Hear Me Roar - Why Doesn't Hollywood Understand Feminism?

 

"I want women to control their own health choices, just like I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons." 

-President Obama

    I have tried to avoid directly discussing challenging and politically charged (for want of a better phrase) subjects here on my blog. This is primarily because this is a blog about movies and their escapist nature, which we all need, and spending too much time on any heavy subject can be exhausting or unwarranted. Typically, I would relegate such discussions to a quick and straightforward comment or carefully phrased joke pointing out the absurdity of whatever nonsense thing that a movie happened to remind me of. However, besides being a cinema enthusiast, I am also, among other things, a feminist. At least, I identify as such. And as a feminist, I can't help but notice a terrible pattern in Hollywood when it comes to its false and toxic perception of "Girl Power." It has bothered me for quite some time, and I can no longer remain silent on the subject. 

    Before I go any further with this discussion, please understand that it is not my intention to belittle, degrade, or "man-splain." I am all too aware of the frustrating and unfortunate effects of male privilege, misogyny, and sexism that continue to plague our existence in far too many ways. While I recognize how fortunate I am, I am not blind to what others have to suffer and endure for the stupidest of reasons (I'm looking at you, Texas!) 

    For me, being a feminist is, among other things, putting in the effort to make yourself aware of inequality and how to best combat it, preferably non-violently. Because I enjoy movies so much, I feel it is high time I shared my thoughts on a few movies in recent years (well, one in particular) that have tried to provide a "feminist" theme...and utterly failed! 

    

    First, what is feminism? The Merrian-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as "The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." This is indeed what feminism means to me. However, in some circles, feminism is shifting from advocating for equality to, for want of a better term, "man-shaming." While I do not deny that a big part of fighting for equality is tackling patriarchy and abolishing male dominance in many fields, it should not, at least in my opinion, also entail the degradation and aggressive take-down of men as a whole. 

    I may be a middle-aged white male, but I'm not an idiot, nor do I appreciate being treated as such by anyone, least of all in cinema. 

    Let me give you an example of the kind of false & toxic cinematic feminism I'm referring to. 

    Consider for a moment 2019's Charlie's Angels, written and directed by Elizabeth Banks.

    This movie is one of a couple of films that choose to utilize probably one of the laziest and most toxic forms of false feminism, proclaiming that all women are good and all men are evil. While I have no doubt that writer and director Elizabeth Banks (a talented and highly skilled creator in her own right) had noble and understandable intentions with this movie, I have to say that I hate this movie as a feminist man. 

    Setting aside the clunky & unnatural sounding dialogue, inconsistent character beats, and wasted performances from otherwise talented & intelligent actors (seriously, Patrick Stewart, what were you thinking?), the movie's idea of feminism is toxic, counterproductive, and quite frankly, mean-spirited. 

    In an attempt to provide an outing for female empowerment, the movie became a monstrous dehumanization of all men, which is counter to what feminism is about and wholely unnecessary. Even as a work of escapist fantasy. While I agree that things like patriarchy and male privilege need to be seriously addressed and abolished, I don't think any of that can be achieved by directly insulting half the world's population.

    So, how did feminism, at least in cinema, go from promoting equality to misandry? Well, I have a theory: we're all tired of the lack of genuine progress. 

    We are over two decades into the 21st century, yet, we are still fighting unnecessary battles that have been raging on pretty much since the dawn of civilization. We are supposed to be better than this by now, but we don't appear to be. At least, not yet. 

    Perhaps what frustrates me the most about this situation, as it pertains to the cinema, is that too many mainstream movies are sending out the wrong messages. Cinema has a more significant influence on people than some might have you believe. It is irresponsible for storytellers to not hold themselves or their peers to higher standards than what has been shelled out in recent years. 

    The good news is not all recently released movies fail to provide a genuinely positive feminist message. Consider, once again, one of my favorite (and still criminally underrated) movies also released in 2019. 

    Yes, this movie stars a man (Will Smith), was directed by a man (Ang Lee), and was written by three men (David Benioff, Darren Lemke, and Billy Ray). Yet, this is one of my favorite examples of a film with a beautiful example of genuine feminism. Why? Because of the supporting character, Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). 

    Danny is, hands down, one of the best-supporting characters in any movie and is an excellent example of genuine feminism in cinema (at least in my opinion). Aside from a semi-contrived strip search scene (seemingly and unnecessarily demanded of every conventionally attractive actress in Hollywood), Danny is never objectified, never talked down to, and the fact that she happens to be a woman is never brought up by anyone, not even the main villain. Danny is proactive, competent, intelligent, solves problems, and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty if the situation calls for it. And, indeed, she does so. A lot! 

    Danny isn't a woman character or female support or forced love interest...she's just a character, plain and straightforward. Every interaction between her and the main character, Henry (Will Smith), is just between two professionals who need each other to survive. Along the way, they develop a genuine partnership. No misogyny (not even as a joke), no unnecessary questions or commentary, no need to point out her sex at all. 

    This, to me, is what feminism in cinema (and indeed the real world) should look like. Because, whatever your stance may be, we are all human beings first. Everything else is just a secondary aspect of our human identity. All of which are ways to enhance characters and elevate your story. They should not be seen as some kind of hindrance or deemed "too difficult" to write, despite what the misogynist idiots over at UBISOFT would have you believe. 

    If feminism is about equality, then it falls onto all of us to display and present it in as many ways as possible. As understandable as some of our anger is, it is never the right way to solve any problem. While some sides of the conflict have more responsibility to follow through than others, we will never rise above if we don't maintain the unified vision of equality. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you very much for reading.