CRITIQUE ME! Please?
NOTE: I wrote this late at night. In fact, I just finished it. It's a short paper for a class, and I want to know if it's any good. There aren't any italics or anything on this version because I didn't bother to put them in. HTML takes too long. I want to call it 'Kung Fu Bunnies.' Well, maybe not. I'll think of something. I'd really appreciate comments on this one. Please. Don't be afraid that it's too long; I just read it over and it's not really. Here it is:
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Actresses of the twenty-first century have finally conquered the role of the female action heroine; action films have been almost absolutely dominated by men throughout the history of cinema. Actresses in action movies were previously confined to the roles of the seductive damsel in distress, or the sexy distraction. It certainly seems as though women should welcome this advent and take pride in the new roles their sisters are filling-- but they do not or, rather, cannot. Though women seem empowered in these action movies, their triumphs for their sex are muted by the abundant sexual stereotypes-- most often surrounding a woman’s sexual appeal to men. Hence, they cease to be embodiments of female power and become many varieties of a male fantasy.
One way this happens is through the female action star’s placement in highly patriarchal, (male- dominated,) worlds and situations. Once there, they uphold everything that is patriarchal rather than resisting it. Another way in which these action- star actresses become pure male fantasies is through the blatant sexualization of their often- perfect bodies. The camera captures them constantly conquering the men who share the screen with them while also devoting as much time-- for the benefit of the men watching them do all this-- to the display of their bodies in various states of undress.
Perfect examples of action- actresses turned male fantasy can be found in the movies Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Charlie’s Angels, and The Matrix, as well as their respective sequels.
In the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is-- without a doubt-- the ultimate male fantasy; she is culturally refined, has boundless riches, is physically powerful beyond reckoning, and she owns the finest combat technology known to mankind. Besides being blessed with these endowments of the material world, Lara Croft is also greatly blessed with spectacular physical endowments-- and the camera knows this. Throughout the movie, the camera takes every opportunity to feature her breasts, buttocks, thighs, and crotch in a shot. To add to the heavy sexualization of her body, Lara’s fights are profoundly erotisized. For example, some of her smaller weapons rest in a holster that is strapped to her naked thigh; she reloads her guns by pressing them against her buttocks. Not only are Lara’s body and lifestyle made to suite the tastes of her male admirers, but so are her emotions. It is seen throughout the movie that Lara has no deep emotion for anybody or anything except her father, while she does not seem to think of the fact that she must have had a second parent-- a mother.
Lara Croft does not represent female empowerment and domination; she represents a “patriarchal containment of female power,” because her character and actions are geared to appeal to a man’s idea of what an empowered woman is.
Another movie in which female domination is shaped to fit a man’s tastes is Charlie’s Angels. The film is clearly meant to display a paramount of female competence; the three members of Charlie’s elite fighting squad are experts at hand-to-hand combat, using all the latest technology, trickery, and would give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. Surely they are a force to be reckoned with and would strike fear in to their foes’ hearts in any situation. Perhaps. Viewers of the film may never know, for the elite threesome are made less threatening by the fact that-- off the job-- they are just like any other silly young woman. What also tempers their fearsome abilities is the constant attention given to their fabulous bodies. Even though they are masters of deduction and superior fighters, they very consciously rely on their sexual power over men to get what they want in every venture. Throughout their endeavors the Angels don several sensual disguises that come close to fulfilling every imaginable male fantasy: belly dancers, geishas, evening society arm- candy, the leather- clad dominatrix, and the blondes in dirdls. The Angels also fit into the patriarchal fold because-- though they seem unstoppable and highly independent-- they owe their livelihood and are unquestionably loyal and devoted to their benefactor Charlie.
Despite this film’s different genre and refreshing lack of overexposed bodies, The Matrix must fall into the same category as the previous two films due to the purpose of the central woman’s character. The main female character of The Matrix is Trinity, who is both an admirable embodiment of female power, and an elaborate male fantasy. She has authority and dignity in a world without gendered hierarchies. In her favor, she is second in command of her ship, is physically equal or superior to men while in the Matrix, is superior to her male counterpart-- Neo-- in her knowledge of the Matrix, and Neo trusts himself to Trinity’s guidance. The opposite side to Trinity’s stalwart character is the fact that she is also portrayed as sexy, and slightly subservient. While in the Matrix, Trinity’s attire resembles that of a dominatrix, though she never plays into the role of one. She also fits very well into a patriarchal world because of her mission, and later her sole purpose: to protect and love Neo. By fulfilling her mission, Trinity signifies the perfect female partner as she takes the ‘stand by your man,’ path.
Though today’s cinema to presents us with action movies that seem to glorify the power of women over men, they fail miserably and instead present us with the only role a woman has ever played: an accessory to men.
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Actresses of the twenty-first century have finally conquered the role of the female action heroine; action films have been almost absolutely dominated by men throughout the history of cinema. Actresses in action movies were previously confined to the roles of the seductive damsel in distress, or the sexy distraction. It certainly seems as though women should welcome this advent and take pride in the new roles their sisters are filling-- but they do not or, rather, cannot. Though women seem empowered in these action movies, their triumphs for their sex are muted by the abundant sexual stereotypes-- most often surrounding a woman’s sexual appeal to men. Hence, they cease to be embodiments of female power and become many varieties of a male fantasy.
One way this happens is through the female action star’s placement in highly patriarchal, (male- dominated,) worlds and situations. Once there, they uphold everything that is patriarchal rather than resisting it. Another way in which these action- star actresses become pure male fantasies is through the blatant sexualization of their often- perfect bodies. The camera captures them constantly conquering the men who share the screen with them while also devoting as much time-- for the benefit of the men watching them do all this-- to the display of their bodies in various states of undress.
Perfect examples of action- actresses turned male fantasy can be found in the movies Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Charlie’s Angels, and The Matrix, as well as their respective sequels.
In the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is-- without a doubt-- the ultimate male fantasy; she is culturally refined, has boundless riches, is physically powerful beyond reckoning, and she owns the finest combat technology known to mankind. Besides being blessed with these endowments of the material world, Lara Croft is also greatly blessed with spectacular physical endowments-- and the camera knows this. Throughout the movie, the camera takes every opportunity to feature her breasts, buttocks, thighs, and crotch in a shot. To add to the heavy sexualization of her body, Lara’s fights are profoundly erotisized. For example, some of her smaller weapons rest in a holster that is strapped to her naked thigh; she reloads her guns by pressing them against her buttocks. Not only are Lara’s body and lifestyle made to suite the tastes of her male admirers, but so are her emotions. It is seen throughout the movie that Lara has no deep emotion for anybody or anything except her father, while she does not seem to think of the fact that she must have had a second parent-- a mother.
Lara Croft does not represent female empowerment and domination; she represents a “patriarchal containment of female power,” because her character and actions are geared to appeal to a man’s idea of what an empowered woman is.
Another movie in which female domination is shaped to fit a man’s tastes is Charlie’s Angels. The film is clearly meant to display a paramount of female competence; the three members of Charlie’s elite fighting squad are experts at hand-to-hand combat, using all the latest technology, trickery, and would give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. Surely they are a force to be reckoned with and would strike fear in to their foes’ hearts in any situation. Perhaps. Viewers of the film may never know, for the elite threesome are made less threatening by the fact that-- off the job-- they are just like any other silly young woman. What also tempers their fearsome abilities is the constant attention given to their fabulous bodies. Even though they are masters of deduction and superior fighters, they very consciously rely on their sexual power over men to get what they want in every venture. Throughout their endeavors the Angels don several sensual disguises that come close to fulfilling every imaginable male fantasy: belly dancers, geishas, evening society arm- candy, the leather- clad dominatrix, and the blondes in dirdls. The Angels also fit into the patriarchal fold because-- though they seem unstoppable and highly independent-- they owe their livelihood and are unquestionably loyal and devoted to their benefactor Charlie.
Despite this film’s different genre and refreshing lack of overexposed bodies, The Matrix must fall into the same category as the previous two films due to the purpose of the central woman’s character. The main female character of The Matrix is Trinity, who is both an admirable embodiment of female power, and an elaborate male fantasy. She has authority and dignity in a world without gendered hierarchies. In her favor, she is second in command of her ship, is physically equal or superior to men while in the Matrix, is superior to her male counterpart-- Neo-- in her knowledge of the Matrix, and Neo trusts himself to Trinity’s guidance. The opposite side to Trinity’s stalwart character is the fact that she is also portrayed as sexy, and slightly subservient. While in the Matrix, Trinity’s attire resembles that of a dominatrix, though she never plays into the role of one. She also fits very well into a patriarchal world because of her mission, and later her sole purpose: to protect and love Neo. By fulfilling her mission, Trinity signifies the perfect female partner as she takes the ‘stand by your man,’ path.
Though today’s cinema to presents us with action movies that seem to glorify the power of women over men, they fail miserably and instead present us with the only role a woman has ever played: an accessory to men.