IMAGES OF WOMEN IN MAINSTREAM CULTURE The most successful box office hits in history are science-fiction films. This indicates that the audience - society - likes what they see in these movies. Science-fiction has long been viewed as a male dominated genre. Although there have been notable exceptions in such films as Alien (and its sequels) and the original Terminator, for the most part, science-fiction films have been laden with male heroes in powerful positions. …showed first 75 words of 2238 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2238 total…gross for “Star Trek: First Contact”. The audience reaction suggests that the representations, whether right or wrong, are what people today except as normal and thus as part of the mainstream. Therefore, both “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Independence Day” can be said to be formed of stereotypes that reinforce the views of mainstream society today. Without societal change, unfortunately, it is unlikely that the representation of women in mainstream cinema will change anytime soon.