There is an American idea, value or fashion nearly everywhere. They creep into your world, your home and even your mind, carried and presented by sweethearts like Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Meryl Streep. It is Hollywood that is responsible for the presence of the American lifestyle in every corner of the world. In Egypt, like other Arab countries, American movies have gained huge popularity in the past couple of decades. In 2007, American movies grossed $10 million in the Egyptian market, while Egyptian movies grossed $50 million. This popularity is having a cultural impact on Egyptians, especially with the increasing number of TV channels dedicated solely to Hollywood productions. “At the cinema, we go to the movies ourselves, but on TV, the movies come to our homes," says Magy El-Halawany, former Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University. “American movies are found in every home nowadays, and their contents carry concepts and morals that totally differ from ours." American movies are screened simultaneously in Egypt and the US. If you don't speak English or can't read the Arabic subtitles, there's no need to worry, as many American movies are dubbed into Arabic, making them more and more accessible in this most populous Arab country. A recent study by Cairo University tackles the impact of these movies on Egyptian viewers' concept of gender. The study, a Master's thesis presented by researcher Rabab Hussein, examines the hypothesis that Egyptian audiences view gender differently, based on the image presented to them in American movies. The part of the study analyses 120 American movies screened on each of the satellite channels MBC Max and Fox Movies in March and April 2011. This analysis shows how American movies portray men and women. The American man is presented as a smart, attractive character in 28.8 per cent of the films, a violent man who is handy with weapons in 22.6 per cent of the movies, a man who has lots of relationships with women (16.7 per cent), then as a family man (16.6 per cent) and finally as a rich or famous character (14.4 per cent). Meanwhile, the American woman is presented mainly as a seductress (54 per cent), having lots of relationships with men (15.2 per cent), a lover of fame and money (10.3 per cent), a dancer (9.7 per cent), dependent (5.8 per cent) and finally submissive to men (only 4 per cent). Egyptian women are very different from these American heroines. “American movies don't affect the way Egyptians see gender in the Egyptian context," Rabab told the Egyptian Mail. “Egyptian women are considerate, analytical, simple and obedient, very different from the women in American drama." Egyptian men are also different from their American counterparts, as the study shows. Egyptian men are analytical, generous and simple. “More studies in this area are needed," Magy says. “Movies have a lot of ‘soft power', deeply influencing our society. Thus, it's really important to realise what kind of things we're watching." However, she adds that, while American movies (like the majority of foreign cinematic productions) come with morals that differ from those of our society, local productions could have a harsher impact. “When movies focus on the negatives and magnify them in a heroic way, then our society is under real threat."
