Confronting Gendered Ageism: The Substance
CINEJ Cinema Journal, cilt.14, sa.1, ss.299-346, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.5195/cinej.2026.821
- Dergi Adı: CINEJ Cinema Journal
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Film & Television Literature Index, International Index to Film Periodicals, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.299-346
- Anahtar Kelimeler: ageism, body horror, film analysis, gendered ageism, male gaze
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Anadolu Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In contemporary media and film studies, age and gender discrimination have become increasingly prominent topics of discussion. Within the visual media industries, the representation of women based on age and gender often manifests either through overtly sexist portrayals or through their complete erasure from visibility. The social construction of aging and its impact on women, particularly how women are rendered invisible both on and off screen in the media and film industries, remains a contested subject. Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) vividly exposes, through the lens of body horror, the intersection of gendered ageism, the exhaustion caused by an obsession with youth and beauty, and the ensuing bodily/self-loathing, as embodied in the story of a woman dismissed from her job in the male-dominated media industry on her 50th birthday. This study employs a qualitative case analysis of The Substance through the lens of feminist film theory and gendered ageism, exploring the pressures, alienation, and burnout experienced by women in the media sector. Fargeat uses the film to generate a powerful awareness of the social norms surrounding age and gender, while revealing the profound psychological damage inflicted upon women as a result of this intersectional discrimination.