The Art of Worship: Hegemonic Shifts as Seen on TV
February 23, 2024 | Written by Veronica Kiang, Edited by Sierra Madison
Photo: Broad City, Season 3
Peeking into society's ever-evolving soul isn't as complex as it sounds—it's as simple as watching your favourite TV show or movie. Imagine these cultural staples as society's love letters to itself, capturing our collective obsessions, values, and shifts in what we hold dear. Stuart Hall once talked about 'hegemony'—a fancy term for the dominant ideas and values that shape our world. These aren't static; they change, and as they do, our media—the mirror to our societal soul—morphs to reflect these new beliefs and priorities.
Think of it as the ultimate art of adoration, where the 'art' is the fluid dance of societal values changing over time, and 'worship' is how these values are embraced and showcased by the mainstream. As our world's ideals shift, our media responds, evolving in a fascinating reflection of what we are and what we aspire to be.
‘Art’ As The Process Of Change
If the ‘art’ of worship refers to the mechanisms that cause hegemonic shifts, then media as a whole is a fair place to start an analysis.
There are two forces of change: organic or accidental. Organic movements bring long-term changes after a period of struggle, say, for example, a global pandemic, whereas accidental movements are short occurrences. Organic changes happen when there is tension between opposing forces. Even if an opposing force were to lose to the hegemony, it would not cease to exist since there is room for contrasting ideologies to exist in the same sphere as the dominating hegemony.
These lesser paradigms are created in empty spaces that deviate from the current hegemony. Some may connect with the deviating paradigm due to similarities in interests or characteristics, allowing for the rise of new power. Once mobilized, they gain momentum and become a hegemony that infiltrates the common society by becoming the common will.
The media is a pertinent tool in showcasing these changes, while simultaneously furthering change itself. As different values are brought to the forefront and garner popularity, certain outlets that embody those values and demographics will alter traditional tropes in accordance.
The diffusion of the ‘newer’ or more progressive values eventually becomes the new norms. Exposure to once ‘radical’ thoughts becomes normalized as the shift in hegemonic values begins.
Worship As The Object Of Change
If the media is the how, then what exactly is being changed?
Consider the tensions between more conservative/traditional values compared to more liberal/progressive ideologies.
For example, the role of women has drastically shifted in society since the 1970s. Robin Wood argued that the oppression of women was seen both in relationship dynamics as well as mainstream stereotypes. He claimed that male and female relationships replicated characteristics of colonization. The man was seen as dominant, while the woman was seen as a possession that was financially and emotionally dependent.
This is evident in the long-standing characteristics of the female lead in the horror genre. Original horror movies were directed through the male gaze, resulting in two-dimensional heroines. Traditional slasher films created the trope of ‘the final girl’-- a virtuous and virginal female figure that somehow becomes one of the last ones standing, probably due to her moral superiority.
However, more recent movies no longer indulge in this trope. Productions like Jennifer’s Body (2009), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018), and Promising Young Women (2020) all show the female protagonist reimagined, as per the mainstream shifted ideologies of feminism and womanhood.
Still from ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’: Netflix
The main protagonists are not helpless, nor are they morally superior. Rather, these are three-dimensional characters that have their own backstories, desires, and flaws. For lack of a better word: they’re human.
Not only are these leads a clear departure from the virginal final girl, but the production itself is also a critique of patriarchal values.
Pushing Back Against The New Hegemony
Like all forms of art, the meaning of any piece of media is subjected to personal interpretations and reviews. Such commentary is indicative of how the public feels about the shift in hegemonic values.
Stepping outside of the horror genre, Barbie (2023) has garnered both a lot of praise and critique. While many applauded the diverse casting choices, some were left disenchanted by the message behind the movie.
On the one hand, some interpreted the movie to be a misandrist production. On the other hand, some say it wasn’t feminist enough and the movie only captured a surface-level critique of the patriarchy. Regardless of the actual moral behind Barbie, the reactions to this movie reflect a lot on societal values.
Simply put, many are still not ready for a more feminist shift in the hegemony, while others are headstrong in their push to dismantle the patriarchy.
The important thing to remember about hegemonic shifts is that paradigms don’t really ever die. As Hall theorizes, the victory of one paradigm over another does not mean the annihilation of another. This means that opposing ideologies will always exist.
A cultural or hegemonic shift is not the death of an ideology, but rather the increased support for another. Barbie doesn’t represent a cultural shift because the Kendom crumbled. Barbie showcases how patriarchal values have shifted simply through its existence. This movie, with such success at the box office, would not have been possible if the world were not ready to receive such a message.
Photo: Warner Bros
Overall, it becomes clear that the media contextualizes cultural shifts that mirror the ever-changing values of Western society. The transformation of paradigms in the real world is translated into fiction, then consumed and diffused by the general public.
Media reflects both of these changes while furthering them as well. It should be noted that we didn’t touch on the limitations that is, the impact of algorithms. If people are recommended certain movies or TV shows based on what they’ve previously watched, it’s possible that these algorithms provide a curated experience that is too individualized to reflect the desires of society.
Regardless of how some may feel about the shifts in values, newly produced media will always reflect some sort of demand from society just through its sheer existence.
If we are what we eat, then society is the media it consumes. Media is thus one of the most significant cultural pieces of the art of worship.
References
Fazekas, Angie, and Dan Vena. " ‘What Were We—Idiots?’: Re-evaluating Female Spectatorship and the New Horror Heroine with Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight." Final Girls, Feminism and Popular Culture. Ed. Katarzyna Paszkiewicz and Stacy Rusnak. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. 229-45. Print.
Hall, Stuart. "Domination and Hegemony." Cultural Studies 1983: A Theoretical History. Ed. Jennifer Daryl Slack and Lawrence Grossberg. Durham: Duke UP, 2016. 155-79. Print.
Wood, Robin. "The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s." Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan-- and beyond. United States: Columbia UP, 2012. 70-94. Print.