Younger’s article highlights horror films as the medium where women have a more pronounced role and an agenda. She bemoans insufficient and inadequate female representation in cinema and the genre’s past but tries to convince the audience that recent works manage to avoid the issue (Younger). The author appeals to other women to reassure them that the situation is changing and that the horror genre is worth checking for its more nuanced portrayals. She advances her points with logos, applying factual data and examples, and the support makes the arguments appear strong and believable.
Younger applies logos to strengthen her argument, and she uses it to emphasize that the problem with women in cinema is topical. For instance, the author operates the data stating that “of the 5,839 characters in the 129 top-grossing films released between 2006 and 2011, fewer than 30 percent were girls or women” (Younger). The provided statistics make the statement about women’s diminished role in film convincing. Then, more evidence is used to explain how the said imbalance affects the female audience, as “there is a dearth of women being depicted in positive ways” (Younger). The author references the “Geena Davis Inclusion Quotient,” which further proves her point about the poor representation of women through the patterns unnoticeable by casual viewers (Younger). Overall, Younger succeeds as far as convincing the reader that the issue exists through logos and consistent support for her arguments.
However, Younger’s purpose is to present the horror genre as a space where the problem is more or less resolved, but the logos are not equally solid. The author provides insight into the genre’s history with “strong female leads” and offers examples of modern works with substantial representation, such as Get Out, The Witch, Stoker, and Jennifer’s Body (Younger). She describes only the first two, and they seem coherent with her argument, but the reader has to be familiar with other titles to conclude whether the author is cherry-picking or the trend is genuine (Younger). The text also focuses on how the genre redefines its relationship with female sexuality using It Follows as an example with an article explaining how the film “critiques rape culture.” Compared to the previous part, the logos are less effective, and Younger adds some pathos (“They scream a lot”). The illustrated examples appear supportive, but an unfamiliar reader might become lost.
Ultimately, Younger has a convincing first part, but her arguments for horror seem less developed. Her audience (women) might be aware of the former without requiring evidence, so they would probably be more interested in the latter. The article could have been improved by supporting both parts evenly, and the test/quotient from the first one should have been applied to the horror genre. Alternatively, the author could have made the article more personal, focusing on her experience as a viewer and shifting from logos to pathos. Perhaps, it would have impacted the audience more and made women consider checking such a niche genre as horror.
Reference
Younger, Beth. “Women in Horror: Victims No More.” The Conversation. Web.