Dissertation introduction 2,000 assessment

How and Why did visual culture construct Christine Keeler as a femme fatale
in the Profumo Affair?

On the 4th June 1963, John Profumo, head of the state of war resigned from government
having lied to the House that ‘there was no impropriety whatsoever in my acquaintanceship
with Miss Keeler.’1 This lie captivated the nation and garnered the title of ‘The Scandal of
the century’.2 The Profumo Affair was a scandal that rocked 1960s Britain and remains
etched in the annals of history, not merely for its political ramifications but for the societal
implications it unveiled.

The nation was captivated when John Profumo (a forty-six-year-old man) was accused of
sleeping with Christine Keeler, (a nineteen-year-old woman) with alleged connections to
Russian spy, Soviet naval attaché, Yevgeny Ivanov.

Despite Profumo’s clear admission of guilt, Keeler was the most significant figure
in insuing public interest in the scandal and the mainstream British media,
acting as a catalyst in transforming this political scandal into a cultural
phenomenon.

I will argue that the image of Keeler was constructed in the mode of the
femme fatale archetype, a seductive woman who, in the eyes of society,
wielded her sexuality as a weapon. Yet, it was a device used against her,
representing a public scapegoat for the benefit of conserving the
government’s integrity. This dissertation will explore how and why the
media and visual culture constructed Keeler’s image in this archetype,
perpetuating the femme fatale narrative that both fascinated and vilified
her.

The historical context of the affair was paramount in relation to the scandal’s grandeur and
the representation of Keeler through her associations with the figures within. The Early
1960’s was the defining moment of the end of the old order and the beginning of the new
one/ the establishment was threatened because the old order was threatened. Once the
scandal detected fear upon the old, they closed ranks to protect their own.

At the time of the Profumo Affair in 1963, British Society was caught between tradition and
modernity, a pull between the old established and new, a tension that divided the way
people perceived their country, a key tension that underlines this entire scandal. A
politically charged environment Post World War II and now being marked by Cold War,
tensions and the rise of youth culture in 1960s Britain. John Profumo’s affair with Christine

1
Young, Wayland. The Profumo Affair: Aspects of Conservatism. Harmondsworth, Eng.:
Penguin Books, 1963, p.18
2
Clive Irving, Ron Hall, and Jeremy Wallington, Anatomy of a Scandal: A Study of the
Profumo Affair (New York: M.S. Mill Co. & William Morrow & Company, 1963), 14.
Keeler not only ignited a scandal but also exposed the underlying gender biases and societal
norms of the time.

To preface the Profumo Affair, Keeler had previously been working at a gentleman’s club,
Murray’s cabaret which accommodated many prolific government figures, one visitor who
was not was Doctor Stephen Ward, a high society osteopath and artists, who acted as the
initial facilitator between Keeler with Profumo. Despite Ward using young woman as a
human passport to entry, Keeler helped him ascend Britain's still class ridden society. Simply
put, Ward was a man who know’s people and likes to watch them from a safe distance.

Historical Context of the Affair; - Provide a brief overview of the Profumo Affair,
detailing the key events and figures involved, particularly John Profumo and Christine
Keeler.

Soviet naval attaché- Yevgeny Ivanov-Profumo challenged him to a swimming race in the pool which
was a bit of a microcosm of the cold war

As the media spotlight intensified, Keeler became a focal point of public fascination, her
image meticulously crafted and scrutinized.

Visual culture plays a crucial role in shaping public perception, particularly regarding
women. The representation of Keeler in various media outlets served to construct a
narrative that emphasized her sexuality and agency, yet simultaneously reduced her to a
mere object of desire. This dissertation will investigate how the visual representation of
keeler influenced societal narratives, particularly the portrayal of women as femme fatales,
and how this archetype was utilized to control and silence female agency.

# 3. Research Questions (200-250 words)

The central research question guiding this dissertation is: "How and why did visual culture
construct Christine Keeler as a femme fatale?" To explore this question, several sub-
questions will be addressed:

- To what extent is the male gaze engrained in society’s perception of women?

- How did the media’s portrayal of Keeler reflect and perpetuate the femme fatale
archetype?

- In what ways did Keeler’s representation serve as a tool for political scapegoating?

These questions will facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the societal and cultural
factors that shaped Keeler’s image and the implications of her portrayal in the context of
the Profumo Affair.

Firstly, I seek to establish what allows the male gaze to exist in the first place, secondly to
what extent the male gaze is engrained in society’s way of looking and seeing women,
concluding in my final chapter to what extent is this perspective still relevant today in regard
to the consequences of the femme fatale legacy.

# 4. Theoretical Framework (250-300 words)

- The Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey):

The analysis will be grounded in Laura Mulvey's concept of the male gaze, which posits that
women are often objectified in visual culture, positioned solely for the pleasure of the male
viewer. This framework is essential for understanding how Keeler’s representations were
constructed and the implications of her portrayal within a patriarchal society.

Additionally, the dissertation will explore the historical and cultural construction of the
femme fatale archetype, emphasizing its relationship with the male gaze. Keeler’s
embodiment of this archetype not only reflects societal attitudes towards women but also
highlights the complexities of female representation in visual culture.

-Through the lens of the male gaze, we will examine the interplay between her
representation and the broader patriarchal structures that shaped societal attitudes
towards women, revealing the complexities of gender dynamics that continued to haunt
and mark Keeler until her death in 2017.

- Femme Fatale Archetype:

- Explore the historical and cultural construction of the femme fatale, emphasizing its
relationship with the male gaze.

- Highlight how Keeler fits into this archetype and the implications of her portrayal.

# 5. Literature Review (300-350 words)—what gap is my dissertation filling

in order to portray to pervasion of the vilification of CK-ive had to use dif forms and beyond
the immediate time-into contemporary to show how it overshadowed and still today-
following her after death

Existing literature on the femme fatale archetype reveals a rich tapestry of interpretations
and manifestations in visual culture. Scholars have examined the implications of the femme
fatale in relation to gender, power dynamics, and societal expectations. However, there
remains a gap in research specifically addressing Christine Keeler’s representation within the
context of the Profumo Affair.

This dissertation aims to fill this gap by analysing key works that focus on gender, media
representation, and visual culture, thereby providing a nuanced understanding of how
Keeler’s image was constructed and its enduring impact on her legacy.

- Summarize existing literature on the femme fatale archetype and its manifestations in
visual culture.

- Discuss scholarly perspectives on the Profumo Affair and Christine Keeler, noting gaps in
the research that your dissertation aims to address.

# 6. Methodology (250-300 words)

This dissertation will employ a multidisciplinary methodological approach, combining

contextual analysis, social art history, feminist theory, and psychoanalytic theory. By
examining visual culture, including photographs and artworks, we will explore the
construction of Keeler as a femme fatale and the implications of her representation.

The significance of analyzing visual culture lies in its ability to reveal the complex interplay
between the gaze of the subject (Keeler), the gaze of the artist, and the gaze of the viewer,
all of which are influenced by the patriarchal system of the 1960s. which aids the
understanding to the how and why of Keelr’s femme fatale construction

-list all media’s and why-list out chapter structure to dissertation

# 7. Key Themes (250-300 words)

- Introduce the key themes that will be explored in the dissertation:

- Female Commodification: Analysing how Keeler was commodified by the media and her
image exploited for commercial and political gain.

- Gender Bias: Discuss the differential treatment of Keeler compared to male figures in the
Profumo Affair- and how this is evident in the juxtaposing representations in visual culture-
the meditated contrast in order to emphasis her as the wrongdoer and blame for the
downfall of Profumo and the traditional integrity
- Power and Female Agency: Examine the limitations on Keeler’s agency and how the
femme fatale archetype was used to control her narrative.-reduce her identitiy and wider
being

- Feminism and Social Inequality: Explore connections between the Profumo Affair and the
emerging feminist movement.

# 8. Significance of the Study (150-200 words)

- Explain the relevance of your research in the context of contemporary discussions about
gender, representation, and media.

- Discuss how understanding Keeler’s portrayal can shed light on broader societal issues
related to the objectification of women and the persistence of the femme fatale archetype.

# 9. Conclusion of the Introduction (150-200 words)

- Summarize the main points covered in the introduction.

- Reiterate the importance of examining Christine Keeler’s representation in visual culture

and its implications for understanding gender dynamics in society.

- Provide a brief overview of the dissertation structure, outlining what each chapter will
address and how they contribute to answering the central research question.