The relationship between Gender and Urban Mobility in Cleo from 5 To 7

The relationship between Gender and Urban Mobility in Cleo from 5 To 7 Student Name Institutional Affiliation The relationship between Gender and Urban Mobility in Cleo from 5 To 7 Cleo de 5 à 7 is a film that occurs in Paris from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on 21st June 1961 (Varda, 1961). The movie is about Cleo who is eagerly awaiting the outcome of a biopsy to know where or not her abdominal tumor is malignant. The film follows the life of Cleo from an apartment through the streets and her unlikely encounters. Constantly on the move, the film makes Cleo‘s body a site where corporeal and temporal situations get smoothened. The film is divided into chapters that indicate the passage of time during the two hours. The chapters bear the names of Cleo and other characters that are interacting with her. This essay is an analysis of the relationship that exists between gender and urban mobility as indicated by the Cleo. The Transition from an Object to a Subject Cleo, a young starlet, is used to fame. She has individuals mainly focusing on her. Her young body is admired by many who look up to her. She has a huge following especially from men who admire not only her beauty but also her body figure. The mobility in the streets of Paris changes all that. According to Stark (2012), Cleo transitions from “being looked at” to “learning how to look.” Cleo moves from being the object and becomes the subject matter. She has to let go the fetish desires the society has imposed on her star body. The movement around the city teaches her to learn to look not only on others but herself also. Cleo is a famous Parisian singer who is continually on display. Betz (2009), notes that “Angele her handler, Jose her former lover and her songwriters Bob and Plumitif all treat her as both a doll and a child.” Singing the song “Cry of Love” awakens Cleo to the reality that she has never known anyone, even herself. Mobility through the city becomes an opportunity for self-realization. She takes off her material shell that has for long occupied the better part of her life. As a woman used to being observed and admired by others, she transitions to the role of a participant observer as opposed to her usual position of being observed. Baudelaire & Mayne (1995) believe Cleo has all along been the center of the world but for a moment she is hidden from it. Cleo dresses in a black dress and purchases a hat to become like any other ordinary lady in the streets. Female Consumerism The film indicates that females are obsessed with consumerism. As Cleo returns home, she stumbles upon a hat shop. She moves along the shop trying even unusual hats (Betz, 2009). As Cleo shops for a hat with her friend Angele, she escapes into the world of aesthetics. She uses shopping to deal with her fears by escaping from reality. Shopping allows Cleo to have the finest things in town. As a pop star, she needs to look good before for her fans. Moving around the town indicates how she is obsessed with sensing her money on shopping. Urban Mobility and Feminine Masquerade Cleo de 5 à 7 has appearances of a flâneuse. The flâneuse refers to an individual who is a streetwalker or homeless. The term is associated with an idler, an urban explorer and an individual who values l...