Objective: Examine gender roles in traditional and non-traditional stories, and social constructions of "male" and "female."
Materials: Video Clip "I'll Make a Man out of You" (Mulan)
Video Clip "Makeover Scene" (Miss Congeniality)
1. Watch first video clip. On a folded sheet of paper, ask students to list the expectations or "steps" for Mulan to take on a male role. Ask if these expectations hold true for men today.(Before discussion, it may be helpful to distinguish between "gender" and "biological sex" using definitions from the World Health Organisation)
http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/index.html
2. As students watch the second video clip, ask them to list expectations/ characteristics of a "real" woman, as portrayed by Sandra Bullock's character. Start off by pulling up a freeze frame of the "makeover bunker"--what equipment is there? Why is it needed? Are these expectations true for women right now?
3. Read aloud from The Princess Bride p.93 and 94. As a class, come up with a list of characteristics/expectations Buttercup must follow (or learn to follow), using examples from text. What are the consequences for not following these gender rules? If time, look at examples of genderbending from popular culture: What happens to those who blur the gender lines?
