Visualizing the Roles of Age and Gender in the Hollywood Film Industry

Hollywood is one of the oldest film industries in the world but it is not perfect. Gender inequality in Hollywood and the media in general is a long-standing issue, related to the difference in pay between men and women, difference in opportunities and roles, and more. Ageism is another issue in the industry: Hollywood has pushed actresses out as they age, due to the male gaze and gendered beauty standards, which emphasize the notion that women need to look “young” to be desirable and valuable. Meanwhile, most actors do not experience this.

As students who love watching films, we wanted to take a closer look at the Hollywood film industry and visualize some of the relationships between film stars, costars, film genre, film year, box office revenue, and more. We aim to convey, at a scale of 40 stars, a narrative about ageism and sexism in Hollywood over time, through our visualizations.