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For why do I feel so disappointed, unsatisfied and, frankly, rather frustrated? Dr Diane Purkiss, a professor at Oxford University, has argued that in the last five decades the film industry has made its female characters "dumber and dumber", a notion that I am inclined to agree with. The terms ‘chick flick’ and ‘feel good’ walk hand in hand, but do they, truthfully, make you ‘feel good’, or simply instil you with a somewhat pathetic form of hopefulness?
The majority of films about women’s lives portray us as weak, neurotic and rather dim.
The hope that one day, after an empowering montage with ‘inspirational’ music and images of you working out and grooming yourself, you will rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes of your former self, two dress sizes smaller and a more ‘together’ person, and get the man you once thought was out of reach. Ugh, please! It is so insulting, not to mention extremely sexist, that the majority of films about women’s lives portray us as weak, neurotic and rather dim, our main concerns being weight loss, shopping, marriage and sex.
Yet we laugh along, seeming to confirm this shallow view of ourselves.
Purkiss highlights that during Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’; women such as Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis could play "fully formed" characters at the same time as being entertaining. Now, the humour derives from women’s neuroses, and our self-critical nature. We are represented as creatures that must go through some sort of transition to become strong. Why aren’t we shown to be strong in the first place? Is the film industry saying women aren’t good enough and must improve? Are we ourselves condoning them by buying into the ‘chick flick’ genre?
We complain about equality and call ourselves ‘feminists’, yet these films give men ammunition, they fuel and indulge the patriarchal society we live in. Men can hardly be blamed for viewing us as needy and emotional, always searching for a relationship and true love. Melissa Silverstein, founder of Woman & Hollywood, has noted that less than 10% of Hollywood films are written by women and fewer than 6% have a female director.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not just interested in ‘intellectual’ films, or whatever you want to call them, I enjoy a bit of escapism and silliness as much as the next person, but why should this be at the expense of women’s image? I was both surprised and delighted how much I enjoyed Mamma Mia!. There was something quite liberating in watching feisty Meryl Streep and co. singing ‘Dancing Queen’ and parading through the streets, the entourage of women steadily growing, turning their backs on domestic chores.
Let’s hope that this popular film is indicative of a new trend towards a more positive, three-dimensional representation of women in film.
I had the misfortune of seeing The Devil Wears Prada the other day: a 'chick flick' featuring strong, determined women as its main characters. It's not all so bad. Stupid characters are funny, regardless of gender.
What about European actors or accents being used to portray bad guys in Hollywood blockbusters?
I saw Mamma Mia with my mum and she loved it because she said it made her feel justified being silly and acting like a young women despite being in her fifties. You're right, Hannah, she found it liberating too!
And #1, I'm not sure its really female deliberate comedy characters that are the problem, it's female characters that are forced to change in some way in order to acheive their aim which is usually one of this list <<weight loss, shopping, marriage and sex>>. I, agree though, that The Devil Wears Prada is a bit of an exception. At least the female character changes back!
It's quite sad that 'women's things' tend to be seen as crap tho... 'chick-flick' and 'chicklit' are generally synonymous with 'bad'. most films that top the list of best films ('Shawshank', 'Lord of the Rings', a lot of spy films) tend to be completely male orientated.
My biggest complaint is that films portray women as one or the other of a set of stereotypes, most of which are horribly negative.
There seem to be recurring types of women; the smart but plain girl with no self confidence who could be pretty if she ‘tried’, the workaholic female boss who is strong but also a complete b****, the neurotic career woman trying to juggle her job and her romantic life sometimes with a few kids in there for comic effect, and of course the final, biggest stereotype; the woman who needs a guy to save her, because she’s falling apart somehow despite being wonderful in 90% of her life. This final stereotype can span across the others, and has become a staple of TV and movies. As the guy said to the business woman in family guy:
“I want to show you that all your problems can be solved with my penis.”
And they make a good point. That seems like the message of all films about women; she needs a guy in some way, to improve her somehow. And it gets boring.
My biggest complaint is that films portray women as one or the other of a set of stereotypes, most of which are horribly negative.
There seem to be recurring types of women; the smart but plain girl with no self confidence who could be pretty if she ‘tried’, the workaholic female boss who is strong but also a complete b****, the neurotic career woman trying to juggle her job and her romantic life sometimes with a few kids in there for comic effect, and of course the final, biggest stereotype; the woman who needs a guy to save her, because she’s falling apart somehow despite being wonderful in 90% of her life. This final stereotype can span across the others, and has become a staple of TV and movies. As the guy said to the business woman in family guy:
“I want to show you that all your problems can be solved with my penis.”
And they make a good point. That seems like the message of all films about women; she needs a guy in some way, to improve her somehow. And it gets boring.
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