As I was listening to Spotify earlier this week, an ad interrupted my stream of music. This is typical for Spotify, but this particular ad was not.
The ad was for the movie Blockers, which has recently opened in theaters. The entire premise of this movie—parents trying to prevent their teenage daughters from having sex—is already problematic, but the ad made it even worse.
It began with a female voice stating how coming-of-age films have always centered around men, and now it’s women’s turn. (It’s important to note that I was away from my laptop and didn’t realize what movie this was promoting yet, so when I heard this opener I just thought, “Hell yeah, women!”) However, the narrator went on to say that Blockers is the breakout coming-of-age film about (and for?) women.
I couldn’t even tell you what else was said during that ad because I was so infuriated I blocked it out. This pseudo-feminist take on a movie that’s ENTIRE PREMISE is about oppressing women’s sexuality is not only hypocritical, but disgusting. It said, “Well the movie centers around teen girls, so it’s a coming-of-age story for women! We’re so progressive!” These movie makers are patting themselves on the backs for making women’s oppression a joke. A whole hour and forty-two minute long joke.
Blockers is not a movie for women empowerment, and it shouldn’t be angled as such. We have to see this movie for what it is. It is furthering the sexist belief that a woman’s virginity is to be preserved at all costs. At such a cost, that her parents have to intervene to make sure no boy takes their pure, precious daughter’s virginity away from her. It teaches us that women don’t even have control over what they do with their own bodies; the parents seem to think they have the control.
Not to mention this movie shows parents invading their children’s privacy and taking matters into “their own hands” instead of having a discussion with their kids about sex and how to be safe about it. That’s an extremely damaging message to display in a society in which we already think of sex as a taboo conversation.
In short, I have not seen Blockers, nor do I have any desire of seeing it. Especially not after hearing that advertisement’s warped perception on how “progressive” this film is for girls.