Perfect Student COM 303 Everything I Know About Images of Women in Film

Throughout the years, women have been depicted in many various ways in films. Some actresses have

become role models for how to be the ideal woman through their looks and roles they play. Some have become an

icon of how to be a woman of strength and set new standards for women. It seems that when thinking of a genre

made for female viewers, the phrase “chick flick” comes to mind. A chick flick is typically a type of romantic

comedy or romantic drama. They are movies based around the strong presence of a female lead. There are three categories of chick flicks. The first is the classic. Classic flicks involve the female searching for love and a relationship, or trying to fix one. They are usually a comedy, or a drama. The next category is independent.

Independent flicks involve the lead female struggling through life’s obstacles. This includes striving to move up in her career, or leaving bad relationships in search for freedom, liberty, and acceptance. These are also typically a comedy or drama, and usually involve some form of romance. The last chick flick category is progressive.

Progressive flicks generally entail an action or thriller feel that is not seen in the other categories. These

action/thriller chick flicks more often involve themes of freedom from society and men and acceptance for herself.

Often enough, these types of chick flicks appeal to both male and female viewers. Mostly because they are more action oriented and have more testosterone driven things like fighting, killing, and explosions. These movies do not contain the light hearted feel like the first two categories do. Out of the three categories though, there is a chick flick that is suited for any kind of female viewer.

Out of the three categories of chick flicks, the first one that comes to mind is the classic. Classic chick flicks have qualities that most female viewers can relate to. Some of these qualities include men going through toils and troubles to prove their affection and undying passion. Other qualities include young love and innocence entering adulthood. There are usually romantic settings at some point, like beaches, weddings, parks, or anything with beautiful scenery. Basically all things considered feminine, happy, dramatic, and fantasy-like will always be in a classic chick flick. One example of a comedic classic chick flick is My Big Fat Greek Wedding . This flick features

the unlikely romance between a mid-30s frumpy woman and a handsome man out of her reach. Toula still works at

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Perfect Student COM 303 her family owned Greek restaurant as a waitress. She never thought in a million years that someone she loved would love her back, especially a non-Greek man. One day Toula is a waitress for Ian Miller and it was love at first sight, for Toula anyway. It was enough to spark her into wanting to look pretty to start attracting men. In this typical romantic comedy, the story of Toula takes you through her transformation as a once ugly duckling. She is then revealed as a beautiful swan, who now has the looks to get back into the game. Toula was changing herself for love.

The desire to be romanced by a man was so strong that she had to alter her physical appearance. Ian Miller only notices Toula in a romantic way after her metamorphosis. They end up dating and getting married, living happily ever after in the home that her father bought them. Over the course of their developing love involves many comedic moments. One is when Toula's father states that everything can be cured by Windex. Another is when he declares that all words are derived from the Greek language. All in all, this classic comedy chick flick has love conquer at the end of the day. It has fun elements such as of makeovers, weddings, falling in love, and turning something undesirable into desirable. Those are all recipes for classic chick flicks that depict women as dependent on a quest for love. It also portrays women as craving acceptance from men.

As great as comedies are, dramas are the other sub category of a classic chick flick. One such epic drama would be Titanic . This Kleenex puller takes the viewer into the lives of two young lovers, Rose and Jack. Rose came from a family of wealth, and was aboard the Titanic on first class. Jack was third class, poor, and not suited for Rose.

She ended up falling for Jack who could not stop advancing on her, for he had already fallen in love. Romantic scenes from their love story include Jack sketching Rose nude, and the pair making love in a parked taxi. One of the most famous scenes is of Jack standing behind Rose at sunset on the tip of the bow. All of these moments appeal to a

female audience. The woman here is depicted as desirable, and all women in some way, want to be desired. This

drama includes Rose’s mother not approving of her and Jacks love. By escaping the disapproval of Rose’s mother, it

gives the young lovers desire for each other an element of risk. It proves to the viewers how strong their dependency

for one another is. This adds a sense of urgency and passion and youthfulness that appeals to the female audience. At

the end, the Titanic hits an iceberg and begins sinking. The two lovers hold on to each other as Jack sacrifices his life

for Rose to live. He lets her have the small piece of floating ship, while he himself stays in the sub-zero water. After

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Perfect Student COM 303 such an act of valor, and declaring love after death, Jack sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Rose is then rescued and grows old. This is the epitome of a romantic drama, and shows that love even conquers death. The theme song My

Heart Will Go On echoes in the minds of viewers after having seen this tearjerker. Every female truly desires a love full of passion and a lover willing to die for her. All in all, the classic chick flick appeals to a female on an emotional level. Jack’s sacrifice caters to the theme in classic chick flicks that men need to ultimately take care of women.

Although most chick flicks could be defined as classic, there are some that would be considered independent.

Some examples would be The Devil Wears Prada , and Easy A . The Devil Wears Prada is about a young woman,

Andy, who lands her dream job for a fashion magazine. She soon finds out that her boss is from hell. Although treated like dirt, Andy works her way up the corporate ladder and becomes the boss’s right hand woman. By doing this she fails to see her relationship with her boyfriend unraveling, and her friends don’t like her anymore. She realizes she was becoming the very person she despised. In the end, Andy is a strong enough woman to quit her job.

She realized it was turning her into someone she did not want to be. She had to find the strength within herself to get out of the alluring pull of a high paycheck and fame. As a chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada , in a light way, empowers the female to forge her own path. The leading actress encourages female viewers to become the woman she wants to be, even if it is extremely trying.

The next example of an independent chick flick is Easy A . Olive Penderghast feels pressured by her best friend to admit that she has had sex. Because of this, she makes up a story that she had a one night stand with a random college guy. Olive’s “story” spreads like wildfire around the campus. Embellishments get added on such as

Olive has STD’s and she will sleep with guys for money. Believing the rumor beyond repair, she starts accepting

money and gift cards from her male peers. She allows them to say they have done intimate things with her even

though they have not. Because of this Olive is harshly judged and seen as an outcast, but the guys are seen as cool.

Unfortunately, this is how girls against guys are viewed in today’s society. Guys are able to sleep around without

repercussions, and have a high social status, while girls are seen as slutty. Eventually Olive realizes she needs to

bring the truth to light, so she makes a video to post online. The school then hears from her video the truth to the

rumors. Whether or not people believe it, she is happy she no longer will commit to the rumors she helped fuel.

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Perfect Student COM 303 Standing up for herself proved that Olive had the courage to defend her integrity. Ultimately she just wanted to feel accepted by her peers and society. Unfortunately there is a sad truth to this story about how children and teenagers bully each other. By taking a stand though, Easy A shows that fighting for your acceptance and freedom leads to a happy ending. Independent chick flicks help aspire their female viewers to know that it is okay to be who you are.

Sometimes showing people the real you, and being comfortable in your own skin is the hard road. In the end, if you keep trying, just being true to your heart will win you that happily ever after.

The last chick flick category is the progressive chick flick. These chick flicks have a very different way of reaching to the viewer, as they tend to take an action or thriller take. By doing this, they relate their lead female to the female viewers through darker story lines. One example of a progressive chick flick is Sucker Punch . Abundant threats of rape endanger the girls at a mental asylum. One in particular, Babydoll, is able to escape into her imagination to elude such a dismal reality. Because she was wrongly placed in the asylum, she plans an escape and gets the other asylum girls involved in the plan. Over the course of five days, the girls attempt to follow the escape plan before Babydoll gets lobotomized. Babydoll creates fantasy worlds that deceive the viewers into remembering

what reality is and what is not. In these fantasies, the girls defeat many foes, including samurais, dragons, and

zombies. They have heavy weapon machinery and fearless attitudes. They are all young and in excellent shape. To

some degree, every woman would like to have a part of her that is like that. Women want to be fearless, tough, and

able to conquer even the darkest of dilemmas. This progressive chick flick empowers, to some degree, the rise of a

new age feminine fatale. Ultimately, this is a woman that is just as capable as her male counterpart. At the end of this

fantasy driven story, Babydoll ends up getting lobotomized, and some of her friends are killed. Although the fantasy-

action scenes were all in the mind of a young girl, those scenes tap into her “bad-ass” side. Every woman wants a

little of a bad-ass in her. Every woman wants to know she can defend and protect herself if she needs to. The mantra

“You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!” is repeated throughout the story. This is relaying that only you as

a person can hold yourself back or set yourself free. It is up to you to use the tools given to you in life to make the

best of situations. Sucker Punch brings the viewers into a rich world of imagination that shows that females are

capable of amazing feats. Although the reality was that they were making the best of being in an asylum, there is an

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Perfect Student COM 303 underlying moral. That moral is that through inner strength, you can conquer anything, and you are responsible for your own destiny.

In conclusion, chick flicks portray a number of many different female roles that appeal to the viewers. The actresses in classic flicks appeal to the female viewers on an emotional level. They achieve this through the use of romance, relationships and passion. Often it’s a more women versus men storyline, and these seem to take the highest priority. Independent flicks appeal to the viewers on a more women versus society level through their actresses, and take second priority. These films often show females as just that, independent and striving for acceptance from their peers in society. Women in these films forge their own path. On the same hand, progressive chick flicks often aspire to a level of women versus society. They also reach toward a woman versus women theme.

These take last priority, because women depicted as strong and powerful is a newer role. Therefore, there are fewer progressive flicks because they capture women as more than just helpless romantic creatures. These films use their actresses to encourage women to face themselves, and to find strength and courage from within. They push the viewer to find inner beauty and perfection. All in all, chick flicks have been the genre considered made for females.

There is a chick flick for every female. Because of this, many role models for women have come from these types of movies. Chick flicks have been around for a long time, and will continue to thrive as a genre for women.

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