Unruly Women In Film Analysis

Throughout film history, the concept of the unruly woman has not been used until recent times. Before women were portrayed in the same light as men, they were portrayed as proper women who did not use obscene language and did not partake in irrational behavior. Women were usually seen as damsel’s in distress, they were portrayed as weak individuals that served to convey a male’s masculinity. In the recent years, audiences can now see women taking on ‘male characteristics.’ Actresses like Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, are now the lead roles in comedic movies without having them portrayed as weak individuals, proper ladies, or women that rely on males in order to get through tough times, however, even though unruly women do have the …show more content…
Amongst power, sense of humor, and independent status that unruly women have in comedy films, a negative characteristic that is also given to them is the idea that unruly women are not appealing to the male eye. As Sally Lyn Conveys in the text “It Is the Ugly That Is So Beautiful": Performing the Monster/Beauty Continuum in American Neoburlesque, Lyn states “the unruly woman is related to the notion of monster/beauty...who utilize monsters and monstrosity in their acts clearly shows that many have an affinity for grotesque and extreme representations of unruly women "(Lyn, 12) in other words, as stated before, unruly women are depicted as disgusting individuals since they do not care about what others see them as. Not only does McCarthy depict this idea but also another female lead in the movie conveys this concept. For example, the lead detective who also works with McCarthy’s character is also a tough woman who does pay too much attention about her appearance. Sandra Bullock’s character, Sarah Ashburn, is also pictured as an unruly woman in the film, she is not viewed as beautiful. Whereas female characters who are damsels in distress would be portrayed as a gorgeous woman on the screen, the unruly women is not. Because Bullocks character is portrayed as tough, she has no fashion sense nor is she portrayed as the type of person who would have men going after her. Throughout the film, Ashburn is seen wearing formal attire consisting of loose fitting shirts and slacks, for instance, when the two characters are going out to a club, Bullock’s character, Ashburn, is being criticized by McCarthy’s character because the clothes she is wearing are not enough for her to appear as if she has all the intention of going to a club. When Mullins begins to tear her clothing apart in hopes of making her look more