’Woke’ feminism plagues Hollywood
Strong female characters through the lens of woke feminism renders them infallible. Not a single flaw or weakness resides in them and they seem to be the embodiment of perfection since the day they escaped the womb. Subsequently, no character development is seen and the character is the same person from start to finish, no change in perceptions, ideologies, priorities — nothing.
They are a shell of a person fueled by the almost robotic need to fulfill their final goal within the narration of the story and their temperament often displays toxic masculinity. Apathy, aggression, arrogance, and using brute force in situations of conflict is their forte.
This is what I call ‘cheap empowerment’. Where there is a clear lack of a filmmaker’s intention to study their subject matter or to portray them as an equally complex individual to that of a normal person, and where their most distinctive character trait is that they are a female with astounding physical capabilities. In order to be representative and empower women, they simply showcase a woman who acts like a problematic man. No genuine explorations are made of the character’s internal struggles or perhaps the problems they face living in a male dominated world and therefore no overcoming of those problems are shown either, neglecting an essential element of crafting characters — character development.
Such presentations deliver the message that in order to be a strong woman, you merely have to be born gifted or perfect, where one aspect of such perfection is to display toxic masculinity. We ‘empower’ girls by telling them to act like men. Oh, the irony.
A great example of this is the 2020 live action adaptation of Mulan, simply a great disappointment through its failed attempts of empowerment as well as their failed exploration of Chinese culture. It is even greater of a disappointment when compared with the 1998 animated version of Mulan, one of the few films that did female empowerment right. The great difference between the two films is that in Mulan 2020, Mulan does not face the same struggles as the 1998 animated film, or any significant struggles for that matter.
She is powerful from the beginning, showing exceptional talent and skill at fighting, utterly outperforming all her male comrades with little to no effort. She is perfection herself, does not showcase struggles of lacking in physical capabilities as a woman, and does not show how she overcomes her weaknesses (as she doesn’t have them).
Mulan 1998 uses her wit to combat her being weaker than her comrades in scenes like where she climbed the pole or shot the rocket at the cliff, creating an avalanche and thus achieving victory. As we see her being a strong character through her wit, she doesn’t lose her personality to fulfill the stone-cold personality trope that most ‘strong female characters’ are bound to.
Even the minute details showcase the stark difference in the portrayal of empowerment between the two films. Mulan 1998 saves the emperor and China bows down to her, symbolic of how the shackles of patriarchy that once undermined her is now broken, providing the message that a woman can be as valuable and capable as a man, where a patriarchal society bows down to her grace. In comparison, in the 2020 live action adaptation, she bows down to the emperor, the patriarch symbol. In Mulan 2020, empowerment is not shown through a complex female character or rich character development or overcoming an obstacle.
She even loses any personality (clumsy, witty, funny, empathetic e.t.c.) that defined her character in Mulan 1998 to provide a stoic and calm Mulan (again, masculine traits = strength).
The same is done for the 2019 Marvel movie “Captain Marvel”, resulting in her being the most hated character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Modern day representation of strong female characters attempt to erase traits of femininity in fear that the character will be seen as weak. Subsequently, these strong female characters are often depicted as lacking any form of emotions, showing how in attempts to empower women, filmmakers repeat the cycle of abuse that men go through to ‘man up’, but now onto women.
In contrast to such toxic portrayals of strength, Mulan 1998 embraces femininity, showcasing the harmony hence equality of femininity and masculinity. This is portrayed in the scene where Mulan’s fellow comrades cross dress as women to infiltrate the palace to save the emperor who is held hostage, showcasing Mulan’s wits and taking advantage of the patriarchy’s perception that femininity is weakness. This symbolic embracing is also seen in the final battle between Mulan and Shan Yu. Despite Shan Yu’s greater physical strength, Mulan with her wits and a paper fan (that has connotations of femininity) defeats Shan Yu. The symbolism here is undeniably powerful, addressing the strength and power that femininity holds rather than shunning it away. This is what marks the difference between the two movies despite the similar storyline. (Credit to the video “A case of Failed Empowerment” By Accented Cinema on YouTube)
Cheap empowerment is also seen not simply through solely ‘strong female characters’ but where empowerment is solely achieved through a female dominated cast or cliché fight scenes where all the female characters join forces for a ‘girl boss’ moment. The DC movie ‘Birds of Prey’, a solo movie following Harley Queen’s journey after her break up with The Joker showcases an all female cast of protagonists and an all male cast of antagonists. Although the story manages to explore some ways in which the characters are oppressed through the patriarchy, it is done cheaply and adding little to no value except for the slap in the face ‘empowerment’ by the fact that the story is about women helping each other and busting men’s ass.
The failure to understand that strength does not only mean physical ability is one that many filmmakers suffer from. There is a growing need for acknowledgment that strength consists also of emotional intelligence, problem solving, leadership and other plethora of qualities. It is important that these ‘strong female characters’ are not limited solely to physical strength. Strong female characters should be strong characters that happen to be women, not strong women who’s only character trait revolves around strength.
