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I in no way consider myself a film connoisseur,
but I have attempted to answer your questions.
What do you think women's stereotypical
roles in Hollywood are today?
Being beautiful and sexy seems the extent of
some women's roles. But of course there are increasingly
more options for women - such as Lovely and
Amazing,
which takes on the complexity of women's lives
and also movies like Fight Club, which challenge
typical male roles.
Do you think that the stereotypical
role of women has changed in films?
Progress has been made — women use to be
solely ornaments in movies or passive and pathetic.
Now they can sometimes be strong and even central
to the film not merely a prop to a man's story.
Are female actors on par with male actors
in leading Hollywood films?
No — salaries alone prove this.
Is there more independent female actress
today than in the past? Why do you think this
is?
Independent in role or in their actual lives?
Yes on both — but the story line still
focus primarily on a conventional trajectory.
What do you think that the male attitude
towards female actress in film is?
I think that women are held to lower standards — we
expect more from a male performance — but
that's also because male material tends to be
more challenging and thus rewarding to actor
and audiences alike.
Have female characters broken from there
stereotypical roles? Do they have to become
more masculine to break free of there stereotypical
feminine roles, and gain independence?
I think that the most respectful approach for
women is to present roles that are broader or
more realistic—women deserve the same range
that men have been afforded — tough, angry,
depressed, powerful, strong, weak.
You might try connecting with Jean Kilbourne
or Caryl Rivers — both have examined/assessed
the media from a woman's perspective — one
for images and the other more for content. Also,
Susan Douglas. And in my book — Manifesta:
Young Women, Feminism & the Future, there
is a chapter analyzing the media.
— Amy
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