In an age of growing social awareness, there is a growing demand for films that explore and challenge norms, standards and institutions of society, especially those that influence a person's lifestyle based on their gender. Younger generations crave films in which dominant female characters drive the plot and serve as the centerpiece of the story. Two films achieve both their goals of being led by female characters and challenging societal institutions - Wonder Woman and Zootopia - although the two films achieve these goals in very different ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Although both films have a female lead, Zootopia and Wonder Woman differ radically in their depiction of hegemonic masculinity, dimensions hierarchies of gender and patriarchy. . While Byron Howard and Rich Moore largely avoid these issues in Zootopia, Patty Jenkins makes them key themes in Wonder Woman. However, both films share key characteristics: a reinforcement of components of masculinity, a lack of non-women subjugated to their gender, and a lack of clear demonstration of women reinforcing or working against gender inequality.Sharon R. Bird, citing Connell, defines hegemonic masculinity as "the maintenance of practices that institutionalize men's domination over women." Therefore, hegemonic masculinity can be said to be present in these films if such institutional practices are present, and while they are certainly present in Wonder Woman, the same cannot be said of Zootopia. There are no clear barriers, legal or societal, preventing women from reaching positions of influence in Zootopia, whether in government or in the police force. In fact, in the first bullpen scene, the very first police officer mentioned by the film, Francine, was a woman, and Deputy Mayor Bellwether held an important seat in the city government. Meanwhile, Judy Hopps is never told that she cannot become a police officer because of her gender; she is only discriminated against because of her species. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, highlights discriminatory institutional practices throughout the film, from the scene where Diana is essentially kicked out of the Supreme War Council because she is a woman to the scene where she is repeatedly belittled by the male British generals as she translates Dr. Poison's notebook. The type of overt gender discrimination depicted in Bird and Connell's definition of hegemonic masculinity is largely absent from Zootopia, but is evidenced in Wonder Woman. Bird and Connell's definition of hegemonic masculinity deals not only with domination over women, but also with domination over "subordinate masculinities". None of these films show clear examples of this type of domination. At no point in Zootopia are any institutional practices depicted where those of subordinate masculinities are dominated, and although Wonder Woman presents many practices that institutionalize men's domination of women, at no point does the film present a case of men with "superior" masculinities dominate over subordinate masculinities. Bird describes three components of masculinity that she believes are perpetuated by heterosexual male homosociality: emotional detachment, competition, and the sexual objectification of women. say that the components of theMasculinity is enhanced in a film if these elements are present, and although both films contain some of these components, neither contains all three, and each film contains the components that the other lacks. Wonder Woman offers many clear displays of competition; The film's central conflict, World War I, was itself a giant competition between belligerents to see which could be more dominant, and leaders such as Sir Patrick Morgan and General Lutendorf regularly competed to be more influential and hold the most great decision-making power within their respective governments. The film also shows the sexual objectification of women, Sameer's first words to Diana upon meeting him regarding her body. Wonder Woman lacks examples of emotional detachment, but Zootopia has plenty; the aforementioned first bullpen scene shows Chief Bogo and other dominant male officers acting emotionally aloof. Nick Wild, the most prominent male character in the film, is characterized by a reluctance to express his emotions, demonstrated when he quickly changes the subject after recounting how he was discriminated against during his initiation into Junior Ranger Scout. Taken together, the two films depict and reinforce all three components of Bird's hegemonic masculinity. Lee-Jane Bennion-Nixon defines the modern concept of the "woman warrior" - a female character who is often recognized by "the physical/mental strength she displays." in the face of adversity” (310) and which “has the capacity to reveal the hierarchical dimensions of gender in contemporary society and culture”. Both films have female protagonists who could very reasonably be considered to constitute "woman warriors", but the films differ in whether these main characters reveal gender hierarchies or work to subvert them. In Wonder Woman, Diana clearly exposes and works to subvert gender hierarchies. When she is kicked out of the Supreme War Council for being a woman, she questions why she was, and when she is belittled by generals while decoding Dr. Poison's notebook, she continues to speak despite comments from male colleagues. In Zootopia, however, gender hierarchies are never truly explored. Judy's successes against adversity, such as joining the police force or being named chief of police, are seen as victories for her species rather than her gender. Zootopia's failure to address gender hierarchies largely prevents the film from highlighting or presenting patriarchy, although a reasonable argument could be made that the overwhelming representation of men in Zootopia's PD is a presentation of patriarchy. However, in Wonder Woman, the presentation of patriarchy is clear; Once Diana leaves Themyscira, most institutions are dominated by men. The Supreme War Council is made up entirely of men, all the soldiers she encounters are men, and the group she travels with to the Western Front is all male aside from her. The only significant female character in the entire film after Diana leaves Themyscira is Dr. Poison; the rest of the world she faces is dominated by men. Bennion-Nixon says the "woman warrior" archetype can serve to counter and raise awareness about gender inequality, among other issues women face in real life. However, it is unclear whether the women in both films combat gender inequality or serve to reinforce it. In Zootopia, the inequality between..