A star fighting sexism: Internalized sexism analysis in A Star Is Born (2018)
Abstract
Sexism is not always visible or obvious. Sometimes it can also be seen in women's perceptions and interactions with themselves, which are influenced by society. This study investigates how women can embody internalized sexism. This study uses a text analysis approach. Primary data is taken from the 2018 film A Star Is Born, with a specific focus on the character Ally as the female lead. The theoretical framework for this study includes the analysis of internalized sexist behavior by Manne and Bearman and Amrhein, as well as the formal system of the film by Bordwell and Thompson. This study reveals that Ally internalizes sexism, and this is reflected through behaviors such as objectification, invalidation, and derogation. These things show that internalized sexism causes Ally to devalue herself and feel unable to compete in a male-dominated industry. The study concludes that the film depicts a society that perpetuates sexism as a tool to justify that women are considered submissive. The internalized sexism in the film should be brought to light and made to raise awareness of the issue that many people are unaware of. In a broader context, the study suggests that there is a need for more awareness and resistance against sexism and gender inequality.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Anita, D., Yoanita, D., & Wahjudianata, M. (2019). Representasi patriarki dalam film “A Star Is Born.” Jurnal E-Komunikasi, 7(2), 1–13.
Atmojo, L. I. (2020). Comparing women's linguistic features used by Esther in “A Star Is Born” (1976) to those used by Ally in “A Star Is Born” (2018). (Thesis, Universitas Airlangga). Repositori Universitas Airlangga. http://repository.unair.ac.id/104876/
Barreto, M., & Doyle, D. M. (2023). Benevolent and hostile sexism in a shifting global context. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(2), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00136-x
Bearman, S., & Amrhein, M. (2014). Girls, women, and internalized sexism. In E. J. R. David (Ed.) Internalized oppression: The psychology of marginalized groups (pp. 191-225). Springer.
Bearman, S., Korobov, N., & Thorne, A. (2009). The fabric of internalized sexism. Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, 1(1), 10–47.
Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008). Film art: An introduction. (8th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Bozkur, B. (2020). Developing internalized sexism scale for women: a validity and reliability study. International Journal of Eurasian Education and Culture, 5(11), 1981–2028. https://doi.org/10.35826/IJOECC.289
Brogaard, B. (2020). Baby, it's in your nature: Misogyny, femininity, and female filth. In Hatred (pp. 82–95). Oxford University Press.
Cihangir, S., Barreto, M., & Ellemers, N. (2014). Men as allies against sexism: The positive effects of a suggestion of sexism by male (vs. female) sources. SAGE Open, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014539168
Cooper, B. (Director). (2018). A star is born [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.
Creswell, J. W. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Effendy, O. U. 1986. Dinamika komunikasi. Bandung: Penerbit Remadja Karya CV.[sj1.1]
Evteeva, M., Burges, L., & Gelabert, T. S. (2024). Internalized misogyny: The patriarchy inside our heads. 14(1), 82–108.
Grogan, S. (2021). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women and children. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003100041
Ghufron, M. N., & Risnawita, R. S. (2010). Teori-teori psikologi. Yogyakarta: Ar-Ruzz Media. Girindra,[sj2.1]
Jha, I. (2024). To explore the relationship between internalized misogyny and career choices among Indian women. 12(2). https://doi.org/10.25215/1202.245
Magliano, J. P., & Zacks, J. M. (2011). The impact of continuity editing in narrative film on event segmentation. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2011.01202.x
Manne, K. (2018). Down girl: The logic of misogyny. Oxford University Press.
McKee, A. (2003). Textual analysis: A beginner’s guide. SAGE.
Milana, T. (2019). Gender Inequality in Hollywood: The Magnitude, Determinants, and Influence of the Gender Wage Gap in the Film Industry. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1296/
Mulvey, L. (2013). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. In The Sexual Subject: Screen Reader in Sexuality (pp. 22–34). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315003092
Nasution, L. A., & Sahira, N. (2021). Studi semiotik feminisme tentang film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak. Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Komunikasi Communique, 4(1), 14–2. www.ejurnal.stikpmedan.ac.id
O’Brien, A. (2015). Mise en scène and film style: From classical Hollywood to new media art, by Adrian Martin (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 32(8), 737–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2015.1061877
O’Meara, R. (2017). Sexism from page to screen. Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network, 10(2), 79–91. https://doi.org/10.31165/nk.2017.102.506
Puspa, N., & Larasati, A. (2021). Gender inequality in Indonesia: Facts and legal analysis. Law Research Review Quarterly, 7(4), 445–458. https://doi.org/10.15294/LRRQ.V7I4.48170
Rosida, I., Ghazali, M. M., Dedi, D., & Salsabila, F. S. (2022). The manifestation of internalized sexism in the Pick Me Girl trend on TikTok. Alphabet, 05(01), 8-19. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.alphabet.2022.05.01.02
Salter, M. (2012). Invalidation: A neglected dimension of gender-based violence and inequality. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 1(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v1i1.73
Setyadi, R., & Ekawati, R. (2021). Male and female language features in A Star Is Born movie. PARAFRASE : Jurnal Kajian Kebahasaan & Kesastraan, 21(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.30996/parafrase.v21i1.4688
Swim, J. K., Eyssell, K. M., Murdoch, E. Q., & Ferguson, M. J. (2010). Self-Silencing to sexism. Journal of Social Issues, 66(3), 493–507. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2010.01658.x
Eburuaja, C. U., & Ifechelobi, N, J. (2017). Gender discrimination: An analysis of the language of derogation. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS, 22(6), 23–27. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-2212062327 [sj3.1]
Wang, Y., & Elfira, M. (2024). The manifestation of misogyny in the pick me boy trend on Tiktok Indonesia. International Review of Humanities Studies, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/irhs.v9i1.1278
Willen, C. (2021, March 4). 27 Women who have talked about experiencing sexism in Hollywood. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/women-sexism-experiences-hollywood-misogyny-entertainment-industry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/psg.v14i1.98453
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright © Passage: Journal of English Language and Literature
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Publisher & Contact
The English Language and Literature Study Program
Faculty of Language and Literature Education
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Email: [email protected]
Share this journal
Passage: Journal of English Language and Literature