Women’s representation in 1980s romantic comedies : a case study

Abstract

This dissertation will discuss specific 1980s romantic comedies in relation to the different representations of women within them. Throughout this study, three main themes will be discussed in the chosen films namely the wardrobe of female protagonists, the occupation of female protagonists and also the female’s relationship with their male counterparts. The films included in this study are Flashdance (1983), Pretty in Pink (1986), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Working Girl (1988), Mystic Pizza (1988) and When Harry Met Sally (1989). The main argument in this study is that filmmakers have a tendency to misrepresent women on screen by fitting them into a definite stereotype. Therefore, this dissertation will look into the different representation and misrepresentations of women in the chosen films mentioned above.