Poll: Is there sexism in Hollywood?

[iseko]

If you don't want to be viewed as a dumb sex object I suggest you don't don't play the role of one.

This is more about insensitivity in Hollywood in general, but this is one of the reasons that I like Peter Dinklage. If they're going to portray him as comic relief just for being a dwarf then he doesn't do the job. Even before he became a big deal and could afford to refuse roles he was doing it. It's surprising how few actors have that level of integrity.

Thank you! Finally someone who gets it. And yes I know that few actors have that much integrity. But that is again the point I'm trying to make. If women throw their beliefs out the window for a stack of cash. Then why be mad at the men who pay them? Be mad at the women. Or optionally both, whatever. I'll take what I can get .

 

[DefiantGoblin]

The question is in the title. Do you think Hollywood potrays women in a good or bad light?

Bad, usually... not always though. Still, if I had to vote it would be bad. Women are still exploited for reasons other then talent.

This is the reason why actors like Megan Fox exist, they can't act, but they are decent eye candy, SIGN HER UP! Angelina Jolie is actually a good actor, but look at the roles she's always assigned. Obviously the Actor has some degree of choice (especially at her status), but I hardly ever see her in roles without deliberate titillation.

Where are the Morgan Freemans or Tommy Lee Jones of Female actors? It's like elderly women disappear off of the world in cinema. We have a few, here and there, but they never get such roles as the ones I just mentioned, nor do they garner such public affection. We have some very talented female actors in this generation that match and surpass their male counterparts... but the roles aren't there to launch them into the Public Eye without the sexual garbage to weigh down their appeal.

Even in straight up action roles, they are exploited for reasons beyond choreography or acting prowess. The only action film I have seen recently that didn't do this (at least not overtly) was Haywire, where the lead played a badass super agent akin to Liam Neeson in Taken.

There are plenty of older female leads in big, successful films. Just look at Meryll Streep (The Iron Lady) and Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen. Both were the title role in critically acclaimed, award winning films and were also awarded for their performance.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

Complaining that Hollywood blockbusters, and the clear majority of complaints that will be leveled will indeed be leveled against these empty-headed spectacles of entertainment, which are both cynically and clinically designed from the foundations up to appeal to the predominately male demographic that can be relied upon to line up on demand for their bread and circuses is more than a bit like complaining that there isn't nearly enough cunnilingus preformed on female genitalia in pornography that is both cynically and clinically designed from the foundations up to appeal to much the same predominately male audience.

They're not buying these products for gainful education on how to become better human beings, far from it, all they really want is gratuitous escapism from the banalities of existence.

So complain all you like, and this being the internet you or someone very much like you shall and will, short of passing law or a seismic shift in the most lucrative section of the movie-going public, nothing will change. At this stage I would say that as the lowest common denominator shrinks further and further out of view into the annals of history, these blockbusters will also soon shuffle slowly into oblivion. Much like most of western civilization really when I think about it.

Wheeee!

 

[Hazy992]

If you expect it to take that long. I just await a certain someone who will ***** about the hyper masculinity and how everything mainstream is sexist and how we're held in scant regard because we don't know about obscure bullet hell games.

Too late buddy, it's already happened. Sorry bro

 

[Matthew Kjonaas]

It always depend on the movie of one movie a women could be submissive to a male character or is made to look stupid and for another they could be strong and independent. I think it may be a little sexist for certain types of movies but not for all.

 

[TheFederation]

it depends on your perspective. like in Terminator 2, you could say it's good for woman, because sarah connor is a physcially fit bad-ass who manages to escape from the hospital by herself and can take care of herself. but you could also say it's bad for woman because the saving grace of the future is her son, and not her.
it just depends on how you view things

 

[Lionsfan]

But my point is: you can't make a movie where women are treated like sex objects, if there are no women in them. Women should not be complaining to men that they are pigs. They should be mad at the women that make it possible.

And it just happens to be a coincidence that the writers and directors and producers just happen to be overwhelmingly male, and that films are generally made towards a male audience?

What about romantic comedies? Those aren't marketed towards men, yet they always do fairly well money wise. I think there's definitely sexism in Hollywood, but you can't blame it all on men. Women share an equal part for putting themselves in these situations.

 

[Don Savik]

Eh.....I think Hollywood is demeaning to everyone, and equally encouraging to everyone. Like said before, actresses aren't forced at gunpoint into acting roles. They are equally as responsible for the portrayal of women. Its all fair game really, and just think about all your favorite movies....have any of them really been THAT sexist? I mean really? I don't think its that big of an issue.

 

[randomsix]

For some reason, it seems that hollywood thinks that women don't actually have the capacity to make good decisions or do anything other than wail and scream when anything happens near them. It's actually disheartening when you have an otherwise intelligent character just make the most stupid decisions. A notable aversion of this trope is the Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle.

 

[Sexy Devil]

Thank you! Finally someone who gets it. And yes I know that few actors have that much integrity. But that is again the point I'm trying to make. If women throw their beliefs out the window for a stack of cash. Then why be mad at the men who pay them? Be mad at the women. Or optionally both, whatever. I'll take what I can get .

Yeah, the writers are definitely asses for trying to put it in in the first place. But the actresses who enable their crap are just as bad; they know it's bad but they do it anyway.

 

[Yopaz]

the thing is...because they target everone including the "lowest common denominator" there are tons of bad cliches, double standards and mind numbing stupidity

not just for women but for everyone

This was exactly what I was thinking. They aren't sexist. They just don't know how to portray actually character and usually settle with portraying stereotypes.

 

[SidheKnight]

the thing is...because they target everone including the "lowest common denominator" there are tons of bad cliches, double standards and mind numbing stupidity

not just for women but for everyone

So true.

 

[Imthatguy]

Yes; there are far more Male protagonists and a Female protagonists are always pining for a male in movies..... Sexist

However a silent majority of women (as well as a vocal minority that things like Cosmo represent) are what cause this sexism by not insisting that men and women usually think along the same patterns and aren't really all that different.

 

[hermes]

Yes, but to blame them would be simplistic. As long as there are a public that relates to the Cinderella story and loves zappy movies, there will be romantic comedies starred by Jenifer Lopez and Julia Roberts.

Hollywood is an entertainment business and, as such, it specializes in making the kind of movies people want to see. Its not about having stereotypes, but having people to respond to such stereotypes.

People seem to imply the problem originates in Hollywood, when its the other way around. Because Sex and the City and Grown Ups made over 300 million, there are more sex stereotypes, fart jokes and sequels. Because teenagers were drooling over Black Widow spandex, there are shots dedicated to her ass as if it was another avenger (and I can't really think of a good reason to have her there)...

 

[Thaluikhain]

People seem to imply the problem originates in Hollywood, when its the other way around. Because Sex and the City and Grown Ups made over 300 million, there are more sex stereotypes, fart jokes and sequels. Because teenagers were drooling over Black Widow spandex, there are shots dedicated to her ass as if it was another avenger (and I can't really think of a good reason to have her there)...

That's true, at least up to a point. Hollywood types are supposed to follow the money (though there's lots of complaints of them all being sure they know where the money is and ignoring any evidence they might be wrong), but then again, how much does popular culture shape society at large?

To oversimplify, you make one successful film about something, suddenly that thing is cool and everyone tries (and usually fails) to make identical copies. Imagine if Twilight was about decent female characters, half of everyone would be writing strong female leads and the otehr half would be complaining that strong female leads ruins the vampire mythology.

However a silent majority of women (as well as a vocal minority that things like Cosmo represent) are what cause this sexism by not insisting that men and women usually think along the same patterns and aren't really all that different.

So, men are insisting, and/or their insistence carries no weight?

 

[BRex21]

Well, if you didn't already think so. A quick romp through TV Tropes shows a very clear "yes".

I could go into a very long explanation of this sort of thing, which I have done far too many times before. But instead of making a wall of text full of explanations and examples nobody will read again, and when I'm feeling too tired to do it, to boot. I think this video right here says a lot for me.
How many movies pass the "Bechdel Test"? That alone says a lot about the gender situation in Hollywood.

This is more an indication that if you take a biased premise you get a biased answer. Of course Hollywood buddy pictures aimed towards men wont prominently feature women, just as you don't typically see more than one good male character in romantic comedies geared towards women.
The "Bechdel test" does not prove that womens stories aren't being told but rather that not all stories prominently feature women.
So why DO all stories need to prominently feature women?

 

[Thaluikhain]

The "Bechdel test" does not prove that womens stories aren't being told but rather that not all stories prominently feature women.
So why DO all stories need to prominently feature women?

All? Who said "all"?

People have pointed out that most do not, that is not to say they are demanding that all do.

 

[Daveman]

Well, if you didn't already think so. A quick romp through TV Tropes shows a very clear "yes".

I could go into a very long explanation of this sort of thing, which I have done far too many times before. But instead of making a wall of text full of explanations and examples nobody will read again, and when I'm feeling too tired to do it, to boot. I think this video right here says a lot for me.
How many movies pass the "Bechdel Test"? That alone says a lot about the gender situation in Hollywood.

So many of those are justifiable though. I mean Reservoir Dogs not having any women in it is hardly surprising, not to mention the Shawshank redemption. Plus you can hardly blame the Lord of the Rings movies for not having many female characters, because that's just sticking with the plot of the book. I mean admittedly it is a decent test, like with Pirates of the Caribbean which I only just realised, but sometimes it really needs to take plot into context here.

 

[Warlordnipple]

Honestly the Bechdel Test is really only applicable to contemporary movies not about war that are also set in contemporary times. Why in the hell would Lord of the Rings have any female characters in it at all really? It is supposed to be a modern Epic Greek Poem a la The Illiad. In History women have not been very present in war, and the stuff they actually did do during wars would be incredibly sexist if shown since whores generally followed around troops wherever they went. I am horribly sorry that women can't get drafted and aren't usually as physically strong as men and have only really been able to do much of anything worth noting that isn't sexist for about the last 50 years but honestly the Hollywood that tries to appeal to smart men generally makes films that are way beyond sexism. To show sexism you would need to get rid of the historical bias which when movies are set in the future or today will generally have pretty strong female leads. Here is a list that meet her criteria that were set in contemporary or future times - Alien (series), Ferris Bueler's Day Off, American Beauty, American Psycho, Clue, Million Dollar Baby.

Yea it sucks that men like movies that are historical or have wars which will have almost completely male casts. While many women like any movies that would not have at least a few men in there. Hollywood is a service-business, it makes movies to make people happy, if people are not happy it loses money. Movies being sexist would only be a reflection of society as a whole being sexist, and as horrible as this sounds that is never going to change. There will always be some sexism, right now I would say there is to much and it is in the wrong places, the sad fact is men and women are different. We are physically and psychologically different so even if society gives us no stereotypes to build off of people will still realize that there are clearly differences.