Introduction to Representation - 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Film Poster

Men and women are represented in very different ways in media, and has done for many years. On one hand, women are most often always objectified, used to satisfy the male gaze. They are used as sexual objects, there to pleasure the male audience and that alone. Examples of this could be from 'High School Comedies' such as 'Staten Island Summer' and 'Hall Pass'. In each of the movie's film posters, they feature a half naked girl, either about to take her clothes off or is posed seductively, trying to grab male attention. Some may say that it is satire, and that they are making fun of high school in general (as it's all full of teenagers) but the idea to still draw in a male audience is there.

In the film poster, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', the woman is represented in a very different way. Instead of revealing clothes, she is fully clothed in a black, some-what leather outfit. This immediately shows the audience that she's alternative, and may also link her straight away as getting into trouble a lot. In addition, the woman is also wearing a sharp pointed choker, giving us the idea that she is more dangerous than we might have thought originally, but it also points to us that she can look after herself. 

The entire film poster portrays this very mysterious and almost evil atmosphere, due to it's eerie dark colours. This is then followed up by the lighting which is directly shining on top of the woman, who we as the audience presume is the main character. It enables us to see her face clearly and some of the mise-en-scene, which looks like an old fashioned mansion. Something the audience may note too is that she does not look at all like the kind of person who would own such an estate. Going back to the evil atmosphere, this is shown by the look on her face, which is rather menacing and troubled. The fire has been perfectly placed behind her so it looks like it is coming directly out of her head, suggesting that the main character is threatening and not to be messed with. However, the fire has most definitely been edited to give it more of a powerful effect.

Going back to the representation of men and women in media, this is nothing like what women are usually represented as. The film poster gives us the aura that she is dangerous and would definitely kill if needed to, this can also be linked to what the movie is about. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is about a young woman who is hired to investigate the 40 year old murder of one of the character's niece, but she gets the information in a number of dangerous and life threatening ways. In this movie, she is portrayed as more powerful than the men she is working with (or against) and even in the film poster, there is no mention of any men at all; all the spotlight is on her. There is only one other person in the room with her, and that is the young woman above the fireplace, which creates even more mystery to the movie poster.