I realize that last week our chapter posted an article about the fabulous fashion of the new film The Other Woman, and I absolutely cannot deny the raw power of some of those outfits. I was enthralled by each ensemble and loved how perfectly the clothes matched the personalities. Aside from the fashion though, I felt the film to be quite troubling from a feminist perspective. I realize that not every film is going to pose deep philosophical questions on the female condition, but I do not understand why the majority of romantic comedies cannot portray women in a positive light.
From the beginning, the personalities of the three female leads were clear. You had the overpowering and career obsessed Cameron Diaz who can’t seem to hang onto a man, probably because she is so darn good at her job, or something. Next is Leslie Mann who is totally bananas and clearly forces her husband to cheat on her because she is getting older, like for sure at least 40, and is a bit, how can I put this, zany? Lastly is Kate Upton. She is probably the most upsetting character in my opinion. From the start her amazing body and looks are the focus, and she is more than a little bit aloof. She provides comic relief throughout the film, but she has no independent thoughts and she ends up with Diaz’s creepy older father.
I get what the film is trying to do, and I did laugh out loud for a few scenes, but I do not understand why it has to be at the expense of women. I believe there was one conversation throughout the film that involved women and did not center on a man. Actually, I don’t even know if there were any. As aforementioned, some films should be light and happy, but why must women only be slotted into such defined personality traits. I also don’t really know why a woman is considered a failure if she is not in a stable and heterosexual relationship. Why can’t women be happy on their own or with a female partner in a big-budget film?
In conclusion, I would probably recommend the film, because it was a nice break from my finals studying, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I am a huge fan of the film Bridesmaids mostly because it is incredibly funny, but also because the women in it seem real and have problems and personalities that do not revolve around the men in their lives. The cheating husband portrayed in The Other Woman does not get off easy, but even in the last scene his power over women is unrealistic and demeaning. I guess what the goal of this piece is to mostly just encourage girls to realize that we can be something other than an overpowering work-aholic or a dumb blonde.