Heroines Take the Big Screen

In the article, Sugar, Spice and Guts, authors A.O. Scott and Manhola Dargis discuss the improvement of female characters in movies today. When it comes to women and girls, they identified American mainstream cinema as being “a timid enterprise dependent on formulas and genres.” Occasionally, a female protagonist will rule the box office, but often enough too many of the actresses they share screen time with are sidelined and left out of the picture. Characters like Katniss Everdeen are “challenging tired stereotypes by not waiting for some guy to save the day.”

The Geena Davis Institute conducted a study on Gender in Media and found that only 29.2% of leading roles were held by females, while their male counterparts dominated with a mighty 70.8%. The study looked at 5,554 “distinct speaking characters” in 122 family movies rated G, PG or PG-13 that were released between 2006 and 2009. There have been a number of actresses who acquired a measure of power or at the very least firm ground in Hollywood, “but too many more were typecast as bratty sisters, dutiful daughters or sexpots, and then cast aside.” In recent times, the image of girlhood has become increasingly diverse as females are taking on an array of identities in films nowadays. The article further discussed several roles played by females in movies today, such as warriors, new searchers, scream teens, girls gone wild, and romantics.

This article shines a light on the importance of females in films and the inequality of screen time that they share with their male counterparts. The emergence of female heroes in recent feature films has shown the impact of the third-wave feminist movement. Emma Watson, an actress who is very familiar with the role of women in films after her role as Hermione Granger in the world-renowned book-turned-movie series Harry Potter, recently gave an impassioned speech to the United Nations about gender equality. As the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, Watson spoke about the launch of the “HeForShe” campaign, which aims to end the inequalities that women face globally and abolish the “us vs. them” mentality. I thought that Watson’s speech tied in exceptionally well with this article and have further realized that feminism can be heavily influenced by the involvement of more women in future films and TV shows.

8 Responses to "Heroines Take the Big Screen"

Bethany Freynk says:

October 12, 2014 at 11:36 am

This is a fascinating study which I would not have noticed if it weren’t for this review. Now that I think about it, it is these movies that bring the biggest audiences as their plots stand out from the typical male heroes or dependent females in search of love and protection. For example, Disney’s Frozen is one of the first of the Disney princess series to display love through fierce sisterhood and independence. At the conclusion of the movie, the protagonist does not find Prince Charming and get married, but finds a down to earth man to date. Similarly, the Hunger Games displays a girl that risks her life for her sister, causing romance to be far from the primary goal of the trilogy. Last but not least, J.K. Rowling effectively incorporates Hermione Granger into her book and then film series. Hermione also has a headstrong and independent character as she constantly fights for her rights. Emma Watson portrays this strong persona majestically, both in the movies and as a social figure. Evidently, it is significant for cinema to develop with todays ever- changing times. I would be happy to see more female heroines on the big screen.
Isabel Vulakh says:

October 13, 2014 at 1:49 pm

I read this article before, and I’m really glad you decided to write about it! It’s great that lately there has been a surge in dominating female protagonists in movies, even though we are still behind when compared to the heroic parts men play. Nowadays, women roles are less often “typecast as bratty sisters, dutiful daughters or sexpots, and then cast aside”, and are now becoming more central to female empowerment in any genre, like dystopian fantasy movies or even childish Disney films. Characters like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Beatrice Prior from Divergent, Saoirse Ronan from Hanna, Elsa from Frozen, and Merida from Brave defy typical female stereotypes, and have helped the movies in which they star in dominate international box offices.
j96lee says:

October 13, 2014 at 11:22 pm

I love the article you posted and I cannot agree more that the media casts disappointing stereotypes on women. I am delighted to see more and more women emerge as strong and independent women, instead of the hackneyed “damsel-in-distress.” I also find it very interesting that most people working in the media industry are men; they control how women are depicted in media, further contributing to the idea that women should be more passive and dependent on men. However, I was absolutely surprised to discover that only 29.2% of women hold leading roles. I knew that the ratio was off but not that outrageously. I loved how you connected this article with Emma Watson’s HeForShe speech. I watched her speech when it was released and I absolutely identified with it. I think that the issue evolves around gender stereotypes. Men and women can never reach gender equality if both genders feel pressured to act a particular way.
holdencoreystein says:

October 14, 2014 at 6:55 am

I feel that various media, including movies, reveal some of society’s thoughts and values at that time. For example, the emergence of several big name female heroes coincides with the success of the recent Feminist movement. Women have never felt more empowered to do whatever they want, inside or outside the workplace. Many women no longer feel comfortable or feel it is right to be restricted to certain gender roles. The heroines in movies such as The Hunger Games or Frozen display that women are capable of seeking adventure, having strength, and being the lead character. I am a feminist myself and don’t believe any person should be held back because of previously head social values and standards. The 21st century is a time of change, and in more ways than one we are seeing the progress, one step at a time.
krystalau says:

October 14, 2014 at 10:08 pm

I think it is awesome that you chose to write about this article. I have noticed over the years that movies are starting to portray females with stronger roles. We have Harry Potter with Hermione, The Hunger Games with Katniss, Divergent with Tris, and so on. I think it is wonderful that the movie industry is moving away from the cliché female roles where either the women needs to be saved or the quiet housewives doing chores in the back. I think Frozen is a great example of that. It is one of my favorite movies, and it shows children that girls can be powerful without the help of men, and true love is not only between a man and a woman. It can be the love between family, in this case between two sisters. I hope this trend keeps continuing and hopefully in a few years, men and women will have equal lead roles in the movie industry.
Beatrice Margolin says:

October 15, 2014 at 7:58 am

This was a really great article to choose as it encapsulates social problems within both the media and the world. Female characters definitely do not have reign over the box office, even though characters such at Katniss Everdeen are arguably some of the most complex and interesting characters on screen. The fact that women make up less than 30% of the gender distribution in media is not surprising when looking at female representation across all media platforms. Even in television, it is often difficult to find a well-rounded female character, especially as the headliner of a show. Now that feminism is becoming more mainstream, for lack of a better word, due to the efforts of celebrities such as Emma Watson, I am hoping that some change will come about in Hollywood to rectify the disparity between gender represenation in films.
stephenesses says:

October 15, 2014 at 1:48 pm

I think it would be fantastic for women to be more incorporated into large roles in movies. Women have taken an increasing role within society today from where they were previously, and this should be reflected in movies. The role of women is constantly changing, and as they are given a larger role in the real world they should receive the same roles in movies. Certainly the idea of a female hero has grown and become more normal than it used to be but i completely agree that it provides for more compelling movies and more unpredictability.
christosbakalexis says:

October 15, 2014 at 8:07 pm

Having read the Hunger Games, and it being one of my favorite stories at the moment, its hard to think that our media and movie industry is still heavily male dominated, but with further observation it is the truth. Societal roles have definitely shifted, but the film industry is still controlled by previous generations thus limitiing possibilities. Our generation is indeed the generation that will speed up this currently slow process for equality for all people!

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