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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter explains about the introduction of this final project which contained background of the study, reasons for choosing the topic, statements of
the problem, objectives of the study, significances of the study, and the last one is outline of the study.
1.1 Background of the Study
People use literature to express their feelings, emotion, and also mind set for any certain intention. Rodway 1982:3 argued literature as the most
memorable means by which human perception, wisdom, experience, and feelings from fields for more varied that any individual could command, can be handed on.
Thereby, literature is a proper means to use in criticizing certain phenomena around us that might be become a concern of human being.
As in real life, there are unreasonable assumption, prejudices and stereotypes that are addressed to women. Like unfair judgment that an obese
woman cannot be categorized as a beautiful women, and the worst she is unworthy to be love because of the imperfect figure. Here, narrow-minded people
only see the ‘skin’ of someone’s appearance, without considering that brain and behavior are the important parts too in giving judgment.
That situation can be seen in Shallow Hal as the object of the study. This movie is a reflection of men’s narrow-minded in seeing women appearances. It
represents unfairness and discrimination of the women who imperfect physically.
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It talks about a man named Hal Larson who met a woman, Rosemary Shanahan. In fact, she was obese, but she was kindhearted. Surprisingly, under hypnotic
influence because of her inner-beauty she looked slim and pretty in Hal’s view. This unpredictable situation causes a chaos in his life till finally he realized the
true of beauty. Related to this interesting movie, I used feminism as the theory of this
study, to lift up refusal about the concept of beauty which is symbolized by physical attraction solely. Because I see that the women had already become the
victim of men’s narrow-mindedness. Gamble 2006:94 stated that feminism is crucially concerned with the ways in which women bodies are controlled within
patriarchal system. While at the same time, idealized forms of their body are objectified by various means for male consumption and sexual delectation.
Furthermore, I would like analyze about the relation of men’s narrow- mindedness and the existence of the capitalism era which is going on nowadays.
As we can see fashion, beauty product, and beauty parlor are getting expanding lately in this modern era. They give contribution in forming people’s perception
about the definition beauty superficially. In addition, the role of media exposure which had already perpetuated them implicitly as the standard beauty, so that they
become one of popular culture in this age that influence someone’s behavior and mind set in defining beauty.
Here, I would like to deliver a discussion of how men see women’s physical appearance superficially which has already caused them placed as the
object of the unfair male gaze. The dominance of patriarchal system caused
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abuses and discrimination in women’s life, furthermore it placed them into difficult situation. Because of I see there are correlation of men’s narrow-
mindedness, the influences of the capitalism and the denigratory of women self- esteem, I title this study Men’s Narrow-mindedness in Seeing Women’s Beauty in
‘Shallow Hal’ Movie.
1.2 Reasons for Choosing the Topic
