1. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

2. What do we mean by "sex" and "gender"?
Sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is meant by the term "gender", and how it differs from the closely related term "sex".
"Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.
"Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
To put it another way:
"Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and "feminine" are gender categories.

3. Gender in Advertisements
WOMEN:
How does this PooPourri advertisement stereotype women?
MEN:
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How does this Old Spice advertisement stereotype men?

4. Older Advertisements

5. Modern Advertisements
-women are being objectified
-women as objects of pleasure; women as “sexy furniture”

6. Modern Advertisements…

7. Gender Creativity
Gender Creative: where an individual transcends the culture’s normative definitions of male/female to creatively interweave a sense of gender that come neither totally from the inside (the body, the psyche), nor totally from the outside (culture, others’ perceptions), but resides somewhere in between
For example: Lady Gaga is an artist that is gender creative in her performances and her choice of dress. Examples of this are seen in many of her music videos.

8. For Fun:
Watch the music video Telephone and see how Lady Gaga and Beyonce are depicted differently. How is Lady Gaga portrayed?
Create a chart of how they are different.
Hints: Lady Gaga is more “masculine” in the way she dresses, speaks (her mannerisms), and is openly aggressive and assertive. She first appears in jail and she is the mastermind behind the poison concept. Beyonce dresses more “feminine” and often looks to Lady Gaga before she acts. Beyonce is also influenced and abused by her boyfriend in the plot of the video, and Lady Gaga “solves” her problem. Beyonce is passive, and more “feminine” in her form of dress, and the way she acts/speaks. Her “nickname” is also “Honey Bee”, whereas Lady Gaga’s is simply “Gaga”.

10. Lady Gaga and Viola
Lady Gaga and Viola are strong females who play pivotal roles and “parts”. They are strong women who are gender creative and dress in drag.
Question: How can Lady Gaga be compared to Viola in Twelfth Night when Viola disguises herself as a male? What about the way Viola in the film She’s The Man changes her appearance from “feminine” to “masculine”. Can these women “pass” as male? Why/why not?

11. What is Privilege?
Privilege: To have privilege is to be allowed to move through your life without being marked in ways that identify you as an outsider, as exceptional or "other" to be excluded, or to be included but always with conditions.
“The trouble around difference is really about privilege and power” (Johnson 15).
Think about: Does Viola have more privilege/”power” or freedom when she is a boy or a girl? Why do you think that is? (This is seen in modern version She’s The Man, too).

12. We are discussing the themes:
1. Gender:
Gender Stereotypes, Cross-dressing, and the concept of “passing” as either “masculine” or “feminine”
2. Disguise
Playing a part, and Appearance vs. Reality
What privileges do characters have when they switch their gender identities from female to male?

13. Connection to the Movies

14. What are the themes again?
In the movie Never Been Kissed (1999), Drew Barrymore plays character Josie Geller who is a newspaper reporter who is sent to a high school to complete an undercover report. Her mission is to go undercover as a student to learn about the teens within society today. A former clueless nerd with the gruesome nickname “Josie Grossie”, Josie must navigate the hallways of high school and transform her prior self image, appearance, and self-esteem in the process.
Concepts of Disguise and Appearance vs. Reality are common themes in the movie, which parallel Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night

15. Never Been Kissed (1999)
As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII (Shakespeare).
Quote: “All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players”
Video Clips:
25minutes-28 minutes
37 minutes-38 minutes

16. What We Learned…
Costumes: when we are in diguise, we feel freer, and we do things we wouldn’t do in ordinary life
Wearing “costumes” or “uniforms” changes all the rules that society imposes on us from an early age
The societal “norms”
Disguise can be liberating
Females in Male Costumes: Opens up the possibility for more freedom (privilege based on gender), and romance

17. She’s The Man

18. Themes: 1. Gender Stereotypes and Privileges. 2
Themes: 1. Gender Stereotypes and Privileges 2. Cross-dressing/ “Drag” 3. Disguise

19. What does it mean to perform gender stereotypes?
For example, in the culture of mainstream United States and Canada, we are all taught that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Regardless of whether or not we personally agree with these teachings, we all receive them through social institutions like schools, government, and the mass media.
For example, even if parents want to challenge traditional gender roles and intentionally avoid dressing their daughters in pink, we still receive the message in mainstream culture whenever we watch TV, walk through the toy aisles in sotres, or order a Happy Meal at McDonalds and are asked if we want the “girl” or “boy toy.
(“Is everyone really equal?” by Sensoy and DiAngelo, p.21)

20. She’s The Man (2006)
She’s The Man, directed by Andy Fickman, is a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night
The 2006 romantic comedy was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and stars Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum

21. Twelfth Night vs. She’s The Man
The basic plot is very similar, as are most of the character’s names. There are also small differences, such as Viola becoming Sebastian in She’s The Man, instead of Cesario.
Amanda Bynes plays a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to play soccer.
Amanda Bynes plays Viola, the twin sister of Sebastian (James Kirk), who at the start of the movie sneaks away to London for two weeks without telling anybody. This is much easier on Viola than the Shakespeare version, where Viola fears her brother has perished at sea.

22. Similarities: Twelfth Night and She’s The Man
Duke Orsino, The Duke of Illyria in Twelfth Night and the soccer captain in She’s The Man, is in love with Olivia in both.
Olivia falls in love with Viola, who was disguised as Cesario in Twelfth Night, and Sebastian, her twin brother in both movies, in She’s The Man.
Viola is in love with Duke, who thinks she’s a male in both.
Duke Orsino enlists Viola, whether she be disguised as Sebastian or Cesario, to help him win Olivia’s heart, which was a mistake considering Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola.
Olivia professes her love to the disguised Viola and kisses her, it’s really Sebastian, accidently run into her in both
In She’s The Man and Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino ends up with Viola, and Sebastian ends up with Olivia.

23. Differences: Twelfth Night and She’s The Man
She’s The Man is based off of Twelfth Night in many ways, but it also mocks and plays with the meaning of the play quite a bit. Considering the time different between the play and movie, it is also very different.
List some of the differences that appear in the movie She’s The Man and Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. Write a post about the differences between She’s The Man and Twelfth Night. Hint: Some characters may be different. Hint: Connect the actions and specific scenes in your post to show how they are different.
(Minimum 250 words)

24. Differences: Twelfth Night and She’s The Man
An example of a “difference” to write about for your post:
Olivia is grieving in both movies and that’s why she doesn’t want to date Duke. How is this portrayed differently in She’s The Man and in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night?

25. Connecting Themes: Pick one question and write a response
Gender privilege and gender stereotypes can be connected to Viola’s character.
Questions:
1. What was Viola denied when she was a girl? Why was she denied based on her gender?
2. In She’s The Man, Viola alters her gender identity and dresses up as a man so that she can do what? Are there any other reasons she would want to escape her life and pretend to be her brother Sebastian?
3. What is the process involved in dressing up as a man? In your opinion, does Viola “pass” as dressing up like a man? Why/why not? (Explain your reasoning)