Women in film and television are not treated the same as their male counterparts. To think that women should not get a similar treatment is practically archaic in this time and age. In 2012 there were three big grossing movies which featured female leads (IMDB, n.d., “Most Popular Feature Films Released in 2012”). But if we truly break it down are they everything we had hoped for or are they still lacking in comparison to their male counterparts? A simple test can tell you whether or not a female character has any substantive role in a piece of work, the Bechdel Test (Garcia, Weber, Garimella, 2014, pg. 1). But then, should we as people be striving to make female characters into anything other than fully fleshed out people? Is it possible that
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There is seemingly no diversification for women in film, unlike their male counterparts whose roles are wide and varied. One specific genre treats women and men differently to the point where they are classified as either the ‘good girl’ or the ‘bad girl’ and punished accordingly (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). Women are punished for sex in this genre, while men are more than often rewarded, although both suffer a similar fate in the end (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). But as time has gone on, the ‘final girl’ who started out as the virginal, pure, and feminine survivor has turned into something that is quoted as “some popular and theoretical descriptions suggest she is androgynous” (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 4). Is it important for a female character to be ‘womanly’ and survive or for that female character to be male in all but gender to survive? This is the problem with how women are treated in film, there is no consensus that women can be real and survive. They are classified as good girls and bad girls from the get-go and treated accordingly as the one who will survive and the one who will die a horrible death (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). There is seemingly no middle ground for female representation and that is something that should be dealt with. Women are more than just these two roles, and yet …show more content…
One question that has to be asked of each of these characters is whether or not they are actually good role models. In Twilight Bella Swan is a strong character of sorts, she is pretty and can be intelligent, but her character seems to be entirely dependent on Edward and Jacob. In The Hunger Games Katniss is a strong and athletic young woman who appears quick on her feet, but she is clearly indecisive throughout most of the movie. In Brave Merida is stubborn in how she wants to live her life and it is her selfishness that causes the whole plot of the film to happen in the first place. Each of them make mistakes in their movies but should that mean they are bad role models? What makes a female character a good role model for young girls and women? All of these characters are strong, but are they strong women who should be looked up to by young girls and women? Should they be judged based off of their actions or their intentions? For one, it’s clear that these women are not in the film simply to have a woman in the film, as each movie surrounds them as main characters (Scheiner-Fischer & Russell, 2012, pg. 222). They also aren’t simply stuffed into the categories of ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls’ which gives them a lot
There is seemingly no diversification for women in film, unlike their male counterparts whose roles are wide and varied. One specific genre treats women and men differently to the point where they are classified as either the ‘good girl’ or the ‘bad girl’ and punished accordingly (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). Women are punished for sex in this genre, while men are more than often rewarded, although both suffer a similar fate in the end (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). But as time has gone on, the ‘final girl’ who started out as the virginal, pure, and feminine survivor has turned into something that is quoted as “some popular and theoretical descriptions suggest she is androgynous” (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 4). Is it important for a female character to be ‘womanly’ and survive or for that female character to be male in all but gender to survive? This is the problem with how women are treated in film, there is no consensus that women can be real and survive. They are classified as good girls and bad girls from the get-go and treated accordingly as the one who will survive and the one who will die a horrible death (Weaver, Ménard, Cabrera, & Taylor 2013 pg. 3). There is seemingly no middle ground for female representation and that is something that should be dealt with. Women are more than just these two roles, and yet …show more content…
One question that has to be asked of each of these characters is whether or not they are actually good role models. In Twilight Bella Swan is a strong character of sorts, she is pretty and can be intelligent, but her character seems to be entirely dependent on Edward and Jacob. In The Hunger Games Katniss is a strong and athletic young woman who appears quick on her feet, but she is clearly indecisive throughout most of the movie. In Brave Merida is stubborn in how she wants to live her life and it is her selfishness that causes the whole plot of the film to happen in the first place. Each of them make mistakes in their movies but should that mean they are bad role models? What makes a female character a good role model for young girls and women? All of these characters are strong, but are they strong women who should be looked up to by young girls and women? Should they be judged based off of their actions or their intentions? For one, it’s clear that these women are not in the film simply to have a woman in the film, as each movie surrounds them as main characters (Scheiner-Fischer & Russell, 2012, pg. 222). They also aren’t simply stuffed into the categories of ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls’ which gives them a lot