Between flagged borders, across gendered lands : the voiceless female space in contemporary representations of Australian beach


Autoria(s): Cantrell, Kate; Ellison, Elizabeth
Data(s)

01/11/2009

Resumo

International and national representations of the beach perpetuate normative female concepts by maintaining dominant masculine myths, such as that of the heroic lifesaver and tanned sunbaker. Female experiences on the beach are traditionally associated with rhetorics of danger and peril, contrasted to the welcomed and protective gaze of the beach male. Conventional understandings of the gaze promote male surveillance of women, and although some resistance exists, the beach primarily remains a place to observe the female form. This article attempts to explore currents of resistance at the beach through a self-reflexive examination of Schoolies. Although the event is fixed within patriarchal codes and structures, small eddies of resistance exist amongst female participants in light of increasing awareness of masculine hegemony. The Australian beach remains a contested site of multiple constructs of gender and national identity. This article reveals the changing tides of resistance.

Formato

application/pdf

Identificador

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/29080/

Publicador

Ethic Communities Council of Queensland

Relação

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/29080/1/cantrell_29080%5B1%5D.pdf

http://www.eccq.com.au/downloads/Kate%20Cantrell%20&%20Elizabeth%20Ellison.pdf

Cantrell, Kate & Ellison, Elizabeth (2009) Between flagged borders, across gendered lands : the voiceless female space in contemporary representations of Australian beach. In Proceedings of the ECCQ Multicultural Summit '09, Ethic Communities Council of Queensland, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane.

Direitos

Copyright 2009 Kate Cantrell and Elizabeth Ellison

Fonte

Creative Writing & Literary Studies; Creative Industries Faculty

Palavras-Chave #200205 Culture Gender Sexuality #200200 CULTURAL STUDIES #Australian beach #national identities #gendered space #Schoolies
Tipo

Conference Paper