The cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You introduced us to incredible actors including Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the late Heath Ledger. The characters they brought to life in this rom-com were nothing short of lovable. Julia Stiles played the iconic angry feminist Kat Stratford who is constantly put on a pedestal in today’s pop culture. She was a great academic, rejected gender norms, and didn’t take anyone’s crap. However, Kat still showed some serious flaws throughout the film which makes me question. How great of a representation is she for the feminist community?
1. She knocked down other women
One major red flag in a feminist is not supporting the women around you. Kat throughout the movie made fun of her peers simply because they didn’t share similar interests. Her best friend was excited about prom, and Kat did nothing but act negatively towards the event. She made her friend feel like she couldn’t enjoy it just because everyone else is.
2. She never put her own sister before herself
Kat and her sister Bianca had to base their lives around each other because of their fathers’ rules. He had an intense fear of them becoming a statistic in teen pregnancy and took advantage of the fact that Kat had no interest in boys. When Bianca begins to take interest in dating, she is given a harsh “no” by her father…unless Kat would happen to start dating as well. Kat was too stubborn to find a date to the prom which would allow her sister to have one fun night.
3. She uses her sexuality to help Patrick
In case you forgot, she flashes a teacher/soccer coach to distract him from Patrick escaping detention. Sure, the free-the-nip movement is great, however, it is quite inappropriate and disrespectful to expose yourself in that manner, to say the least.
4. She lies to her sister
For being so overprotective over Bianca, it is a little odd that Kat would hide her experience from Joey with her. Kat admits that she and Joey dated and that he pressured her into having sex. She claims that she wanted to let Bianca make up her own mind, but at what cost? Bianca could have been seriously hurt, and Kat was able, to some extent, keep her out of a dangerous situation.
5. She hits Joey’s car
This has nothing to do with her role as a feminist, but what about this seemed like a good idea to Kat? Before jumping to paying for the damage of both cars, maybe Kat could have asked Joey to move his car so she could leave. Maybe having some empathy could have helped in this situation…and many others throughout the movie.
I don’t dislike Kat Stratford by any means, and I even admire her in many ways. She stood her ground and didn’t partake in activities simply because she was expected to by others. She hoped to bring writings by authors such as Sylvia Plath into her English class because she felt the curriculum lacked that female voice. At the end of the film, we see a major attitude change in Kat because of what she had gone through. Perhaps all these chaotic events involving Patrick, Cameron, and Bianca humbled her and made her let her guard down a bit.