In this poster for Hitchcock's 1960s film ’Psycho’ the gender representations (specifically of women) are a clear representation of the power dynamic and societal views on the place of genders. Focusing on how women have been interpreted in this 60s film, it is clear the auteur has traditional views toward women. Hitchcock is known for his misogyny in his films and this poster is proof. Van Zoonen would argue that the woman on the poster is a passive, submissive woman and reinforces the harmful gender stereotypes set in the 60s. It is harmful because as David Gauntlett stated, characters can act like role models for their audience, so if a woman who is starring in a very popular Hitchcock film is fulfilling these stereotypes, then this could influence on the female audience too, or even perhaps drive the male audience into wanting women to act the same way the woman in the poster does – could meet their desires and fantasies.
The woman is also wearing very minimal clothing which could attract the male gaze, feeding into the stereotype of women being a love object for men, nothing more. She isn’t humanized in this poster, she isn’t given any sort of backstory or key feature that makes her stand out as a character, she is just used to attract and feed the male gaze which is a dangerous representation of women. The men on the poster contrast her though, they are smaller proportionally and more hidden. The man on the left is only visible by his face, his lower half is in the shadows which shows that it isn’t important to us, only his intentions are. He is facing in the same direction as the woman; however she looks scared, and he looks confident. This could be Hitchcock’s way of enhancing the idea that men are supposedly ’stronger’ and more ’fearless’ than women.
The colour yellow can be linked with happiness and joy, but it can also be an insult. Calling someone ‘yellow’ is to call them a coward, and with knowing that Hitchcock is a misogynist – it is understandable here why he has used yellow on the woman, he is indirectly calling her a coward, reinforcing the negative gender stereotypes for women in the early 19th century post-war era.
However, at the bottom right of the poster there is a man with no upper-half clothing on, displaying his chest. He is behind the shattered ‘Psycho’ title as if he is the reason for the shatter. His chest being exposed clearly shows his strength and muscles. Stuart Hall’s representation theory supports this as seeing a strong man and a submissive woman on the same poster can allow us to interpret that there is going to be a clear power dynamic in this film between the man and the woman.
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