Fantastic Mr. Fox and Taming the Man: An Analysis of Resistance to Domestication
Location
Ponderosa Room D
Presentation Type
Presentation
Presentation Topic
Media Analysis, History, Gender Studies, Masculinity
Start Date
3-3-2023 10:10 AM
Event Sort Order
18
Abstract
What is man but a wild animal? Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox illustrates the push and pull relationship between the desire for freedom and one’s obligation to fulfill the heteronormative role of provider, husband, and father. By analyzing the ways in which the film presents masculinity, one may be able to critically question how patriarchal expectations of hyper-independence and lack of connection with emotions creates male estrangement from vulnerability and feelings of security within the domestic sphere. Using an intersectional feminist lens and the word of bell hooks’ The Will To Change as the foundation for analysis, this presentation aims to encourage viewers to question and deconstruct patriarchal masculinity as it maintains fatherhood and partnership as a hindrance to male self-preservation.
Fantastic Mr. Fox and Taming the Man: An Analysis of Resistance to Domestication
Ponderosa Room D
What is man but a wild animal? Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox illustrates the push and pull relationship between the desire for freedom and one’s obligation to fulfill the heteronormative role of provider, husband, and father. By analyzing the ways in which the film presents masculinity, one may be able to critically question how patriarchal expectations of hyper-independence and lack of connection with emotions creates male estrangement from vulnerability and feelings of security within the domestic sphere. Using an intersectional feminist lens and the word of bell hooks’ The Will To Change as the foundation for analysis, this presentation aims to encourage viewers to question and deconstruct patriarchal masculinity as it maintains fatherhood and partnership as a hindrance to male self-preservation.
Presenter Bio
Monica Hernandez is a Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies major at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a part of the program's Sexual Health Ambassador internship which allows her to teach classes regarding sexuality and safe sex practices. She is currently working on her research, "The Tools to Change: A Guide to Developing Healthy and Intersectional Relationships with Masculinity in the Time of Radicalization,” in hopes to provide men with resources that recognize mental health and the power of vulnerability. She is also a writer and poet and enjoys analyzing film.