Dayan, Marcellino Putra Nakalelu (2025) GENDER ROLES REFLECTED IN THE MOVIE HER (2013). Undergraduate thesis, Faculty Of Humanities.

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Abstract

This research analyzes gender roles in the film Her (2013) using Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity and the gender studies approach, combined with ideas from different fields about gender and artificial intelligence. The study aims to examine how gender roles are reflected and performed by both human and non-human characters, particularly focusing on the male protagonist Theodore and the female-coded AI Samantha. This research uses library research methods with primary data collected from watching the movie Her several times, and secondary data from related journals, books, and previous studies. The analysis incorporates both intrinsic aspects (characterization, setting, conflict, theme, cinematography, and sound) and extrinsic aspects (gender theory, AI and society, and gender in AI). The result shows that Her portrays and critiques traditional gender expectations by having Samantha perform emotional labor and femininity, while Theodore represents modern masculinity marked by emotional vulnerability. Samantha's evolution from supportive AI to autonomous being challenges the notion of fixed gender roles. The comparison with human female characters like Amy and Catherine highlights different expressions of womanhood. The study concludes that AI, although fictional, can reflect and subvert gender roles, suggesting that gender is a social and performative construct that extends beyond human identity.
Keyword: gender; gender roles; gender performativity; artificial intelligence; human – AI relationship

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