Aleah Murji
James Bond, a British secret agent working for the MI6, is a well-known character created in the 1950s that starred in many movies. He grew more famous as society loved his exciting spy stories along with seeing him as a perfect male figure to look up to. James Bond is presented to us as an alpha male who follows the male stereotypes of being confident, strong, a womanizer and charming.
In the James Bond movies, women are mostly depicted in a negative manner, whether it be by being objectified, sexualized, being only a love interest for James, needing James to be saved or even just always being defeated by him. He is celebrated for his womanizing behavior and charm. This behavior demonstrates the negative stereotype of men having higher powers over woman and constantly having a sexual mindset towards them. This relationship towards women will become normalized. Men will tell themselves that it’s okay to treat a woman this way and will continue to do so.
Luckily, in the newer films, James challenges the male norms and shows us the more vulnerable and emotional side of his character. An example would be in the movie Skyfall where James reveals his struggles with his relationships with higher authority male figures, like Mr. M and his past traumas. He shows us that men aren’t always so strong and unemotional as perceived by society. The movie teaches the viewers, through James’s character that, as a man, you can be vulnerable and not follow each stereotype to be considered as masculine. James Bond challenges societal norms and shows us a more relatable view of men’s character, enabling society to slowly accept that these stereotypes are unattainable for anybody. In addition, in the newer films, women are also now portrayed as powerful, intelligent, equal to James Bond and are able to have their own main roles in the movies.
Lastly, by portraying this type of behavior to males they might think that to be considered a man and accepted by society they need to act this way and follow the societal norms. In turn, this will reinforce these stereotypes and will keep getting passed down to future generations. Who knows to what extreme these will go to if we don’t stop this endless cycle.
Fight Clubs/Night Clubs 