The Representation of Women in Action Films

1897 Words4 Pages

Women have made progress in the film industry in terms of the type of role they play in action films, although they are still portrayed as sex objects. The beginning of “a new type of female character” (Hirschman, 1993, pg. 41-47) in the world of action films began in 1976 with Sigourney Weaver, who played the leading role in the blockbuster film ‘Aliens’ as Lt. Ellen Ripley. She was the captain of her own spaceship, plus she was the one who gave out all the orders. Until then, men had always been the ones giving the orders; to see a woman in that type of role was outlandish. This was an astonishing change for the American industry of film. Sometime later, in 1984, Linda Hamilton starred in ‘The Terminator’, a film where she was not the leading character, but a strong female character as Sarah Connor. She had a combination of masculine and feminine qualities as “an androgynous superwoman, resourceful, competent and courageous, while at the same time caring, sensitive and intuitive” (Hirschman, 1993, pg. 41-47). These changes made in action films for female’s roles stirred up a lot of excitement in the “Western society” (Starlet, 2007). The demand for strong female characters in action films grew to a new high when Angelina Jolie starred in ‘Tomb Raider’ in 2001 and then in the sequel, ‘Tomb Raider II: The Cradle of Life’ in 2003 as Lara Croft. Her strong female character was not only masculine, but was also portrayed as a sex object. Most often, strong women in these types of films tend to fight without even gaining a mark. At the end of each fight, her hair and makeup would always be perfect. The female characters in these action films, whether their role was as the lead character or a supporting character, had similar aspects. I...

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...he-myth-of-action-heroines-in-film-shattering-gender-stereotypes/
Maio K. (n.d.). Women in action films – extract. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/sgummer/women-in-action-films#
Mlawski S. (2008). Why strong female characters are bad for woman. Retrieved from: http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/08/18/why-strong-female-characters-are-bad-for-women/
Morreale, J. (1998). Xena: Warrior princess as feminist camp. Journal of Popular Culture, 32(2), page 79. Retrieved from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=64cd7df8-8ea3-4d9a-ad60-1deef7e616e6%40sessionmgr114&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=aph&AN=1585569
Starlet C. (2007). Women in action movie empowered role models or chicks with guns. Retrieved from: http://www.entertainmentscene360.com/index.php/women-in-action-movies-empowered-role-models-or-chicks-with-guns-2-32763/

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