Over lockdown, I found myself in a Netflix Chick-Flick wormhole. Considering all the doom and gloom that was occurring, there’s nothing like a trashy film to get rid of the Corona blues festering within my mind. Some films I genuinely enjoyed due to their cringe-worthy dialogue and exaggerated expectations of romance, though many did not sit well with me. It was the implicitly misogynistic and harmful portrayals of women that made me realise how toxic many chick-flicks are.
First of all, let us consider the audience. Many range from U to 15, but even then, no matter the age rating, the films I have watched all have a hint of misogyny. The seemingly feel good, iconic film The Princess Diaries falls victim to this. The whole premise relies on the idea that Anne Hathaway’s character, Mia Thermopolis, is in need of a whole ‘makeover’ to fit the aesthetic of a princess.
At the start, the audience witnesses her frizzy hair, unruly eyebrows, braces stuck on her teeth, all finished off with a pair of spectacles. Suddenly, we see her transformation – sleek straight hair, contact lenses, makeup applied with pure precision. It is only after this transformation, people seem to start noticing and respecting her character – even before it is announced that she is of royalty. The idea that our looks are more important and noticeable than any feature of one’s personality is prominent here.
What is even more worrying, is that this film is marked as a U age rating, meaning that anyone of any age can watch it. Glasses and braces are extremely common features in girls of adolescence – being reminded that this is not conventionally attractive certainly can damage our view of what puberty looks like. The viewer is given a false impression of how a teenager should look and considering this is the targeted audience – films should be more responsible when it comes to their portrayal of female teenagers.
Another key issue found within chick-flicks is the topic of body image. An extremely memorable scene from Bridget Jones’ Diary is when Bridget Jones details the amount of weight she wants to lose – spewing a monologue filled with pure fatphobia. She brands herself ‘overweight’, but the character is detailed as only weighing between 125-130lbs. A character should not be defined by their incessant desire to lose weight, especially when they falsely brand themselves with fatphobic terms. Considering that 75% of eating disorders sufferers within the UK are women, it is no surprise that the media we consume has an impact on our perception of self-love and body image.
It is great that now in 2020, there are female activists who are pushing for more sexual liberation and a bigger voice for women who are sexually active. Sadly, this cannot be said for my most recent Netflix watch Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging. The ‘antagonist’ of the film is aptly named ‘Slaggy Linsday’. Why? All because she wears a thong and has sizable breasts. Slut-shaming culture has manifested itself to such an extent, that the audience are supposed to hate this character because of her choice of underwear. Whilst I am sure 13-year-old me was more focused on the looks of Aaron Johnson within this film, 20-year-old me was horrified when watching it back a few weeks ago.
With feminism allowing for a more open and detailed discussion about how women in the media are treated, let us hope this continues and changes the way we should see women within films.
Words by Madeleine Rose Strom