Abstract
This paper explores how Fight Club (1999) visually and narratively both reinforces and subverts traditional representations of masculinity and femininity through the characters of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Recent gender ideologies: Sigma male ideology (Valdivia, 2023) and postfeminism (Riley et al., 2022), are employed to examine how both characters perform resilience, autonomy, and emotional detachment or dependency within interpersonal relationships. The concept of “medium-specificity” in film adaptation (Stam, 2000: 58) is used to highlight how cinematic tools amplify rather than distort narrative meaning. Mise-en-scène, including lighting, spatial distribution, and characters’ demeanor and attire, emerges as a critical lens for understanding gender performance on screen. To provide a balanced analysis, the study examines six scenes in total: three centered on Tyler and three on Marla. Tyler’s selected scenes demonstrate his embodied autonomy, strategic seduction, and performative violence across different social contexts. In parallel, Marla’s character reveals her postfeminist self-regulation in sexual, domestic, and emotionally charged situations. This study addresses a gap in existing literature by analyzing Marla as a self-contained figure and by reading Tyler’s masculinity through precise visual elements. Subsequent research might further examine joint scenes between Tyler and Marla to unpack how their respective gender ideologies visually and narratively coexist in a cycle of mutual manipulation.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
SIGMA MASCULINITY, POSTFEMINISM, RESILIENCE, CONSUMERISM, ADAPTATION
