Miss Congeniality IQE
Identify the Techniques
Quote from the text
Costuming
Gracie costume is gender neutral, t shirt
jeans
Low and high angle shots
Dialogue
If you weren’t a girl I’d beat your face
off
Scene 2
The “ dress up Sally website”
“ hot right and hey baby” “ It looks like
my mother”
Close up
Dialogue
Close up
Long shot, mid shot and
close
Costuming
Mis en scene
Extreme close up
Blonde hair, and the not so pretty and
older woman
Cuts back to the office and the office
staff laughing at the not so pretty girls.
Where the use of information such as
how many languages the pretty girl can
speak French and German, has a
masters degree, yet is only accepted for
Explain how the text explores aspects of gender especially how it represents how
women should look and behave
The choice of a gender neutral costume of tshirt and jeans for the main female
protagonist Gracie Heart straight away brings up the idea of gender in the text Miss
Congeniality . Her “ tomboy” costume supports the rest of the scene where she does
not conform to the usual girl stereotype of pretty and feminine. When Gracie
punched the male antagonist the director Petrie used a low angle shot to show that
she is more powerful and that the antagonist is weak. The low angle shot shows that
girls are not all pretty and feminine but that they can also be stronger than the male
gender and this shows us that females can have dominance. Moreover, the use of
dialogue also raises notion of gender. “If you weren’t a girl I’d beat your face off” this
quote breaks the usual stereotype as Gracie as a girl does not hesitate to punch the
boy. This subverts the stereotype and generates humour.
In scene 2 the issues of gender is explored further. In a close up we see that the
“dress up Sally” website is used to change the police officers into bathing suit. The
extremes close up for the website has choices such as “makeup, costumes, and
accessories” all these things suggest that the value of women is determined by
appearances. This is further suggested when in the extreme, close up of one of the
police officer that references to her academic records; the fact that she is has a
masters degree and can speak French and German are disregarded as it only her
body they are interested. In the close up we see her formal work clothes change to a
revealing costume again suggesting that women are valued for their looks. This is
further reiterated when the close up of not so pretty girl then cuts back to the police
unit and they laugh and jeer at her and throw popcorn. In a close up we see that
both the male and female characters are judgmental of this women’s looks. While
this scene is used to generate humour it also has an undertone that speaks to an
audience that suggest that women are commodities,; they are like dolls and have to
fit a certain shape, be of a certain age to be accepted. This sends a message to both
males and females and reflects aspects of society that is very gender based.
her body/.
Overhead shot
Juxtaposition
Costuming
Dialogue
Music
Long shot
“teeth, hair, manicure, pedicure”
“your hair should make a statement”
“she’s beauty and she’s great, she’s
miss united states”
The scene where Gracie is transformed into a “lady”, the composer further explores
the issues of gender, and how people in society see a beautiful woman. Juxtaposition
(contrast) from the scene where Gracie meets Victor and where she is transformed,
you see an immediate change in costuming. Gracie changes from wearing neutral
clothing to a short, tight dress. The composer uses statements through the character
Victor, to show what a beautiful, pageant girl should look like, “Your hair should
make a statement” furthermore “teeth, hair, manicure, pedicure”. Victor believes all
these things make up a perfect woman indicated by the song “she’s beauty and she’s
grace, she’s miss united states”, sung by the girls on the bus to the pageant. Also
when Gracie is in the chair, the use of an overhead shot is used in giving her less
dominance and importance. The composer is bringing up gender issues and the idea
of is this really how people in society see woman and if so, it’s not true. There is so
much more to woman than what is on the outside, but apparently Victor thinks so
otherwise, and this is exactly the idea the composer is trying to get across.