Women and the Oscars

I read this great article in the Huffington Post that reviewed women and the Oscars and wanted to share it with you all. It really made me think about how women are not well represented in the film industry.  Even the movie montage at the beginning of the Oscars represented how women play a subordinate role in the movie industry. The author of the article, Tara Sophia, says:

“Then came a stream of 25 clips showing male heroes talking to, leading or fighting other men. In the middle were a few women, one screaming in stress about her wedding, one screaming because she was being attacked and one screaming to fake an orgasm.”

And with that, the montage ended.”

"I'll have what she is having." Image from the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally after she jokingly fakes an orgasm to prove a point. Nora Ephron, Wellesley Alum '62, wrote this movie and many other popular films. Though it is a hilarious film, it is a strange clip to include in the movie montage.

I would really recommend you read the rest of the article for interesting insights into the entire Oscar process and how it relates to women! Though there are positive role models in the industry (like Meryl Streep!) we need to encourage that the women they play are also strong, positive role models.

It really makes me think about how society can be so effected by the images that we constantly see in society.  If ad campaigns that consist of just an image or a 30 second ad can influence us heuristically to buy a certain product or vote for a candidate, then think about the effects of a feature-length movie!  For many of us, movies can be inspirational and we can relate on a deep level with well-developed characters.  We see over and over again men being the main protagonists of movies, while women play a background role as romantic interests or someone for the man to save. The repetition of these images creates gender norms and schemas that are difficult to break once formed (I’m taking a social psych class which may be guiding my discussion here! haha). But anyways, if we want there to be a more positive view of women, the movie industry is going to need to make a change.

P.S. Do you think more women should be included on the Oscar board?  Do you think there is a need for a change in the way women characters are portrayed in movies in general?

Just as a another side-note, a film co-produced by a Wellesley Alum, Fazeelat Azlam ’07, won an Oscar this year!  Her movie follows a British-Pakistani plastic surgeon’s journey to Pakistan and his work with survivors of acid attacks there.