Final answer:
In the film Baby Face, Barbara Stanwyck's character, Lily, is a bold woman who utilizes her sexuality to achieve wealth and power, which was controversial for the era. This portrayal, among others, propelled movements for increased regulation of Hollywood's moral content, leading to the establishment of the Production Code Administration and the Hays Code to enforce ethical guidelines in movies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Barbara Stanwyck's Character in Baby Face (1933)
Barbara Stanwyck's character, Lily, in the film Baby Face (1933), is a provocative and ambitious woman who uses her sexuality to rise from her impoverished circumstances to wealth and power. The character's manipulative and sexually assertive nature was seen as scandalous for the time, challenging the conventional moral standards.
Impact on Moral Regulation in Hollywood
Baby Face significantly contributed to the call for increased regulation of the moral content of Hollywood movies. Its contentious portrayal of a woman's sexual empowerment and use of sex for social mobility clashed with traditional American values, at a time when there was already a societal shift on the views about sex, sexuality, and traditional roles due to changing demographics and attitudes, as evidenced by trends in birth control and premarital sex. This public clash of values and film content contributed to the eventual establishment of the Production Code Administration, which enforced what came to be known as the Hays Code, setting strict guidelines on the portrayal of sexual content, violence, and moral behavior in films.