Yogyakarta Students’ Perception of Female Masculinity: A Case Study of Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad Movie

Abstract

In the modern era, access to information has expanded, encouraging openness to various ideas and arguments. Movies, as a major form of mass media, have a strong influence in shaping public opinion. The storyline in a movie is strategically designed to ensure that the message are effectively conveyed to the audience. The moral dimensions and messages contained in movies have a complex impact on the cognitive and affective aspects of the audience. The messages conveyed through movies are often open to multiple interpretations, allowing a variety of interpretations from various perspectives. The movie “Suicide Squad” was chosen as the object of research because the character Harley Quinn represents the concept of female masculinity, making it a compelling subject of study. The purpose of this study is to explore how students perceive the concept of “Female Masculinity” through the character of Harley Quinn. The researcher used purposive sampling method to select relevant students as research participants. In addition, the snowball sampling method will be used to find additional participants who can provide more complete information. Four students will be interviewed to gain more in-depth power. This research wants to understand how the younger generation, especially university students, perceive a strong, brave, and confident female figure like Harley Quinn. Various factors such as background, environment and gender can influence students' perceptions. The results show that both male and female students have fairly similar views on female masculinity. Despite having almost similar views, each student has a different perspective in interpreting the character of Harley Quinn.