As I was watching the Max documentary Quiet on Set, journalist Kate Taylor explained how women are perceived on a binary, either as innocent or pure figures, like the Olsen twins, or hyper-sexualized, like Brooke Shields. But the statement that struck me the most is how women in the media were all portrayed for men’s pleasure and entertainment. Undoubtedly, you can tell whether a movie was directed by a man or woman now. But not even 10 years ago, women in movies and television were very heavily sexualized. Women are cast as these sexy femme fatales or the bimbo who needs a man to do everything for her.
Women were just seen as desirables and trophies for men. Many sitcoms would have an infidelity storyline or make a running gag of the main male character always making eyes at another, more attractive woman. Not only were they used to be oggled at but also to be made fun of! We have characters like Bianca in The DUFF and Patty Labelle in Insatiable, whose characters are ridiculed because they are not conventionally attractive. who are completely physically transformed to become “beautiful.” Not only does this perpetuate harmful images for young girls and their bodies, but these plotlines make it clear that the men who write them think that this is what women are like.
On the other hand, executives at Victoria Secret thought it would be a great idea to broadcast their yearly fashion show. This also made writers, producers, and directors create jokes around models never eating or that models only have their looks. Even in sports media, women are belittled and reduced to being a laughing stock. An example of this is how the NFL and its fans treated Taylor Swift while she supported Travis Kelce at his games. They made fun of her week after week just for being a supportive girlfriend. They even will make fun of women athletes for being built or toned. They would say she has a “masculine physique” or negate her hard work and record breaking wins because she is a woman. In 2024, we finally have better representation of women and the female experience in the media with more women directors, writers, and producers. But there is still work to be done to make women in the media a more equal part of Hollywood.