Superstar to superhuman: Scarlett Johansson, an ‘ideal’ embodiment of the posthuman female in science fiction and media?

Kidd, Abby Lauren ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-427X (2021) Superstar to superhuman: Scarlett Johansson, an ‘ideal’ embodiment of the posthuman female in science fiction and media? JOMEC Journal (16). pp. 52-75. ISSN 2049-2340

Preview

PDF (Kidd_2021_JOMEC) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (376kB) | Preview

Abstract

From 2013 to 2017, Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson was the star vehicle in four unrelated science fiction films that saw her portray a posthuman female enabled by artificially intelligent technology. As such technologies become ever more ubiquitous in the world, so too are the burgeoning discourses around posthumanism and artificial intelligence, which are predominantly disseminated to non-specialists through science fiction and journalistic media. These discourses hold the power to influence our perceptions of incoming technological advancements. Therefore, it is important to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of these discourses and their intersections in order to contribute to the cultivation of a general population that is technologically literate and empowered, as well as foster productive dialogues between specialists from within and across the sciences and humanities fields. The media’s configuration of Scarlett Johansson as an ‘exceptional’ woman, often by drawing upon the lexicon of science fiction, has initiated underlying connections between the actor and posthuman figures within the genre, contributing to her perceived suitability for such roles. Despite appearing to be the ‘ideal’ candidate for posthuman female roles, Johansson’s repeated casting poses several problematic implications, particularly when taken into consideration through a feminist lens. Not only does it contribute to an agenda that establishes improbable conceptions of how artificial, posthuman entities should look and behave, but it also perpetuates retrograde notions of gender roles.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	artificial intelligence,posthumanism,science fiction,science communication,celebrity studies
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Art, Media and American Studies (former - to 2024)
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	13 Jul 2021 00:10
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2024 15:41
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/80535
DOI:	10.18573/jomec.209

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item