Ann Hornaday, in the Washington Post, writes about Hilary Swank's new movie "Amelia", and about the increasingly small pool of strong female roles for women in Hollywood.
Now, up front im just going to say that
1. I have not seen "Amelia", and probably won't because
2. It got mediocre at best reviews and
3. Im not a Hilary Swank fan, I think she's overrated.
That being said, I think Ms. Hornaday's observation that powerful women-oriented movies are being overlooked (and therefore underrepresented) because they have "No Manolo Blahniks! No ABBA! No vampires!" rings sad-but-true. There is an upsetting amount of rom-com, girls night out formulaic tripe out there because so many women (sadly, like my mother) enjoy forgetting themselves in a predictable, feel-good movie with simplified characters and neatly solved problems. And im not judging, (okay, im totally judging, but I concede that everybody needs their brain candy. Hell, I will still watch "Clueless" anytime time its on) but its a symptom of a larger issue.
These days, when it comes to women, people don't seem to understand what a "strong character" is.
I don't want Megan Fox's "Transformers" character-I-can't-remember-the-name-of. Just because she can fix a car does not make her a strong female character. "Catwoman" is another example (Pfeifer or Berry, take your pick). She's strong (super strong), a female and a character, but NOT a Strong Female Character.
Now I know these aren't exactly benchmarks of groundbreaking cinematography, but here is my thing- women don't need anymore strong female characters, we need strong female characters. Characters with flaws and goals and a history! No more to the ass-kicking, gun-toting, computer-hacking supermodel! No more to the stiletto-wearing CEO whose life would only be complete if she could find a man! More Brockovitch less Bradshaw!
Im also frustrated because I feel responsible. I should be supporting the types of movies I want to see, but frankly, I just don't go to the movies anymore. Its harder and harder for me to justify dropping $10+ on something I can rent a month later from iTunes or Netflix for 1/3 of the cost. Usually I just stay in and watch TV, where the real characters (Liz Lemon, Joan Holloway, Tami Taylor) live.
I think that the male/female dynamic on TV is almost the opposite. How many shows (especially sitcoms) now feature a smart-attractive-always-right wife (or girlfriend) and bumbling slapstick husband who's always getting into trouble?
ReplyDeleteFewer and fewer television shows feature dominant male characters -- they've become the heel to every joke, even on serious shows. And the woman, who can do no wrong, is the one who saves the day.
I have issues with those, too. My whole thing is, having a female character as smart-attractive-always-right, is just another stereotype. A woman who can do no wrong is another facet of the writer's imigination.
ReplyDeleteWonderWoman was a cartoon for a reason, you know?
I guess we just both want more realistic characters that we can relate to without being ashamed of watching.