(no subject)
On the ever-growing list of Shit That Annoys Xi:
This whole hot chick/tough girl thing that's been in vogue for a few years now. And what really annoys me is that so many women seem to think this is so great for the female image in Hollywood. This is why it annoys me: Nearly every woman you see who is in some kind of kick-ass role has a skinny little "perfect" (which is a very relative term) body. And she's beating the hell out of grown men. I'm sorry, but a 120lb, 5'10" woman barely has the strength to carry her own frail weight, let alone kick the shit out of a grown man. And they're always dressed in these ridiculous tight outfits that look fantastic, sure, but aren't very practical for the purposes of ass-kicking. Rarely do you see a woman who has enough meat on her bones to at least sustain regular menstruation in the movies, unless she's either a curvy vixen or she's the plain-Jane of the production. The character of Zoe in Firefly was one of the few I've seen who actually looks like she can take care of business if she needs to. The scene in Serenity with the teeny waif River kicking ass in the pub? Give me a fucking break. She's beautiful and as a dancer I'm sure she's stunning. But I could push her over with one finger. Zoe, on the other hand, would kill me. And I'd die happy. I despise watching some bone-thin girl with her tiny tits pushed up as far as they can get them with a push-up bra, wearing skin-tight latex or leather, doing a fight scene. It's just preposterous. For example...
She looks fantastic, but she couldn't kick my ass in my sleep.
What this tells me is that we still have a long way to go. In my opinion, Hollywood is now telling us, "You can be a tough, kickass woman, but you still have to wear a size four while you're doing it." I know, I know, it's entertainment, it's fantasy, it's what Hollywood has always done because this is what people like to see. But it is NOT an advancement for women. It's still the same old crap, but with some ridiculous "GRRRL POWER!" theme. I commented to Kevin last night that I was so glad to see that they didn't sexy up Calamity Jane in "Deadwood". Every time I've seen her portrayed in film she's been this sassy, sexy woman. She was a hard drunk with a foul mouth and the actress on the series does an outstanding job with it. However, it would be nice to see more women who are not underweight, who look like they actually *could* hold their own in a brawl, who are also feminine. Is that really such an inconceivable notion? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the "Deadwood" series has done Calamity Jane right. I would just like to see more kickass roles for women played by, ya know, women.
We're still locked into our roles. If you really are strong and athletic, you're masculine or at best plain. If you're underweight and "perfect", you can play the part of a kickass woman, but only because that's "sexy". Where are the women who can do both? I swear to god, if I see one more skinny girl with perfect hair trying to work the hot tough chick line, I'm going to show her how a "fat girl" (by Hollywood's standards) with real muscle and strength kicks ass.
This whole hot chick/tough girl thing that's been in vogue for a few years now. And what really annoys me is that so many women seem to think this is so great for the female image in Hollywood. This is why it annoys me: Nearly every woman you see who is in some kind of kick-ass role has a skinny little "perfect" (which is a very relative term) body. And she's beating the hell out of grown men. I'm sorry, but a 120lb, 5'10" woman barely has the strength to carry her own frail weight, let alone kick the shit out of a grown man. And they're always dressed in these ridiculous tight outfits that look fantastic, sure, but aren't very practical for the purposes of ass-kicking. Rarely do you see a woman who has enough meat on her bones to at least sustain regular menstruation in the movies, unless she's either a curvy vixen or she's the plain-Jane of the production. The character of Zoe in Firefly was one of the few I've seen who actually looks like she can take care of business if she needs to. The scene in Serenity with the teeny waif River kicking ass in the pub? Give me a fucking break. She's beautiful and as a dancer I'm sure she's stunning. But I could push her over with one finger. Zoe, on the other hand, would kill me. And I'd die happy. I despise watching some bone-thin girl with her tiny tits pushed up as far as they can get them with a push-up bra, wearing skin-tight latex or leather, doing a fight scene. It's just preposterous. For example...
She looks fantastic, but she couldn't kick my ass in my sleep.
What this tells me is that we still have a long way to go. In my opinion, Hollywood is now telling us, "You can be a tough, kickass woman, but you still have to wear a size four while you're doing it." I know, I know, it's entertainment, it's fantasy, it's what Hollywood has always done because this is what people like to see. But it is NOT an advancement for women. It's still the same old crap, but with some ridiculous "GRRRL POWER!" theme. I commented to Kevin last night that I was so glad to see that they didn't sexy up Calamity Jane in "Deadwood". Every time I've seen her portrayed in film she's been this sassy, sexy woman. She was a hard drunk with a foul mouth and the actress on the series does an outstanding job with it. However, it would be nice to see more women who are not underweight, who look like they actually *could* hold their own in a brawl, who are also feminine. Is that really such an inconceivable notion? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the "Deadwood" series has done Calamity Jane right. I would just like to see more kickass roles for women played by, ya know, women.
We're still locked into our roles. If you really are strong and athletic, you're masculine or at best plain. If you're underweight and "perfect", you can play the part of a kickass woman, but only because that's "sexy". Where are the women who can do both? I swear to god, if I see one more skinny girl with perfect hair trying to work the hot tough chick line, I'm going to show her how a "fat girl" (by Hollywood's standards) with real muscle and strength kicks ass.