Most movies seem to be populated by a host of stereotypes—the princess/damsel in distress, the jerk with a heart of gold, the nerdy girl who magically becomes pretty post-makeover, the harsh but inspiring coach—who drive the movie towards a safe and predictable conclusion. “Chick flicks” are generally given the worst rap for this, specifically for their portrayal of female characters. The women tend to be portrayed either as shrewish, inhibited, cold characters (see Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up or The Ugly Truth) or needy, sad, inhibited characters. No matter what the problem, there is only one cure: a man.


Even the genres outside of the cookie cutter chick flick world tend to feature one-dimensional female characters. Action movies are an excellent example. The most important feature of each of these women is the men they stand by, closely followed by some sort of leather cat suit. What interests me are the films that take these conventions and turn them upside down. Beatrix Kiddo in Kill BIll is an excellent example of this. She is ostensibly defined by her feminine roles: for Vol. I she is referred to only as the “The Bride” and her primary concern is her daughter. Despite this, it is difficult to see her as feminine. She is referred to as a “natural born killer” and is never overtly sexualized despite numerous references to her beauty. Even the sexiness of the requisite leather cat suit is somewhat nullified by it being constantly soaked in blood (also Tarantino spares us the S&M undertones and the strategically shredded tops). It is difficult to see this violent, vengeful woman as anything that is traditionally feminine.

Though Beatrix’s mission is focused on Bill, her former love interest, she ultimately defeats him. Additionally, throughout the film, the audience is constantly reminded of how heartbroken Bill is. Before Bill’s brother buries Beatrix alive, he says “This is for breaking my big brother’s heart,” and Bill himself admits that he attacked Beatrix out of jealousy, only to find that he had done the worst injury to himself. It is not Beatrix that needs Bill, but Bill that needs Beatrix. She fulfills the role of the "wronged woman" in a way that makes it completely unstereotypical, and is a strong character in her own right.

Compared to the typical female action hero, such as Trinity from the Matrix or Silk Specter from Watchmen, the importance of her role is not dependent on furthering the importance of her love interest. Trinity, though clearly a strong, powerful fighter, is ultimately most important as the character that allows Neo to fulfill his potential. Similarly, Silk Specter is mostly important for her ability to inspire Night Owl and Doc Manhattan. When comparing Beatrix to these characters, the uniqueness of her role really stands out.

Even Disney has defied the stereotypes it has, to some extent, helped create. The 1998 animated film Mulan rejects the damsel-in-distress trope of movies such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White. Mulan rejects both this traditional role and the traditional standards of beauty set by her society. Mulan ultimately defies both what her society expects of her and what the audience expects of her. She takes up a distinctly male role as a soldier rather than concede to the wishes of her family and the matchmaker. Additionally, she is not the character who requires saving, but rather, her love interest. When the country and Mulan's "prince" are in danger, she saves both through her intelligence and skill with fighting. By going with her own instincts instead of conceding to the requirements of her society, she succeeds and also reverses the traditional gender roles.

Similarly, Belle in Beauty and the Beast defies many of the stereotypes set up by the earlier princesses. She is intellectual, independent, and rejects the handsome man who is revered in her town. Much like Mulan, she must save her prince, rather than him saving her. His life is completely dependent upon her love, since her ability to see past his appearance is the only thing that can save him.

Despite the bad wrap many of these movie genres acquire for their weak or overly sexualized depictions of women, there are movies that break this mold. These are just are few examples of strong female characters who are not placed in subtly inferior roles to their male counterparts. The reversal of gender roles emphasizes this strength, and allows women to be placed in the roles of protector and hero(ine).

It is interesting to note that many movies rely on violence to reverse these gender roles or to provide a moment of comedic relief. As entertaining (and girl power) as this can be, hopefully there will be a trend towards reversing these roles in more subtle ways.