The evolution of leading ladies in the films we have watched is incredible.
Charlotte Vale shows a women troubled by her self-image and how others see her, and reclaims herself with a maternal bond between herself and Tina.
Dorothy Shaw and Lorelei Lee show women claiming their bodies and their sexuality, while at the same time making themselves less intimidating to the male characters.
The transition to Sarah Connor in Terminator shows a strong and independent women, one that requires a hyper-masculine male to play opposite her. Her lack of surface maternal feeling forces John to seek affection elsewhere, while Sarah still cares deeply for her son.
Probably the most fascinating (and dynamic) leading lady is Esther in A Star Is Born. Her character is thrusted into stardom, only after her male counterpart notices her. In this way, she is dependent on a man to truly realize her success - and is thus defined by her interaction with men. Esther knew this for herself, she just needed someone (a man) to reassure her.
Meanwhile, Norman places a tremendous amount of importance on how she performs (her voice and her looks) and ignores the unconditional love she has for him. Esther continues to be contained and controlled by men, only truly being set free by Norman's death. We see her as a smart and successful women, yet is manipulated by misogynistic undertones.
It is really interesting to look back at these films and the various and differing ways the leading women are portrayed. One of the things that annoyed me about the film A Star Is Born is how dependent Esther’s character is on men in general. I agree with you that she is shown as relying on men in order to have reassurance of her talent, in order to actually be successful, and in order to have any confidence. Although she is very talented, her talent is downplayed by the fact that she does not have any success without the help from Norman.
ReplyDeleteToday, I think films continue this trend of depicting dependent women who are defined by and rely on a man in order to be successful and happy. There definitely are more films recently where women are shown as strong characters (i.e. The Hunger Games), but men continue to play a large part in the happiness of lead female characters.