The absence of pariah femininity in contemporary South African film and television

Abstract

This research examines the representation of pariah femininities, as a concept, in mainstream film and television, against the backdrop of South Africa’s segregated past and the homophobia still prevalent. Homophobia presents itself in the form of fetishization and subjugation. It is evident in the lack of representation of queer women in South African mainstream cinema and the overt rejection of films representing queer men. I investigate how South Africa’s attitudes towards female sexuality have influenced its film and television industry and how the media approaches the representation of queer images. My main study area involves exploring what the absence in female queer images tells us about the gender biases in the South African film industry. It is appropriate and efficient to analyse selected films from the cinema circuit, but to also analyse soap operas and local dramas as these are most commonly watched in South Africa compared to local films. As a starting point, I will examine existing research on how viewers in South Africa interpret media messages which focuses on issues of homosexuality by first probing on the perceptions that have shaped this shared view on homosexuality. The process is affected by the meanings people make about homosexuality which is why I look at different film examples, local dramas and soap operas to explore content and expand my understanding of whether viewers are able to watch beyond the dominant homophobic ideology that exists in South Africa. By analysing the thematic attributes of following three films; While You Weren’t Looking (2015), Inxeba: The Wound (2017) and Kanarie (2018), as well as the discussion of popular South African television programmes such as Generations (1994-2014), Generations: The Legacy (2014-) and Umlilo (2015-2016), I demonstrate that while the LGBTQI+ community remains a marginalised group in society, lesbian women have been further side-lined when it comes to their representation in the media