Introduction
- Topic:
- Importance of Feminism in Interpersonal Communication in Erin Brockovich.
- Thesis:
- Feminism in interpersonal communication is a good example of how a woman should fight her back to prove rights, achieve professional success, and underline personal needs.
- Argument:
- Erin Brockovich is the movie that describes the life of a single mother of three children with no formal education who uses communication to improve her self-perception as a mother, a female, and a social activist.
Not all people understand why their communication has to be properly organized and effective. They use words, emotions, and gestures without even thinking about their outcomes, but neglecting the main principles and rules of communication (Berger, 2014). However, one of the main peculiarities of this process is that rules and standards are not always necessary, and sometimes, it is better not to follow them to achieve the required results. In this presentation, the theme of feminism in interpersonal communication will be discussed to prove that it is a good example of how a woman can fight for her rights, professional success, and personal needs. Erin Brockovich is the movie used to support the chosen thesis as it is a good example of how a single mother with three kids and without formal education can use communication in her intentions to improve her self-perception as a mother, a female, and a social activist.
Outline: Communication Concepts
- Self-perception.
- Cultural inequalities.
- Non-verbal communication.
Erin Brockovich is a movie that is full of interesting ideas and important lessons with the help of which any person is able to improve this life. It is also a good source of information about how different communication concepts can be implemented. There are three main theories that will be discussed in this presentation. They are:
- Self-perception: this communication concept focuses on how people should act to meet personal expectations and bring about judgments of themselves (Lustig & Koester, 2017).
- Cultural inequalities: this theory represents a combination of interpreted beliefs and values with the help of which it is possible to understand and affect other people’s behaviors (Wood, 2014). In this movie, it is gender inequalities and feminism as a result.
- Non-verbal communication: this concept is based on the fact that a considerable part of communication remains non-verbal today, and people have to understand how their behaviors, touches, looks, or physical appearance may contribution a communication process (Burgoon, Guerrero, & Gloyd, 2016).
All these concepts define the quality of the chosen movie.
The Creation of Self: Personal Growth
Erin Brockovich demonstrates all stages of personal growth and the progress of a self-creation process. First, she is introduced as a fearful woman who smokes at the backyard and wears her glasses as if she wants to hide from the world when her potential employer rejects her request for a job (Soderbergh, 2000). With time, she looks dismissive and ready to fight to protect her rights and show her voice. She talks without thinking about the consequences and uses any available means to prove her position. Then, the character becomes anxious as she understands that not everything is as properly works as she expects. She is at a loss and wants to find support in other people like her boss. Finally, at the end of the movie, Erin looks confident and ready to demonstrate her position. She used gestures and is not afraid to point at herself in conversation demonstrating how secure and proud she is. All these stages of self-creation are important in growth and interpersonal communication as they help to discover personal needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
Cultural Inequalities: Feminism
Erin Brockovich has multiple images, and each of them has its meaning and goal. However, despite the existing variety, all of them are united with a single concept of feminism and the intentions of a woman to show what she actually deserves.
First, she is a woman who has her own demands and expectations, and a job to earn a living is her goal that is ready to cry for, but never begs (Soderbergh, 2000). Communication is a means to prove that gender does not matter in case a person has to achieve goals and ask for opportunities.
Second, she is a mother with her intention to protect her children and provide them with the best possible living conditions, but never ask for help. In her communication, a woman should use a strong tone and demonstrate confidence.
Finally, she is an employee whose goal is to listen to the demands of other people and defend their rights from the legal and emotional point of view. It seems that being single mothers or facing other challenges can make women stronger and better prepared to fight for the rights of other people in courts and society.
Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication fulfills Erin Brockovich movie in different ways. It helps the main character express her personality and achieve the goals she sets. From the beginning of her cooperation with Ed Masry, Erin explains her position rather clear: “I think I look nice. And as long as I have one ass instead of two I’ll wear what I like if that’s all right with you?” (Soderbergh, 2000). No one can change her position, and no one can influence her decisions to wear such cloth and demonstrate the beauty of her body. Clothing represents personal tastes and abilities to judge. Erin is not afraid to look hot even if she is not confident about something. As an element of non-verbal communication, clothing underlines disparities between people and their attitudes to what they do. Though it may be provocative and aggressive sometimes, it helps people focus on what is important to them.
Importance of Communication
- Communication is a significant part of human life.
- Not many people are actually learn how to communicate.
- Communication may be verbal and non-verbal.
- Exchange of information may lead to numerous outcomes.
People cannot ignore the importance of communication as it is a significant part of their lives with its own peculiarities and outcomes. Though interpersonal communication remains one of the most popular areas in academic disciplines which students demand to be developed, not many people are actually aware of the rules of communication (Wood, 2014). This process is based on feelings, emotions, knowledge, and even the way of how a person looks at their interlocutors, including all elements of verbal and non-verbal communication. However, the exchange of information may have a number of forms and lead to different and usually unexpected outcomes. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the main features of interpersonal communication and its place in everyday life.
Significance of Personal Growth and Feminism
- Feminism in communication is based on existing gender inequalities.
- Feminism in communication is the protection of women’s rights.
- Gender inequality determines social behaviors.
The discussion of feminist theory in communication should begin with a proper understanding of what gender and gender inequalities are. Gender is a type of social construct in terms of which the roles and behaviors of people are defined. Feminism includes the activities that prove the rights of women and underline the existing inequalities. Despite multiple intentions to promote equality and respect, today’s society is still challenged by the necessity to prove rights. For women, communication can be a serious weapon in their intentions to promote their personal and professional growth (Manning & Denker, 2015). Gender inequality is a serious topic for discussion for me. People are free to develop their opinions and attitudes. Feminism in interpersonal communication has to be developed, and Erin Brockovich shows a good example of how to achieve the desired success.
Importance of Non-verbal Communication
People pay attention to many things:
- Clothing;
- Environment;
- Emotions;
- Silence;
- Touching ;
- Artifacts.
Non-verbal communication is a factor that cannot be ignored in a modern world. People use their clothes to attract attention and underline some points. They focus on each other’s emotions to cause the necessary outcomes (Remland, 2017). Personally, I find it effective to use clothing as a means to say something directly not to one person but to the whole world. In addition, the importance of the environment, silence, and artifacts play a significant role. Erin Brockovich uses her style of clothing and the environment to convince people, make them trust her, and accept her position. Though not many modern women can use her behavior and style as a good example to follow, they can learn from her how to communicate with the world and achieve goals.
Communication in Erin Brockovich: Why Is It Important?
- Erin Brockovich is a movie based on a true story.
- It describes the life of a single mother of three children with no formal education.
- Communication with people is a central theme through which Erin improves her self-perception as a mother, a female, and a social activist.
There are many reasons for why the movie Erin Brockovich is important to understand the topic of feminism in interpersonal communication. It is based on a true story and describes the lives of ordinary people with their own problems, needs, and expectations. It shows how a single mother with three children and no formal education can establish and achieve goals not only to survive and protect her children, but to support the people around and achieve justice. For me, this film is a unique collection of ideas about how it is necessary to communicate with people, how to introduce personal and professional needs, and how to pose questions to be sure to get the necessary answers. The main thesis of this presentation is to prove that communication and properly chosen concepts like feminism and non-verbal communication may improve self-perception, and particular in this movie, self-perception of a mother, a female, and a social worker.
Conclusion
- Success of interpersonal communication depends on many factors.
- Feminism is a significant communication theory that prevails gender assumptions.
- Erin Brockovich shows how feminism shapes communication.
In general, the movie Erin Brockovich contains a number of serious lessons on how to succeed in interpersonal communication. It is not just a process where people use words to explain their positions. This process is a combination of many factors, including emotions, clothing (physical appearance), background knowledge (goals), and abilities to listen and speak respectfully. Feminism theory of communication aims at prevailing gender assumptions, and Erin Brockovich shows how this theory can shape a communication process through providing a woman with a voice, effective representation, and differentiation. Non-verbal communication, perception of self, and gender inequality are the components of interpersonal communication that demonstrate the development of the character in the movie and the growth of every person who uses these techniques in their conversations.
References
Berger, J. (2014). Word of mouth and interpersonal communication: A review and directions for future research. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(4), 586-607.
Burgoon, J. K., Guerrero, L. K., & Floyd, K. (2016). Nonverbal communication. New York, NY: Routledge.
Lustig, M. W., & Koester, J. (2017). Intercultural competence: Interpersonal communication across cultures (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Manning, J., & Denker, K. J. (2015). Doing feminist interpersonal communication research: A call for action, two methodological approaches, and theoretical potentials. Women & Language, 38(1), 133-142.
Remland, M. S. (2017). Nonverbal communication in everyday life (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks,. CA: SAGE.
Soderbergh, S. (2000). Erin Brockovich. Web.
Wood, J. T. (2014). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.