Big Little Lies: a contemporary TV series about the representation of feminine subjectivity and violence against women
Abstract
TV series can be studied as producing meaning in both moral and aesthetic exploration of the narrative, especially in relation to contemporary issues. In this article, through a qualitative methodology, we address what happens to the female protagonists of the series Big Little Lies, released in 2017, which takes pride in telling stories about contemporary women. Based on the theory of social representations and a gender perspective, we put forward an analysis on how this TV series intends to convey a discourse of rupture in the traditional role assigned to women in society but, nevertheless, it reproduces certain beauty stereotypes and traditional ways of female subjectivation, which shows a contradiction between its discourse and the final production. On the other hand, the series shows situations of violence against women and addresses the issue considering the complexity it implies.Keywords:
TV series, social representations, gender, female subjectivation, violenceReferences
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Despentes, V. (2018). King Kong Theory. Spain: Editorial Literatura Random House.
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Pérez, J. (2004). Social Representations. En D. Páez, I. Fernández, S. Ubillos & E. Zubieta (Coords.). Social, Cultural and Education Psychology. ISBN 84- 205-3724-1. pp. 443-454. Madrid: Pearson Educación.
Raya Bravo, I., Sánchez-Labella, I., y Durán, V. (2018). The construction of adolescent profiles in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and Atypical. Comunicación y Medios, (37), 131-143. doi:10.5354/0719-1529.2018.48631
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Sarmiento, A.; Varela, O.; Puhl, S.; Izcurdia, M. (2005). Psychology in the Legal Field. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ediciones Culturales Universitarias.
Solà Gimferrer, P. (2017) 11 feminist series worth watching in the Post-Weinstein Era. La Vanguardia. Consultado el 08/05/2019. Disponible en https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/20171118/432942947142/series-feministas-alias-grace-big-little-lies-sweet-vicious.html
Tajer, D. (2009) Hurt Hearts. Coronary vulnerability in men and women. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paidós.
Taylor, S.J y Bogdan, R. (2013). Introduction to qualitative research methods. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paidós.
Becker, H. S. (2009). Outsiders. Buenos Aires: Siglo XXI.
Belloso Martín, N., y Gorczevski, C. (2018). Feminist and Equal Rights Movement. An Unfinished Fight. Revista do direito, 1(54), 40-58. Disponible en: https://online.unisc.br/seer/index.php/direito/article/view/11838/7324
Benavente, F. (2007). Heaven’s Door: Contemporary American Series. Cahiers du Cinema, (1), 104.
Berman, J. (2017). NYT recommendation: Big Little Lies. New York Times. Consultado el 06/05/2019. Disponible en https://www.nytimes.com/watching/recommendations/big-little-lies
Bremermann, E. (2018). Big Little Lies played a key role in the feminist debate. El Observador. Consultado el 08/05/2019. Disponible en https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/-big-little-lies-desempeno-un-papel-fundamental-en-el-debate-feminista--201838500
Cambra Badii, I. (2016). Cinematographic Psychology, Bioethics and Narrative: a qualitative analysis of student productions about bioethical conflicts related with identity. Revista Latinoamericana de Bioética, 16(31-2), pp. 16-39.
Campagnoli, M. (2018). Epistemological feminist critiques: Current approximations. Descentrada, 2(2), e047. Memoria Académica. Disponible en: http://www.memoria.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/art_revistas/pr.8897/pr.8897.pdf
Cascajosa Virino, C. (2006). It is not television, it’s HBO: The search for difference as indicator of quality in HBO Channel dramas. Zer, 21, 23-33. Disponible en: http://www.ehu.eus/ojs/index.php/Zer/article/view/3714
Casetti, F., & Di Chio, F. (1991). How to Analyze a Film. Barcelona.
Cavanagh, E. (2017). Why "Big Little Lies" Is The Feminist TV Show We Need. Odyssey. Consultado el 08/05/2019. Disponible en https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-big-little-lies-is-the-feminist-tv-show-we-need
De Grado González, M. (2011). Semen, eggs and nomadic uteruses. Representations of women, maternity and new techniques of assisted reproduction. Revista Icono 14, 1(9), 161-174. Disponible en: http://www. icono14.net
de la Torre, Toni (2016). History of the series. Barcelona: Roca.
Despentes, V. (2018). King Kong Theory. Spain: Editorial Literatura Random House.
Fernández, A. M. (1993). The woman of the illusion. Pacts and contracts between men and women. Buenos Aires: Paidós.
Galán Fajardo, E. (2007). Gender construction and televised fiction in Spain. Comunicar, Revista Científica de Comunicación y Educación, 28, 229-236.
García de Castro, M. (2008). Hegemonic properties of domestic televised fiction in Spain between 1995-2000. Zer Revista de Estudios de Comunicación, 14, pp, 151-167.
Gómez Mora, V. (2018). Towards a new television model. Surge of VOD platforms in Spain: structure, sector development and journalistic report (Thesis Project). Facultad de Comunicación, Universidad de Sevilla, España.
Gómez Ponce, A. (2017). Big Little Lies. Series narrations of the American Dream. Representaciones, 13 (2), 107-126.
Hale, M. (2017). Review: In ‘Big Little Lies,’ Monterey Moms and Their Clichés. New York Times: Feb. 16, 2017. Consultado el 06/05/2019. Disponible en: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/arts/television/big-little-lies-nicole-kidman-reese-witherspoon.html
Innocenti, V. & Pescatore, G. (2011) The narrative models of the televised series, en La balsa de la medusa, 6, pp. 31-50.
Lacalle, C. e Hidalgo-Marí, T. (2016). The development of the family in Spanish televised fiction. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 71, 470-483 Recuperado de: http://www.revistalatinacs.org/071/paper/1105/25es.html
López Mondéjar, L. (2001). A romantic relationship pathology: abuse of women. Revista de la Asociación Española de Neuropsiquiatría, (77), p. 7-26.
Lotman, Y. (2000). “The place of cinematographic art in the mechanism of culture”, en Lotman, Yuri, The Semiosphere III, Madrid: Ediciones Frónesis Cátedra, Pp.123-137.
Mason, J. (1996). Qualitative researching. Editorial Sage, Londres.
Meler, I. y Tajer, D. (2000) Psychoanalysis and Gender - Debates en el Foro. Buenos Aires: Lugar Editorial.
Mendo, E. (2017). Audiences USA: Big Little Lies ends its season at a peak. Disponible en: https://elrincon.tv/series/audiencias/audiencias-usa-big-little-lies-cierra-temporada-con-maximo/
Michel Fariña, J. J. y Solbakk, J. H. (2012) (Bio)ethics and Cinema. Greek tragedy and acontecimiento del cuerpo. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Letra Viva.
Michel Fariña, J.J; Tomas Maier, A. (2016). How to interpret a film? Ethical education via cinema and the virtual world. Informática na Educação: teoria e prática, volumen (19) número (1), pp 69-83.
Moriarty, L. (2014). Little Lies. Barcelona, España: Suma de letras.
Moscovici, S. (1961). La psychanalyse, son image et son public. París: PUF
Moscovici, S. y Hewstone, M. (1986). De la ciencia al sentido común, en S. Moscovici (Ed.) Psicología social II. Barcelona, Paidós.
Pérez, J. (2004). Social Representations. En D. Páez, I. Fernández, S. Ubillos & E. Zubieta (Coords.). Social, Cultural and Education Psychology. ISBN 84- 205-3724-1. pp. 443-454. Madrid: Pearson Educación.
Raya Bravo, I., Sánchez-Labella, I., y Durán, V. (2018). The construction of adolescent profiles in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and Atypical. Comunicación y Medios, (37), 131-143. doi:10.5354/0719-1529.2018.48631
Rincón, O. (2011). New Televised Narratives: relax, entertain, tell, civilly educate, experiment. Comunicar, XVIII(36), 43-50. Disponible en: https://www.revistacomunicar.com/index.php?contenido=detalles&numero=36&articulo=36-2011-06
Sarmiento, A.; Varela, O.; Puhl, S.; Izcurdia, M. (2005). Psychology in the Legal Field. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ediciones Culturales Universitarias.
Solà Gimferrer, P. (2017) 11 feminist series worth watching in the Post-Weinstein Era. La Vanguardia. Consultado el 08/05/2019. Disponible en https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/20171118/432942947142/series-feministas-alias-grace-big-little-lies-sweet-vicious.html
Tajer, D. (2009) Hurt Hearts. Coronary vulnerability in men and women. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paidós.
Taylor, S.J y Bogdan, R. (2013). Introduction to qualitative research methods. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paidós.
