objects. It probably is the case for some of them, but is it for all of them?



Did Helen Mirren win for The Queen because she was a sex object?

Helen can be very sexy, but was she at all sexy in that role?



And when you've done it for the ladies, do it again for the fellas and see how many of them might have won because of their looks rather than because of their acting ability



Doing that will test any theories you may have about only sex objects winning Oscars. And you may by surprised by the result.



Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Best Actress Oscar Winners who, in my opinion, didn't play a sex object (a term you might want to define). I'm sure others can add to the list since I haven't seen every Oscar winning film... You could add to the list if you read about the films and looked at Best Supporting Actress Winners (since that tends to be won be character actresses in more quirky roles).



1931 Marie Dressler - Min and Bill

1937 Luise Rainer - The Good Earth

1942 Greer Garson - Mrs Miniver

1943 Jennifer Jones - The Song of Bernadette

1949 Olivia De Havilland - The Heiress

1951 Vivien Leigh - Streetcar Named Desire

1952 Shirley Booth - Come Back Little Sheba

1955 Anna Magnani - The Rose Tatto

1956 Ingrid Bergman - Anastasia

1957 Joanne Woodward - Three Faces of Eve

1958 Susan Hayward - I want to live

1962 Anne Bancroft - The Miracle Worker

1964 Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

1967 Katherine Hepburn - Guess who's coming to dinner?

1968 Katherine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter

1969 Maggie Smith - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

1973 Glenda Jackson - A Touch of Class

1974 Ellen Burstyn - Alice doesn't live here any more

1975 Louise Fletcher - One flew over the cuckoo's nest

1979 Sally Field - Norma Rae

1981 Katherine Hepburn - On Golden Pond

1982 Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice

1985 Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful

1986 Marlee Matlin - Children of a Lesser God

1989 Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy

1990 Kathy Bates - Misery

1991 Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs

1992 Emma Thompson - Howard's End

1993 Holly Hunter - The Piano

1995 Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking

1995 Francis McDormand - Fargo

[Steve Crook]

And you can see the full list of winners (& nominees) at Wikipedia



Steve

[Woogyman]

Thanks.

name='D Cairns']You don't need to go to the library to do any of this, as long as you have a computer.

Yeah, i know but just using the internet won't get me much marks on the first paper since we're evaluating our methods of research. So, going to the bfi National Library will help me for the first part of the paper as one form of methodology.



Apart from a list of oscar winners both male/female, will there be anything else i can find at the bfi National Library that will be useful for my research?