A Feminist Cultural Analysis

How to Get Away with Murder, abbreviated as HTGAWM, is an American drama television series that debuted on the American Broadcasting Company on September 25, 2014. Shonda Rhimes and Peter Nowalk, respectively, produced and developed the season. Annalise Keating, a distinguished law professor at one of Philadelphia’s elite colleges, gets involved in a murder case with five of her law students (McNamara 22). The series revolves around the professor’s classmates, Karla Souza, Jack Falahee, Matt McGorry, Alfred Enoch, and Aja Naomi King, as well as her staff, Liza Weil and Charlie Weber. On the other hand, Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 romantic drama film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Anastasia Steele, a college alumnus who begins a sadomasochistic romance with Christian Grey (James 14). Focus Features and Universal Pictures of the film were released in theater on 2015 February 13. It is thus not only imperative to critically analyze the themes of feminist culture in Fifty Shades of Grey and How to Get Away With Murder but also essential to outline criticism of the two cultural texts.

How to get away with murder is an engaging series that presents women in a centralized manner, as they efficiently perform complex, developed and highly sophisticated roles with the appropriate competence. Even though the protagonist stands out in the presentation, Alfred Enoch does not overshadow the female characters in their roles across the scenes (McNamara 44). Contrary to the culture and social norms that dominated the traditional scenes of the discipline of visual and performing arts in the twentieth century, where the male characters were the primary dominants, HTGAWM gives women a fair and desirable presentation. Indeed, HTGAWM is home to female legal students, female murderous, as well as established female characters in the field of law. The intrigue of the series is positioned on the five law students, two women and three of their male counterparts, together with their mentor, role model, and professor, Annalise Keating. Indeed, the highly respected, revered, powerful, and fierce terrifying barrister is a female character, a very unusual encounter, hence the towering and conspicuous roles of women in the presentation.

Anastasia Steele is a literature student, who is naïve and less exposed; and her lack of sophistication while interviewing the self-made billionaire Christian Grey in Seattle leads to a fundamental segment of the plot of the whole storyline. Anastasia conducts the interview to help her colleague Kate Kavanagh, a student at the faculty of journalism whose graduation is approaching but she has an influenza infection (James 56). The two individuals develop a romantic attraction, and after that a while, they plan a date which leads to Ann getting drunk and loses control over herself. Ana and Christian agree to a secretive relationship, to avoid too much attention to disrupt the billionaire`s autonomous comfort. It is, however, contradicting that Ana does not give in to sign the contract with Christian. Nevertheless, she loses her virginity to the billionaire. Christian is a sadist who practices sadomasochist, a relationship that Ana is very much against. Preoccupied with love and sexuality, Fifty Shades of Grey, set an unusual platform upon which the female gender ultimately triumphs. Characterized by emotions in the probability to forming bonds of intense romantic love or otherwise, with a man, both pain and pleasure is evidenced in the female relationships in the presentation (James 347). Indeed, it is vital to distinguish that the American middle-class women made the Fifty Shades to stand out as unique and expressly unmatched in the presentation, hence without the bias of sexual obsession or romantic preoccupation, the concept of feminism is principal.

Even after considering the female cast solidly in the film, many influential women characters are given unique roles to play in the HTGAWM. In most cases, women have recognized in traditional capacities are wives to their husbands, subservient to male characters, mothers, and child-bearing as well as running domestic errands. However, it this series, the female characters are valued, given professional segments, tedious and complex enough to deserve credit. Hence women are held in the capacity of an equal and honored platform humanely. Indeed, both Annalise Keating and her personal assistant Bonnie Winterbottom are held in the capacity of competent and respected lawyers, whose related experience and excellent capabilities are outstanding of the scenes. The courtroom scenes is a whole new experience in HTGAWM. It is a normal custom to see male lawyers, barristers, judges, and all another professional at the scenes (McNamara 332). However, it HTGAWM, women excellently stand outside of the crowd to run the court scenes, which is a total inversion of the male-oriented society in real life situations. Following the indispensable role Annalise plays, it leaves everybody wondering how female characters can dominate the courtroom in such a perfect way, something even beyond an equal representation of gender. The scenes are outrageously feminist, considering that in most cases the judges, lawyers, solicitors, and prosecutor attorneys are often male (McNamara 33). The feminist culture dominates the presentation, despite only having two female characters at the helm of authority, forgetting that traditionally, it has been a culture that all positions and roles are occupied and performed by male professionals.

A critical and keen approach to Fifty Shades of Grey gives a multifaceted reaction, as women could either be viewed as champions of romance and socio-cultural influence or on the contrary, they could be perceived as oppressed with romantic infatuations (James 77). The Fifty Shades of Grey does not create room for abusing women in the society by highlighting sensitive themes pertinent to the subject of love and relationships, rather, it could lead to harm for many is such elements are not mentioned openly to be realized as practical. Therefore, the film brought out what is hidden and perceived as secretive in the society, to create the room for feminism advocacy and expressly claim the rights for women. Nevertheless, another approach to the target audience means that the possession of Anastasia as an asset by Christian is threatening to the female gender. For instance, after they exchange their rings and do the wedding vows to espouse the marriage, Christian says, “Finally, you’re mine.” (James 44). Therefore, the control Christian is obsessed with over Anastasia does not reflect the needed romantic love, rather, the selfish male-centered interests, which portray the feminine gender as of lesser value and subject to the otherwise superior male gender. Christian does not only respect his Anastasia, but also does not appreciate her as a woman, and even though she does not willingly prove the same in accepting the marriage, she is subservient and subject to him their life. When her mother questions her choice to keep her wedding dress on rather than change before traveling for her honeymoon, she says, ”Christian likes this dress, and I want to please him.” Her desire to try some of the ”kinky fuckery” (James 412). In his Red Room of Pain comes from wanting to demonstrate her love for him, not her sexual desires.

Anastasia is a representation of the failed feminism agenda, to advocate for equity based on gender. She is not given her humanly space as a woman to defend her position. Christian humiliates hers, beats her down verbally and demoralizes her to justify his obscene character. Limited in support and self-esteem, she gives in to his suppression, perhaps till death does them apart. Christian does not care about the etiquette in the personality of Anastasia. For instance, when she uses the safe word to avoid vulgar language, he says that she fears him, and he hits back at her without any respect nor dignity for the female gender, by saying that his ”wife fucking safe worded him,” (James 12). Therefore, from the two presentations, both the Fifty Shades of Grey and How to Get Away With Murder, it comes out clearly that the objectives of feminism and culture are very controversial in the contemporary society. The issues of equality, sexuality, gender-based violence, and power obsession are the intriguing core factors are the backdrop of the discussions.

Works Cited

James, E L. ”Fifty Shades of Grey.” Fifty Shades Trilogy 2011: 514. Web.

McNamara, Mary. ”‘How to Get Away With Murder’: A Bare Face. Bare Emotions. No Words Required.: Viola Davis’s Dramatic Reveal on ‘How to Get Away With Murder.’ - ProQuest.” Los Angeles Times. 456., 2014. Web.