Gender, Sexual and Racial Representations in Mad Max: Fury Road

Discussion on gender, sexual and racial problems has been widely spread through some global

movements like feminist movements and black movements. Nevertheless, these problems exhibiting in

different culture across regions are often considered sensitive and untold in real life. Luckily through

filmic representation, existence of certain values or messages can be presented by the roles of actors’

personification, which ensures that certain values or beliefs which are sensitive to mention in real life

to be harder to ignored or rejected in a film. This shows the importance of the actors and actresses in a

film whereby they not only have the role to play on the filmic character but the manifestation of certain

values, ideologies and identities thus convey the ideas of a film. This essay is going to explore the

intersectional identity politics of gender, sexual and racial representations in Mad Max: Fury Road

(Dough & Miller, 2015).

This film sets on a post-apocalyptic world in which the tyranny dictator, Immortal Joe rules over the

citizens with most natural resources and a great army known as War Boys under his control. Two rebels

Furiosa and Max help themselves and Joe’s five wives figure out ways while overcoming the attack of

Joe’s and his army. Both the male character Max and the female character Furiosa undergoes character

dynamics with the presentation of both protagonist and antagonist elements exhibiting in them when

each encounter different challenges at the beginning while Max just selfishly think about ways in

battling on his own survival and Furiosa betrays Joe’s order to escape, yet, both of them later end up

working together to successfully overthrow Joe shows the uniqueness in the dynamics of film characters

compared to other films (Bampatzimopolous, 2015). The symbolic scenes and incidents of this science-

fiction specifically features on the gender and sexual representation through different characters’ roles.

For instance, Furiosa as Joe’s prime lieutenants casts as the main heroine. Individuals or leaders should

be judged by their talents and skills instead of gender and racial background. A leader that provides the

most benefits and service using his power to the public should be elected to lead the country as normally

a leader will determine the country’s success (Barrett, 2017). For example, the citizens of Joe’s Citadel

cheerfully welcome and recognize Furiosa as their new leader after Joe is defeated, not regarding her

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gender but on her capability and leadership.

In social studies, power is the capacity of an individual to influence others often involved legitimacy

and authority (Power, 2015). This may advocate a negative impact or unjust to the social structure when

viewing from the Althusser approach in the film (MM: FR) (Butler, 1999). As individuals are meant to

be always-already subjects and do not independently present in the economic or social structure

(Mohammed et al., 2016). They appeared to be the effect and expression of the relations which inhere

within the historic determined structures from up the capitalist mode of production (Power, 2015). For

example, females being treated as milk and nutrition supply for Rictus, Joe’s son, shows a sarcastic but

accurate way from the Althusserian view. Individuals are just existing in medium structure as they are

not self-constituting throughout history. This describes the contributes of ideology work on material

existence, Ideological State Apparatus (ISAs), which elaborate set of meanings that make sense of the

world in ways that misrepresent and misrecognize power and class relations (Rehmann, 2013). While

class interest is misrecognized as natural and neutral. Also, consciousness or subjectivity is not the

natural state of individuals but constructed and acquired attribute of the social state (Rehmann, 2013).

Thus, ideology states that individuals engage as if they were ‘subjects’ of their actions and

consciousness. Mohammed et al. (2016) defines the process as interpellation whereby individuals are

hailed by the discursive, linguistic or symbolic order fixed outside and it is impossible to live without

it. For example, a male is imitated in the form of muscular and bold body structure which is usually

opposite to female which is judged based on their sexiest body shape. This creates the interpellation as

a male must have certain body features, gestures or even actions to show his manliness and often this

becomes part of the measurement on his capability (Butler, 1990).

As being said, individuals have been viewed under the social recognition as subjects that bear a

characteristic and often gender, sexual or racial shows the ultimate representation. This can be observed

as the ideology generated and norms fixed in males normally acquire a greater chance in leadership and

mostly patriarchal power is used to control the social structure since ancient times (Butler, 1990).

Ironically, the traditional conservative society practices the idea of masculinity with patriarchal

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leadership and power. From the beginning of mankind's existence, man is meant to hunt and defend the

safety of clan members while a woman plays the role in supporting and taking care of the family

members (Albee, 1996). This ensures most of the cultural society to bear the paternal leadership and

power with the strongest and toughest male elected to be the leader as commonly projected not only in

real life but films. The interpellation and ideology of strong and buff body physique in males reflects

that Joe as a tough male, granting greater capability upon the social status and this becomes the key

reason of him owning both power and great army, allowing the use of his dictatorship and social order

to rule and control over citizens in his citadel. The movie has also presented such stereotyped female

role like Furiosa can confront the usual identity politics, leading the protective role, proving female

shares the same stress and pressure as a man from a feminist perspective (Bampatzimopolous, 2015).

Mohammed et al (2016) highlights identity politics as a mode of categorizing and often individuals

claim themselves belong to those social groups faced or more vulnerable to oppression. Interestingly,

power from Althusser’s point of view shows the implication of gender performativity mentioned by

Judith Butler. According to the film, Gender is Burning (Livingston, 1990), Judith Butler (1999)

mentions gender performativity, referring that gender demonstrates as a performance that constitutes

purported identity. Therefore, gender is observed as a doing and can be indicated as the role taken by

the individual to a performative stage that it produces a continuous effect not only the phenomenon is

being produced all-time but also repeatedly reproduced (Butler, 2011). The five wives wear white

dresses and lingerie symbolizing the pure and sexual beauty required in a woman outfit. However, as

the phenomenon supports the objective of gender roles, drag can be noticeable such as in a society with

masculinity culture (Butler, 1990). This could be the reason that indirectly supports gender inequality

or biases that exist especially in parts of countries with high power distance. High power distance is a

culture where the individuals lower than the leader in status must obey his or her instruction with no

doubt. While gender role is generally the stereotypes or social construction related to gender, drag is

identified as hyperbolic heterosexual gender norms through the service of both re-idealization and

denaturalization (Butler, 1999). Thus, drag can be a trace in any representation regarding gender or

sexual perspective and misogyny is the best example of drag in line with Butler's theory. Butler once
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emphasizes that seeing gay male drag as misogyny is considered homophobic due to produced realness

norms under legitimate and delegitimatizes. Similarly, drag in cross-racial consists of patriarchal or

colonial as it involves the perspective of a director’s in ‘innocent observer’ or ‘outsider’ (Butler, 1990).

This shows the evident connection between the existence of power concerning gender, sexual and racial

representation in which will be discussed in the following section by analyzing incidents or scenes in

film (MM: FR).

Firstly, there’s apparent gender representation of both masculinity and feminist concept surrounds the

movie plot. The character of Furiosa as bold, incapable and owned a shotgun in a driver seat shows a

more transgender role or a tough lesbian challenges the generic gender roles (Halberstam, 2001). From

the masculinity view, there’s the role of Joe and Max as a male character that incurs the patriarchal order

in deciding for others, but the highlight of the film is that feminism should not be overlooked. The

function of feminism is to provide equal rights and freedom for both genders to work together without

compromise either one of the genders (Bampatzimopolous, 2015). Furiosa’s role as the main savior

proves that ignorance in gender stereotyping like a female should be incapable or obedient (Du Plooy,

2019). Her actions when she chooses to go against the order of Joe in helping the five wives by stealing

Joe's WarWig and herself to escape is aligned with the five wives’ thought in rejecting being silenced

away or obedient to Joe (Du Plooy, 2019). The will of Furiosa and the five wives is a contrast to Max,

who’s just thinking of ways to survive and struggle to escape the reality since he falls into the victim of

being constantly haunted by the eerie voices he fails to save during the last destruction

(Bampatzimopolous, 2015). This does not mean females have greater capability than men, but each can

have the role of the other (Barrett, 2017). Max frequently shows support to Furiosa and the five wives

in terms of involvement in clashes with Joe and his army and figure out backup plans for them to strive

out of the compel of Joe. Although, Max and Furiosa later each serve their role as a protective force to

the five wives and themselves, Furiosa still shares equal physical strength and capability when dealing

with conflicts as Max even she has a physical disability of having one hand amputated. The ending plot

proves females can also be the savior and succeed as a protector in providing positive contributions to

society (Du Plooy, 2019). The ending scenes show that both genders can still attain greater benefits and
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success such as freedom in rights with the presence of gender identity, provided they treat each other

equally and not using their strength to cause weakness on the other (Butler, 1990).

Meanwhile, sexual representation is seen throughout the treatment of Joe on the five wives. In the

scene, the beautiful female is selectively chosen with the main purpose of breeding. The idea of Joe

hints the context of which female is often seen as priced sexual objects used for breeding but not

individuals. Such interpretation of females shows the obligation in gender equality as this means the

interpellation of individuals to represent for a specific function either to fulfill the sexual desires of

males or to breed the male’s offspring which is sexist. For example, the five wives narrate in sexy white

thin and slim body shape compared to the women owned by Joe who is used in the milking process.

This is a problematic issue when women are stereotyped on their physical functions either for breeding

or nutrition supply. Thus, a female is treated as an object to serve rather than given the equal right and

respect of an individual compared to males. This shows the stereotyping of females as focused on their

sexual beauty or their sexual functions instead of their skills and talents (Butler, 1990). Females can

also choose their freedom and decision and not obey or follow the order from any individual or males

(Butler, 1990). In the early plot, the five wives choose to escape from the locked chamber that is isolated

from the world, even though the condition of the room seems better compared to the outside world.

They left a message for Joe in the wall of the chamber referring to themselves as “we are not things”.

This shows that they reject against Joe’s action in treating them as sexual subjects and keep their pride

as a woman who is brave and rebellious, they fight for their rights to not be forced by anyone. The film

stipulates the sexual representation effectively that would otherwise be being hinder to announce in Commented [1]: 删哪个

certain norms or traditions that still execute the analogous exercise.

Besides, the film signals the racial representation indirectly, even though most of the characters in

the film are white westerners usually actors of America or Australia. The tell-tale signs of which people

of color (POC) are nowhere to be seen in the film as they are mostly replaced by white actors show the

white privilege is preferred when it comes to feminism (Gaines, 1999). This can be explained from the

different perspectives between the ideology of white feminists and black feminists. This is because

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although feminists still receive respond when coming to the feminist view from a woman of color,

mostly it remains silent and neglected as lesbian or gay features are turned into white issues (Halberstam,

2001). Races are overshadowed when comes to feminism as a racial conflict is usually considered as

class conflict and there is the presence of oppression on woman of color as long as there are racial issues

unsolved. White females are known for their sexual beauty compared to black females whereby their

body physique previously is not recognized as female aesthetic (Gaines, 1999). Two out of the fives

wives of Joe selected for breeding - Toast and Cheedo, in reality, are visibly women of color but are

still considered as white beautiful wives in the film. Historically, Afro-American involved in black

feminist refer that their social identity or political allegiance is labeled by their race instead of gender

or class (Gaines, 1999). Black feminists differentiate from white feminists by the racial oppression that

black females shared with black males involving the drag of cross-culture mention earlier which is

patriarchal structure and legitimacy of the constitution in U.S history such as the slavery issues (Butler,

1990). The tyranny rule of Immortal Joe over the citizens signifies the similarity in connection of how

White people treat people of colors during the time they colonize other countries like Australia, with

people of color faced discrimination from white people. In other words, both male and female people of

color are not given the same right or treatment not equivlent to the one-sided party of female affected Commented [2]: 删not吗？？

from white feminist view.

In conclusion, the film is related to identity politics where social structure is categorized based on

social groups consists of gender, sexual and possibly indirect hint on racial representations. The above

shows the intersectionality of which three categories are interlocked to a matrix of oppression of power

and the existence of drag in gender performativity and racial discourse (Butler, 1990). Furthermore,

there’s one recommendation that can be included in the film by involving more multiracial actors for

consideration to show a more diverse racial representation. The effort would serve to remind the

audience of the lessons of racial discrimination that take place in both countries’ history involve the

eradicate of Australian aboriginals and black slavery (Gaines, 1999). It would generate a positive

influence if the three elements, gender, sexual and racial representations are equally focused and further

studied in the society as there are issues that remain unsolved across the world such as child marriage,
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marital abuse and racial discriminations. Hence, there is a need to unfold such topics so that it can act

as a social awareness on others realization in the ideology of others when contemplating an individual’s

identity. Commented [3]: 能不能解释一下这句话另语法不对

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