Film Noir: The Sexualization Of Women In Film

Since the rise of the twentieth century, our society has been fascinated with film. Even during times such as the Great Depression our nation has always had an urgency to spend their weekends at the drive-ins enjoying a movie or two. The woman’s role in film has drastically changed over the years, not just in their wardrobe but also in all aspects of film. As the trends change so do the social normalities. With the importance of women’s power increasing, their sexuality in film is becoming more of a popular theme. The ongoing evolution of sexualizing women in film has occurred through dress, job status, changes in maternal roles, and a plethora of aspects that have allowed women to become equivalent to their male counter parts. During World War II the need for women in the workplace was vastly increasing. Unlike before, women were working in factories instead of fulfilling their household duties such as, cooking and cleaning and taking care of the family while the husband was at work to financially stabilize his family. This brought a change in society for women across the country. Among this time the popular movie style, film noir, was on the rise. Film noir is a style of cinematic film and brought about the popular style of …show more content…
Her white, long sleeved, turtle necked gown still allows her to be a glamorous princess without showing much skin. A less conservative example would be Rebecca Romijn as Mystique in the X-Men Series. Mystique’s sex appeal immensely increases because of her lack of clothing and minimal coverage. Both of these sci-fi characters are considered to have an exuberant amount of sex appeal in the public eye yet their wardrobes are extreme opposites. These examples are not to say that one character is considered better or sexier than the other but it just goes to show the psychological change in society of the term sex