The social construct of gender is woven into the fabric of popular culture, with the construct evolving as then prevalent social views change. The depiction of these characters in media can influence a society’s understanding of gender and the potential actions or choices a person may make based on this (Leavy and Trier-Bieniek, 2014).
British novelist Ian Fleming introduced the character of James Bond to the world in 1953, leading to the development of the popular James Bond franchise that still exists today in both novel and film format. The original James Bond character, relatively unchanged from 1953-1990s, was a British spy operating during the post war era whose main mission was to save the free world at all costs, he was a protector and savior. He was portrayed in both print and on screen as a sophisticated white male, drove fancy cars, was impeccably dressed, and always had beautiful women in his bed and under his control. He was a man with several vices, including gambling, drinking and women – all of which were portrayed as acceptable, if not applauded. He always got the bad guy in the end by any means and displayed few emotions, actions which made him the embodiment of what was then considered the ideal constructed male.
The depiction of James Bond from 2006 through to the present, particularly in film, shows an evolution of the character that somewhat parallels the evolving social male construct. First, the depiction of James Bond in film during this time marks a very different physical appearance for the character of James Bond from all the previous films. There is less of a stereotypical stuffy British gentleman appearance, to one that is a bit more average and rougher around the edges. Second, the modern James Bond character is multidimensional. He is still well dressed, driving fancy cars and hooking up with beautiful women, but he now has emotions that are relatable. He is now falling in love, grieving loss and contemplating self-worth when things don’t go according to plan. The character of James Bond has also evolved to be more about the role or job that James Bond has rather than the character itself. This was evident in the last James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) that saw another character take on the title of Agent 007, a title historically only used by James Bond himself. This new Agent 007 was a strong, smart black female.
The evolution of the James Bond character reflects the evolution of constructed masculinity seen in mainstream North American and western European culture over the past 70 years. At the same time, this character is also influencing perception of gender, both from the traditional masculine and feminine perspective. The original James Bond character was introduced to post-WWII Britain and his ability to always defeat the bad guy resonated with audiences of all genders. His strength as a protector outweighed any negativity associated with his objectification of women, all of which at the time were seemingly aspirational for male audiences and not overly criticized by female audiences. The normalization of this definition of ideal masculinity can influence audiences by creating a standard against which people will measure themselves and their role in society against. This one-dimensional character has negatively influenced generations of viewers, potentially teaching men and women that the ideal man should show no emotion, be the protector and that it is ok to treat women as disposable. Not only does this perpetuate the traditional masculine construct, but it also impacts the feminine construct, limiting the career roles that females see themselves in and their role in society.
Fast forwarding to 2005+ era James Bond, there is a change in the character definition which reflects the current societal view on what masculinity means. The modern James Bond has more emotions, he falls in love and marries, he grieves for lost colleagues and friends and spends time contemplating his own self-worth. All these actions were not a part of the original character’s psyche and were not part of the male construct of that time, however these are all more openly discussed and accepted as reflecting the modern male construct, which itself is becoming more fluid as described by Cox (2013).
The fact that the character has evolved shows the influence of current events on the male construct. The increasing social acceptance of feminism, the recent MeToo movement and changing demographics all have facilitated a need to change the character of James Bond over time, or else the character would become irrelevant and the franchise would cease to make money. The marketing of James Bond both in the original and modern character versions is the heart of the James Bond franchise (Weiner et. al, 2011). Younger audiences will connect with the modern James Bond character. Audiences want to see some version of themselves on screen or in print, and increasingly have a stronger collective influence over popular culture creators to make this happen through new tools such as social media that didn’t exist when James Bond was first created. As James Bond evolves towards being more about the job or role of protector and less about the person, as seen in the last movie, it opens up the ability for anyone in society to be James Bond and detaches the character from a gender construct completely. This allows people of any gender to see themselves in non-traditional roles in real life, which is a positive impact.
Bibliography
Cox, Katharine. 2013. “Becoming James Bond: Daniel Craig, Rebirth, and Refashioning Masculinity In Casino Royale(2006).” Journal of Gender Studies 23 (2): 184–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2013.783462.
Leavy, Patricia, and Adrienne Trier-Bieniek. 2014. Introduction to Gender & Pop Culture. Brill.com. Brill. https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789462095755/BP000002.xml.
Weiner, Robert G., B. Lynn Whitfield, and Jack Becker. 2011. James Bond in World and Popular Culture : The Films Are Not Enough. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.
Kieren
Samuel presents an effective critical analysis of the James Bond Franchise. The description of Bonds character is accurate, with the broad strokes given for his characterization from the first 1953 novel and the 1962-1990s films. The only issue is that no specific film or actor is focussed on for this series.
The deconstruction is focused on the evolution of Bonds characterization from the original novel and the 20th century films to the modern series of films starring Daneil Criag. It is mainly on how Bond has changed as societal expectations of masculinity have evolved. Originally Bond is a stuffy British gentleman who always defeats the bad guy with beautiful women hanging off his arm. In the Craig films he is much less stuffy and has become much more human, showcasing his emotions, and forming connections with his fellow agents and women he interacts with. Three sources are used all of which are scholarly sources published inn academic journals.
The two images effectively illustrate the point, by comparing promotional posters. In the You Only Live Twice (1967) poster Sean Connery is shirtless and surrounded by women in bikinis pouring water on him in a hot tub. In the No Time to Die (2021) poster Daniel Craig is riding a motorcycle in front of a cityscape. The images showcase the difference in characterization, the modern films are focused more on the character of Bond as played by Craig. Craig makes real emotional connections with those around him and especially the women he interacts with. He presents a much less harmful archetype for men and has like many characters evolved with the societal expectations of a hypermasculine figure.