Examples Of Stereotypes In Million Dollar Baby

Three major negative female stereotypes are presented in Million Dollar Baby. The first is the innocent girl next door, whom, “Like the ideal woman, seeks the protection of a strong man” and “tries her damndest to please him,” (Krupat). The narrator introduces Maggie as a struggling woman who “grew up knowing one thing: she was trash,” (Million Dollar Baby). She wears baggy clothing, her hair is a mess, and for dinner she eats the scraps she picks up from her job as a waitress. Her naiveté due to her lack of education and lack of knowledge of boxing throughout the film characterizes her as sweet and vulnerable as well. When she first tries to train with Frankie early in the film, she tells him that she’s been training for three years but Frankie tells her that it didn’t show. It

The second female representation presented in Million Dollar Baby is illustrated by Maggie’s mother, whom Maggie calls a “fat, lazy, hillbilly ass,” (Million Dollar Baby). Maggie’s mother is a selfish, sleazy, welfare cheat who shows no compassion for her daughter. When Maggie buys a house for her mother in an attempt to give her family a better life, Maggie’s mother gets furious because it could affect her welfare. She feels no remorse in telling Maggie that people around town thought Maggie was a joke for competing and when Maggie gets hurt, she is only concerned about getting Maggie’s money, which she illustrates by insensitively shoving a pen in Maggie’s mouth to get her to sign the papers. Maggie’s