I don’t know about you but I’m loving this “Girls Can Do It Too” theme that Hollywood has going on.
For so long, women have been portrayed as the helpless, love-sick “damsel in distress,” waiting for her man to return home after saving the world from aliens or the temptress who uses her beauty and body to get ahead. All of which has been sending women (and men) the wrong message about true womanhood. Movies like “Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Frozen” and “Brave” are defeating gender roles and stereotypes one scene at a time.
As I was sitting in the theatre watching “Divergent” I couldn’t help but smile when the group of tween girls next to me cheered on Tris as she fought for what she believed in. I was also surprised at the number of boys in the crowd, whose eyes were widened in suspense, just as much as the girls’ were. They probably didn’t fully understand the significance of their excitement; I knew that most of them were just surprised that this girl was such a badass, when being the badass is typically the man’s role. Characters like Katniss and Tris are changing that stereotype and showing that girls can be strong, confident, and their own hero. We don’t need saving anymore boys; we got this! In fact, we might even save you for a change.
I think the switch from “victim” to “hero” is the most satisfying. In most action movies, there’s always a hot female sidekick, she eventually gets captured by the bad guys and the man has to go save her. But now, it’s the hot male sidekick who needs saving…and I am all the way here for it, for many reasons.
(I just want an excuse to stare at this sexiness)
Just one more…
What was I talking about again…oh yeah…girl power!
This may seem childish and don’t judge me, but sometimes when I’m walking on campus alone at night and feel myself tensing up and looking over my shoulder for predators, I ask myself, “What would Katniss do?” and believe it or not my fear subsides because it reminds me that I am stronger than I think. I am no longer Cinderella, I am Dauntless.
Because the media has so much power in shaping how we think, I’m hoping this positive change in the portrayal of women also changes how we see ourselves. We don’t have to play the pretty sidekick role; we can be pretty CEO’s, pretty firefighters, pretty soldiers and pretty presidents.
As I walked out of the theatre, I was inspired and very proud to be a woman.