A Critical Examination of Patriarchal Structures and Female Subjugation in What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023)

Abstract

Aim of Study: This research critically examines the patriarchal structures and female subjugation depicted in the movie What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023). The study aims to uncover how traditional gender roles and patriarchal expectations impact women's lives, particularly in marriage decisions.

Methodology: The study employs a qualitative content analysis approach, utilizing dialogues from the film to explore underlying patriarchal themes and gender stereotypes. The theoretical framework is based on Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist feminism, focusing on gender as a social construct, women as the “Other,” women’s immanence and domestic duties, and women’s alienation.

Findings: Key findings include that Kazim's father desires for a non-ambitious daughter-in-law reflects the patriarchal fear of women's liberty. Kazim's mother's focuses on physical appearance and traditional submissiveness in a potential bride highlights gendered norms of behavior. Meymoona's hesitance and her mother's intervention in her responses indicate a lack of autonomy and forced compliance with family decisions. Meymoona's true rebellious nature, revealed in the absence of her family, underscores the dual life women often lead due to societal pressures. The eventual revelation that Meymoona was in love with someone else and felt compelled into marriage exemplifies the personal costs of forced marriage and patriarchal expectations.

Conclusion: The study concludes that What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023) effectively portrays the impact of patriarchal structures on women's lives, particularly in the context of arranged marriages. It highlights how societal and familial expectations enforce traditional gender roles and suppress women's autonomy. The character of Meymoona serves as a case study for the broader issues of female subjugation and the struggles women face in asserting their independence within a patriarchal framework.