Feminist Movies

Common Themes

Patriarchy is Evil

Generally these movies have some element of Patriarchy, a system designed by men for the subjugation of women. This can be seen as a military training leader telling a woman she can't be good enough or a politician demeaning a female character.

Most notably the Suffragettes movie.

Double Standards Benefit Women

If a man does something bad to a woman, it's proof of sexism and any number of bigotry. He's automatically evil. If a woman does the same thing to a man, she's regarded a hero, she is cheered for... or at the very least, it is easily dismissed.

For example, if a man forces himself to have sex with a woman (without consent), it is regarded as the worst thing a man can do. However, in the movie 40 Days and 40 Nights, a male character chained himself to a bed so he wouldn't have any way to have sex (which included masturbation), his ex-girlfriend manages to have sex with him while he is sleeping. Given how our culture (except the Men's Movement) doesn't consider "forced to penetrate" as actual rape, it makes sense why no Feminists has ever criticized this scene.

Another example is the movie My Super Ex-Girlfriend, that had a man done everything G-Girl had done, he'd be seen as the worst man ever.

Weak Males Make Strong Females

Very often in films, in order for a female to stand out in the film, all the other male characters automatically have to be weak, whether in actual strength or in intelligence. Only women can solve the problem of the story and no one can do what she can do.

In the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, Chris Hemsworth character (gender flip of Jeanine from original) was impossibly stupid. This was likely done to make the female ghostbusters standout more, but to show how much more evil the Big Bad Male was when the actor started to act smart.

Men Are Expendable

While this has been true in the entire film history, this is more true in Feminist movies. Rarely do female characters die, and if they do, it's important to all the characters. Most often when a man dies, it is often needless, and rarely does anyone reflect on it, unless they are very critical to the plot, such as Tony Stark in the MCU, a whole scene is dedicated to his funeral.

This also addresses that women automatically have the audience sympathy whereas male characters must work for empathy. Generally women are only hated by audience if they are against another female character or kills off a sympathetic male that has earned empathy, but said female character can be redeemed quickly.

Female Abusers are Justified

This is a trope that has always existed in film history. If a woman does something violent, it's because events have caused her to be violent. However, no matter what reason a man has (even if defending himself), a man who abuses a woman is automatically evil. This is true to life.

This can also be played that women are automatically innocent, or need to be handled gently. Such as V for Vendetta, the one woman V kills, he shows her grace and dignity that was not shown to anyone else, even though she was the scientist of the experiment.

Perhaps the most common act is a woman slapping a man.

This includes rape. A woman who rapes a male is not actually a rapist, because either

• Rape can only be done by the powerful against the weak (Men against women)
• Rape requires penetration, and thus women have no penetrating genital (though men can still be rapists for use of tongue, fingers, or other objects used for penetration)

This reasoning is bullshit is so many ways, which extends that male on male rape is not taken seriously, and forced to penetrate is not taken seriously. Moreover, a woman raping a woman (or a girl) is also not taken seriously. It simply comes down to, Men can't be victims, women can't be perpetrators.

Males Are Flat, Females Are Round

Regarding how men change throughout the story, females are more likely to change throughout a story and males are not. If a male does have any character development, it's generally saved for the ending and often as an embarrassment that he was wrong about everything. If a male character is allowed to be round, it's only done to bolster female characters.

All Males Are Pervs, No Woman is a Slut

A man who wants sex automatically makes him a pervert, despite of course that most humans desire sex. However, if a girl desires sex, she is seen as being pure in her desire. If a man has lots of sex, he's seen as a player. If a woman has lots of sex, she is seen as being empowered.