Student Exhibits

Gender & The Automobile
Marlenne Felix

Since its creation, the automobile has perpetuated a social order through gender and economic status. The first self-propelled vehicle was invented for military needs. Ford's "Model T," the first mass produced automobile, was a symbol of stability, socio-economic status, elegance, and masculinity. Currently, gender stereotypes are incorporated to meet the "needs" of different people.

As I observed automobile commercials, I realized our society's need for gender normativity. Women, always the mother, never the sports car driver, were portrayed as passive/submissive individuals with a strong dependence on men. Men, enraged with masculinity, were portrayed as aggressive individuals, never the passenger, always in need of speed, strength, and control. Automobile commercials enforce society's gender roles and expectations. The automobile, through its gendered characteristics has, through many decades, served as a powerful icon for society's fear of gender deviance and gender fluidity.

Historical evidence proves women's ability to reclaim masculine industries. Women's use of the automobile during the suffrage movement proved the need for deviance and social deconstruction of gender dynamics, yet never strengthened female identity. Women continue to be portrayed as the incapable drivers, the passengers, and the sports car models, proving the relationship between gender and this technology.

Recommended Readings:

Walsh, Margaret. "Gender & The Automobile in the United States: Placing Gender and Automobiles Into Perspective." University of Michigan. 01 Feb. 2006. <http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Gender/Walsh/G_Overview2.htm>

Wosk, Julie. "Women and the machine: representations from the spinning wheel to the electronic age." Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.