La Mujer Pasiva Vs. La Mujer Activa: La Contradicción De Ideas Feministas En Las Obras De Pedro Almodóvar

Abstract

The nature of my thesis, La mujer pasiva vs. la mujer activa: la contradicción de ideas feministas en las obras de Pedro Almodóvar, is to determine with the feminist lens of Laura Mulvey whether Pedro Almodóvar can be considered a feminist director. By applying Mulvey’s theory in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, this thesis analyzes the passive and active women within his films Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, Volver, Todo sobre mi madre, Todo sobre mi madre, Hable con ella, and La piel que habito. As a woman who participates in popular culture of all types, I often notice the “types” of women portrayed throughout a variety of medias. The intention of this thesis is to understand and acknowledge how people of the media such as Almodóvar can both question and deconstruct patriarcal concepts such as the male gaze and other harmful misogynistic ideas.