1. Male Representation in the Mass
Media
How the mass media portrays men in overwhelmingly
negative roles

2. Men as aggressive partners and/or fathers
 The mass media often portrays men in dominant,
aggressive roles and women in submissive roles.
 Here are a few famous movies that have depicted
women suffering domestic abuse at the hands of
their partners.
 A common recurring theme in such movies is
retribution for the men’s wrongdoings and
empowerment of the women involved.
 However, there are few movies that depict dominant,
aggressive girlfriends, fiancées, or wives who
assault their male partners.

3. Enough
This movie depicts a woman
named Slim who is physically
assaulted by her husband, Mitch,
who cheats on her. When she
leaves him with their daughter,
he tracks them down. Left with
few options, Slim takes up Krav
Maga. When she goes back to
see Mitch, she ends up
physically fighting him to his
death as he attacks her.
Image credit:
www.moviegoods.com

4. The Color Purple
Celie, the main character of the
film, marries a man identified
only as Mister and is subjected to
abuse at his hands.
Image credit:
www.moviegoods.com

5. The Burning Bed
This film recounts the true story of
Francine Hughes who, after
enduring thirteen years of abuse
from her husband, sets the bed on
fire and kills her husband while he
is sleeping.
Image credit: www.imdb.com

6. Provoked
This film, which is loosely based
on the story of Kiranjit
Ahluwalia, depicts a woman
who leaves for London for an
arranged marriage. She finds
out that her husband is an
abusive man. After ten years of
abuse at his hands, she sets fire
to his feet while he sleeps and
ends up killing him.
Image credit:
www.impawards.com