It’s safe to say that when it comes to the Academy Awards, us females get quite the education. These actresses teach us about which styles are in season, how to carry yourself with grace and beauty, and just how far talent can get a young woman in this present time. But while we are drooling over their Oscar De La Renta garbs, we don’t pay enough attention to the education their characters bestow upon us, such as the education of dealing with males. This year, the Oscar movies have an array of strong female leads, all having to interact in powerful ways with their male counterparts. Let me tell you, if you find the articles of teen girl magazines unhelpful, these characters have a lot to teach you when it comes to love, passion, anger, and making a stand in front of men. Hope you don’t mind a few spoilers on your way to cinema realization.
Always Know Your Worth Up Front
Although Marilyn Monroe is one of the biggest beauty icons in the world, “My Week With Marilyn” showed that she was not as confident as she appeared to be. This lack of confidence greatly affected her relationships with her husband, her director, her agent, and her little boy toy. If there’s one thing this film teaches us, it’s to always know your worth. There is a thin line between cocky and confident, but there is a large gap between acting confident and actually being confident. Walking the walk isn’t enough anymore. You’ve got to feel the walk. No matter how you falsely carry yourself, you will willingly give into any guy that shows you attention. Without the proper amount of confidence, you’ll fall for any and every trick in the book. Trust me, there are more than you think.
Don’t Be Afraid To Get Dirty
If your mind is in the gutter, take it out. What I mean is don’t be afraid to stand your ground. Don’t be afraid to be a little rough and tumble. Demand respect among the male masses, no matter if you’re attracted to them or not, just as Margaret Thatcher did in “The Iron Lady”. I don’t care if Susie who sits next to you in Psych makes out with all of the athletes in the school; they probably don’t respect her. If you hold yourself to acting the way you want to be treated, you will be treated that way. They won’t see you as some easy target that they can have their way with. They’ll actually see you as a beautiful, intelligent human being. Someone to have a conversation with. And if that guy who you’ve been daydreaming about doesn’t want a girl who regards herself as someone other than a “man-pleaser”, than you don’t want him anyway.
Know How To “Outsmart”
Girls, vouch for me here; you know for a fact that many guys think that they are smarter than they seem. There are flirty games they play to catch your attention. Sometimes, they string you along so that your interest stays centered on them. It’s obvious. But as Lisbeth Salander proved in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, behind every great man is a great woman. You’re a university student. You’re intelligent. Don’t be fooled by any mind games, or flirtatious tricks, no matter how tempting they may be. If some guy is trying to “play hard to get”, you should play “didn’t want it anyway”, or my own personal favorite, “you’re not worth it”. Maintain a firm hand, and only do what you want to do. If you don’t want someone to bring you down, don’t let them. Once he sees that you don’t care as much as he thinks you should, those consistent calls and text messages are going to be racking up. But of course, you’re too smart to fall for that again.
Be Honest
In the film, “The Help”, the character Celia Foote keeps many secrets from her husband throughout the movie. These are secrets that he deserves to know, like the fact that she is not fit to be a housewife, and that she possibly can’t bare children. Honesty is key in a healthy relationship, especially important details that your significant other should know about. You don’t want to do something that he wants you to do? Tell him. You lied about being one way when you’re actually another? Tell him. The worst thing you can do is to try to be something that you’re not, or keep a major secret. One of two things will end up happening. 1) You’ll end up losing parts of yourself because you’re so worried about being someone he wants you to be. 2) You’ll make him very upset because you kept something from him that should have been out in the open. Everyone knows, the deeper you get into a situation, the harder it is to get out. Push your fears aside, swallow your pride, tell the truth, and hope he understands. That’s all you can really ask for.
Movies are always giving us insight, but instead at looking at teen dramas or dramatic tearjerkers, check out the big names in cinema. See what they have to offer about the situations similar to yours. Check out who wins the Oscars – this’ll tell you which advice to follow.
