It's Not About Him, But It Might Still Be: Applying the Stereotype Content Model to Male Characters in Female-Led Films

Abstract

This thesis connects the stereotype content model to film reviews by uncovering how audiences perceive and communicate about their perceptions of gender stereotypes in a movie Specifically, this study examines a male character within a female-led film to better understand the context surrounding a film's perceived quality or lack thereof. The hypotheses of this study explore how the two dimensions of the stereotype content model (warmth and competence) play a role in an audience's perceptions of the male character and the overall film. The study utilized a 2 x 3 factorial design experiment embedded in an online survey and analyzed results from 145 (N= 145) individuals using SPSS statistical software (Version 31). Results revealed that there was no main effect of the condition on the reader's perceived quality of the overall film or intention to view the film. However, a post-hoc analysis of results that tested gender of the participant along with the condition found that only male participants were affected by the condition. Male participants viewed warmth as more realistic than competence, regarded both warmth and competence as significantly more interesting than competence, and considered competence as more realistic than their female counterparts. A discussion follows with theoretical and practical implications of the results, suggestions for movie reviewing websites, and future directions for additional research on movie reviews and the stereotype content model.