MED5171: Gender, Sexuality and the Body

Assignment One – Research Report Proposal

How are women portrayed in media text of ‘The Handmaids Tale’?

1. Introduction

In this day and age, people are more socially aware of how prevalent stigmas are in our society. Despite oppression
and campaigns, stigmas are more powerful and harmful than ever. In particular, women’s rights are becoming a
prominent issue - the #METOO campaign is a reflection of that. This paper explores how women are portrayed in
Hulu’s adaption of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. Primarily, the research closely focuses on the sexist stigma towards
women both in the media text and in society.

The paper uses Hulu’s adaptation as a way of introducing a range of theorists from Judith Butler to Simone De
Beauvior to closely analyse the current and past issues women have faced. The Handmaid’s Tale is a way of
opening up the close analysis for these issues. The original text of Margaret Attwood’s has been adapted twice, yet
my paper will be focusing on the Hulu series. This paper focuses closely on semiology. Semiology is the focus on
deeper meaning of things. I will be analysing the study of semiology regarding themes in the Handmaid’s Tale as a
way of reflecting societal issues that are current in present day.

2. Literature review

This section provides credible academic work with close relativity to my research question. Scholarly sources and
combined with the chosen media text - summarising the key challenges women face in the dystopian world of
Gilead but also, how it’s reflected in today’s society.

Key words

Abortion, dictate, freedom, gender-specific, procreation, social expectations, patriarchy, women and oppression.

Abortion through the eyes of a pro-choice ally, Petchesky (1980, pp. Intro) supports “the idea among women that
abortion is a “woman’s right.” Handmaids Tale gives a brutal insight into women being unable to control their
own reproduction, the meaning of safe abortion does not exist. To this day, abortion is still an eminently political
subject and not every woman does think that abortion laws dictate their lives – but the fact stands, that everyone is
deserving of their own freedom and choices.

In relation to Phyllis Schalfy, Koppelman (2008, pp. Abstract) argues that “She represents an important tradition
in thinking about gender issues… to preserve a pattern of gender-specific roles”. Social norms of what is
expected from women have led to the propagation of gender binaries. An example of
a social expectation of women is: being the figure of procreation. The Handmaids
reflect this idea because their only value is seen as deriving from reproduction.
Butler outlines her definition of gender as: “the mechanism by which notions of masculine and
feminine are produced and naturalised.” This explains how the social expectations of women are reinforced-
through this idea of normative gender. In order for us to understand capitalist modes of production and the
patriarchy that comes with it, R. McDonough & R. Harrison (2013) believe that we cannot do this “without
placing the oppression of women at the centre”.

In relation to capitalist modes of production, Marxism highlights the struggles against the oppression of women. If
we look back in the past, capitalist processes required endless cycles of laborers to work in the factory. Women, as
procreators, had to “provide” a constant reproductive cycle for the workforce to continue. Before the children were
of the age, women were at home completing a form of unpaid work- producing and nurturing the next generation of
laborers. They were expected to fulfill this domestic role at home which indicates exploitation. L. German (2014)
argues that this role of domestic labour “can be viewed as something distinct from the capitalist mode of
production.”

2. Methodology

This chapter provides an insight to the research methodology used to answer the chosen research question – the
type of research, a brief description of the secondary data collection process and finally, the used and limitations of
the chosen research method.

Key words

Metaphors, themes, semiology, social conditions and discourse.

The type of research that will be considered in this paper is semiology and the discourse surrounding it. Swiss
linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, was a key figure in the development of semiology that R. Innis (1985, pp. Intro)
loosely defined as what “deals with meanings and messages in all their forms and in all their contexts.”

Semiology is appropriate to use as the Handmaid’s Tale is full of underlying metaphors and themes that reflect on
not only the fictional regime of Gilead but today’s society too. The research used throughout will be drawn from
secondary data – this refers to academic texts that already exist but also, theorists’ pre-published viewpoints,
whether they will agree or differ. The combination of discourse allows me to introduce theorists’ academic work
that either agree or disagree with the semiology of the text.

The nature of the writing within texts are not what causes the discourse around semiology, “it is given by the social
conditions of production” (J. Chalaby, 1998, pp. 687). Every person has a different perception of what they see
and read which grounds the assumption as to why there can be never just one answer for what something means.

4. Analysis

This chapter introduces themes in the Handmaid’s Tale that go into a deeper analysis regarding the link to societal
stigmas and issues in the past as well as in the current day. Suitable references from academic texts and theorists
are included to enhance the reliability of the paper.

Key words

Semiology, oppression, patriarchal, archetypes, stereotypes, social regulations, stigma, sexual objectification,
sisterhood, women’s rights, exploits and distorts.

Firstly, Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale presents underlying semiology such as metaphors and symbols
as a means of echoing a warning to future generations. This in itself has proved to be true as the U.S predominantly
is a reflection of a totalitarian regime since the election of Donald Trump. The main symbol that we can observe in
the television series is the red cape of the handmaids. A deeper analysis of this semiology can lead to the
interpretation that this cape represents fertility – which reminds the Unwomen of Gilead of what they can never
have. In present day, according to S. Davy (2018), the semiology surrounding the capes has induced a wave of
protests throughout the UK and the U.S regarding abortion rights. This further indicates the strong underlying
effect of the semiology used- it has been wielded by campaigners as a symbol of feminine power. This shows how
semiology can be used to give powerful messages that extend beyond the media in which it appears. According to
Anderson (1991, pp. 36), “Feminists in particular have found the marriage of semiology and psychoanalysis
particularly fruitful and have given us incisive accounts of how patriarchal power is exerted through systems of
representation”. This has connotations of how the semiology of the Handmaid’s Tale, in particular, perhaps
mirrors the societal inequality within the 90s. However, it is an ongoing issue in this current day and age despite
the crusading stances that have been made for women’s rights.

Secondly, in the totalitarian regime of Gilead, Chadha (2009 pp. Abstract) introduced the ideology that women
were seen as a “procreative machine in a future social structure”. The Aunts have a duty of enforcing Gilead’s
social norms and personal beliefs to the Handmaids. This creates a more disturbing and desperate situation as they
too still cannot recognise the oppression in their position of higher status - due to their views becoming distorted
through pride and justice. This ideology is argued through the words of Moi (2008, pp. 163), “Beauvoir’s absolute
faith in women’s moral and philosophical capacities is refreshingly non-sexist.” Aside from the Handmaids, the
selection of infertile women who works as servants in the houses are referred to as The Marthas. They are the true
reflection of a stereotypical woman’s roles in the sense of cleaning, cooking and tending to the gardens yet, reaping
no rewards. Regardless of Beauvoir’s views, sexism is still a deeply ongoing issue in current day. C. Saussy (1991,
pp. 194) believes that women’s “lives are shaped and controlled by patriarchal rules and roles that make them
second-class citizens.” It can be interpreted that society restricts women to a solely reproductive role. Abortion is a
clear indication of how women have no power over their fertility, their bodies, reflective of the Handmaids’, are
controlled by the government.

Moving on, stereotypes of what is perceived as ‘perfect’ archetypes are still infiltrated through society. It can be
considered that it is based on the premise of those whose parents have been raised as only knowing heterosexuality
to be the ‘right’ way, are less likely to teach anything different to their children despite the “assumptions about
children’s “innocence regarding sexuality [being] outdated” (K. Bickmore, 1999, pp.15). This has led to the
connection that ‘traditional stereotypes’ surrounding gender have become outdated. It is now being progressively
challenged due to the shift in views and outlooks. “Power affects stereotyping through attention” (S. Fiske, 1993,
pp. 627) and clear use of this is in the names of the Handmaids. Offred is the main character yet, her name is a
combination of the word ‘of’ as well as the man’s name she’s assigned to – in the Hulu adaption, she’s a sexual
slave to Fred (the Commander).

In the literal sense, our bodies are what make us individual to one another and yet, the Handmaids have no
individuality: they all look and abide for the same motive – their freedom, something that is never given. In this
way, the Handmaids’ freedom over their own bodies is undermined by people of higher power. In relation to
Butler’s work, Jagger (2007, pp. 10) claims that bodies are “a socially constructed product of the effect of power
and social regulations.” This reflects the dismissal of individuality in the Handmaid’s Tale and also issues in wider
society. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an example of one of these issues- it represents a grotesque tarnishing
of women’s femininity and individuality which has stemmed from corrupted power. The fact is that, women are
mutilated for various reasons, one being as punishment thus, stripping them of their femininity and control over
their own bodies. An unknown candidate interviewed for Experiences, Perceptions and Beliefs of Women
Affected by Female Genital Mutilation in London, (2009) disputed that “You have a right to your body as it was
intended.” Moving away from FGM, it can be alternatively inferred that there is a stigma around what constitutes
as the ‘perfect’ body. This induces women specifically to alter themselves to fit the criterial and approval of others.

Furthermore, M. Szymanski, B. Moffitt & R. Carr (2011) outline Bartky’s view of sexual objectification: “when
a woman’s body or body parts are singled out and separated from her as a person… she is viewed primarily as a
physical object.” Specific body parts like the nipples have sexual connotations directly because they relate to
fertility yet a man’s nipples are seen for simply what they are – nipples. Countries with a majority Muslim
population, such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia, follow the customs that women must cover the majority of their
bodies, including head and in some cases face. One belief of this practice is that it upholds the sanctity of marriage
by removing temptation from view. Yet on the other hand, Western media is one of the main sources of
exploitation when it comes to women – this encompasses all forms of nudity and behavior deemed sexual in nature.
C. Boulton (2008, pp. 259) argues that the porn/film industry “may have provided scripts of acceptable
behaviour” to current sexual activity that has led to negative/harmful activities. This statement is a realistic view of
how people believe that porn is a true reflection of what sex should be like in real-life. The porn industry
unknowingly creates a cloud of judgement in terms of sexual desires through every video published.

In this section, I will be discussing the deeper understanding of what sisterhood is. Sisterhood is a support
mechanism to enforce women’s rights. Hulu’s second season of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ echoes the beginning of what
looks like to be capitalising on a potential sisterhood between June and Serena Joy, through their fondness of
words. C. Lugares and P. Rozelle (1995, pp. 294) present the argument against sisterhood, stating that it is “seen
as a cover up hiding the fact that many women exploit and oppress other women.” Social media reflects how
different social classes project their views towards women apart of the LGBT, plus sized and black community in
particular. It can be interpreted that social media has significantly moved away from its original purpose of
connecting with others, but that it also holds the ability to push those connections away from one another through
‘trolling’ – discord that stems from upsetting others online. Despite this, to this day, women are still fighting for
equality regardless of the numerous leaps they have overcome throughout the centuries. S. Thornham (2010, pp.
65) summarised one of G. Tuchman’s early critiques: “the media distorts women’s status in the social world.” It is
common knowledge that the ratio of men to women in high positioned jobs are incomparable as women are
“largely consigned to lower and mid-level management positions” (A. Brief & B. Straw, 2008). This is rooted
down to the old-fashioned ideology that women are merely seen in two ways: a sex object or as mothers/wives. It
can be argued that sisterhood is more powerful now than ever simply down to the statement that C. Williams & S.
Chau (2007, pp. 286) have raised: “the joining of racial minority women and white women… could be powerful...
also be joyful.”

To summarise the paper’s analysis, Hulu’s adaption specifically focuses on the silencing of women’s voices as a
way of a warning to its female viewers. In the series, the act of reading and writing is strongly forbidden. It can be
interpreted that this in itself, is a way to prevent oppression and uprisal. In the words of B. Smith & V. Appelt
(2001, pp. 11), the act of reading and writing “threatened to subvert women’s inferior status and circumscribed
identity.” This statement opens discussion as to whether it was more related to men being afraid of women
becoming the ‘superior’ gender. In a recently published piece, J. Ifechelobi (2014, pp. 7) states that “the use of
silence or muting leads to domestic servitude”. If anything, society has induced a global epidemic that K. Hardy
(2015, pp. 14) described as “human exploitation for profit” when considering domestic servitude. With reference
to domestic servitude, women being forced into marriage and enslavement of both genders are issues that are the
most publicly reported in the news. It can be interpreted that, because these issues are so common, people become
desensitised to them which means that there is less campaign for change.

5. Conclusion

To conclude, this paper explores how women are portrayed in Hulu’s adaptation of the Handmaid’s Tale, with
close reference to how that reflects to current day – this relates to issues such as, abortion, stereotypes of women
and the patriarchal power. The paper provides relevant scholarly sources in relation to the main challenges that
women face not only in the television series but also in the media - those have been closely explored later on in the
paper. In the analysis, the paper introduces a wide range of themes, such as sexual objectification, that are relevant
to the Handmaid’s Tale and present day. This was a way of interlinking the study of semiology between both the
media text and society in one. In selected parts, the analysis involves relatable academic references that have been
used to project a personal interpretation. This paper is a reflection of women’s experiences in society. The issues
explored in this paper are still relevant and occurring in present day society despite the numerous oppressions. This
paper concludes with the personal hypothesis that women in the Handmaid’s Tale are deeply portrayed as a
reflection of women in present society – caged.

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