What do Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde have in common? According to the internet, it’s Harry Styles. Two incredibly talented women who have been acting for years are starring in a film—an amazing film. Yet no one cares if Harry Styles is thrown into the cast.
Being a big fan of Olivia Wilde’s first film she directed, BookSmart, I was excited to see Don’t Worry Darling. The film received a lot of buzz around it given that it likely sparked the romance between Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde. Every day I would open my TikTok to paparazzi photos of Harry and Olivia coupling up. At Harry’s recent concert in Toronto, Ontario, I could even spot Olivia dancing her butt off in the lower floor level. I found it cute, and that’s all I felt about it. However, the TikTok’s I would watch were all crazed fans slut-shaming Olivia. God forbid Olivia Wilde scores a relationship with Harry Styles compared to an immersed fangirl.
There have been many male directors who have gotten involved with their castmates. Remember when Kristen Stewart was caught cheating on Robert Pattinson with the director of the film Snow White and the Huntsman, Rupert Sanders? I seem to recall Kristen getting more backlash than Rupert at the time. I’m not saying it’s okay that Kristen and Olivia alleged cheated on their partners, but the way Kristen and Olivia received backlash was much harsher than Rupert and Jason. This is probably because of the embedded patriarchal standards in our society. If a woman cheats, she’s a slut, and if a man does, it was already expected of him.
Now, I actually enjoyed Don’t Worry Darling. Is it my favourite movie of the year? No. But I found the storyline intriguing and the acting was done well. People are hating this film because they expect it to be bad. Given Olivia’s romance gossip in the news, it’s hard for viewers to grasp the idea that a woman can have a relationship with her castmate and still make a good film. Women are always fed the narrative that they must avoid men to end up successful in her field. Or they’re told to pine after a man to be a housewife. These options leave no grey area for women to decide what they want to do. It’s either she’s involved with a man and that’s all she prioritizes…or she’s a girl boss, who grinds all day and lacks a love life.
The reality is, women can be just as successful while maintaining their relationships, even if they’re dating the dreamy Harry Styles. I’m tired of seeing women have lower expectations to succeed when a man is in the picture. If he can succeed at his career and sleep with whoever he wants to, then so can she.