Date of Award
Spring 2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Smith
Second Advisor
Dr. Tamara Spike
Third Advisor
Ms. Rosann Kent
Abstract
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of immense change in the United States as clamorous social movements and subcultures pushed the boundaries of traditional society that became complacent after World War II while the conservative majority held tighter to their roots. However, the most memorable and progressive aspects of these decades, such as the Civil Rights movement, rock and roll, and flower children, represented a small minority of the overall American populace. The majority of Americans hunkered down and closed ranks, protecting themselves and their families from the impending threat of Communism and the loss of tradition. A horror movie renaissance arose that fed on the fears of Cold War America and reinforced the increased desire for comfort in tradition. Movers and shakers produced media that heavily represented women in new and complex ways, striking fears into the immutable majority and providing cautionary tales to women trying to move outside of the home and back into the work force. Horror movies give the most effective platform for analyzing the fears of Americans, especially when discussing gender.
Recommended Citation
Labbie, Jenna, "Damsels of Distress: Analyzing Gender in Horror Movies from the 1960s and 1970s" (2019). Honors Theses. 45.
https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/honors_theses/45
Included in
Cultural History Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons