Female Strength in FIlm: Moving Beyond Stereotypes and ‘Soft Power’?
Strength has always been a personal locus of intrigue and, to some extent, confusion wrapped up in gender binaries with sayings like “you throw like a girl” and “that takes balls” being commonplace in our culture today. To many, ‘strength’ connotes power, resilience and courage; the absence of weakness. So, with the ongoing Olympics in mind, I venture to explore what specifically female strength truly means, revealing how it has become its own discipline, driven by representations of female protagonists within film.
While the Olympics demonstrates both physical strength in the same way for both men and women, current movements in politics have made me realise how deeply embedded in gender these notions are. Rachel Reeves in particular epitomises how when women rise up to power, and exhibit hegemonic notions of strength, they are chastised by our media and its users. So, how much of our political reality is influenced by representations within film media?
On X, formerly Twitter, users have taken recent opportunities to share their strikingly negative views of Rachel Reeves. Common words that circulate the platform include, “abrasive”, “serious”, “lacks passion”, with one user saying she is not the “type of woman” you want in your day-to-day life. Clearly, “there is something about Rachel that makes her unlikeable”, as another writes. While many would argue these comments refer to her politics, especially following the recent commotion around certain ‘black holes’, none of these tweets made any reference to her actions as Chancellor, purely commenting on her temperament. I can’t help but wonder if these comments are influenced more by her gender, and how society expects certain genders to perform, than her politics? Think back to September last year when Sir Gavin Williamson breached bullying and harassment policies in the House of Commons. At best, he was called upon by the media, and parliament, to apologise. At worst, his character was referred to as ‘not good enough’. So, are films and a lack of independent female protagonists within action genres the reason our society holds female politicians to a different standard than their male counterparts?
Having recently watched Guy Richie’s 2023 film ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’, I was particularly taken aback at the only female protagonist’s depiction of her strength, and her value for the plot, softened by her conformity to traditional notions of femininity. While her male counterparts display physical prowess, aggression and strategy, the strength of Marjoie Stewart (Eiza González) lies in her ability to network, and the particular use of her beauty. Despite her vital role, her contributions are ultimately overshadowed by the normalcy of male heroism. This trend is far from new, starkly reflected within the ‘James Bond’ franchise, and ‘Mission: Impossible’ alike, which subjugate gendered perceptions of strength into realms of common-sense culture. It is this acceptance of the ‘default male’ assumptions of power within films which seep into real-life presumptions of strength.
Take Jacinda Adern, for example, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. Celebrated globally for her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, Adern exhibited female strength at its finest. Yet, she too fell victim to the cultural norms of femininity, in conflict with her role in government. In the UK, she became known as a ‘soft power’ – a term coined by Eleanor Roy from the Guardian in 2020, evolved from her ‘compassionate’ and ‘empathetic’ leadership. While the term aims to be flattering, it limits the perception of her strength, framing it as secondary to more traditionally accepted forms of power. As such, women in power are subject to representational obstacles which inhibit being seen as strong or powerful in its entirety.
Ultimately, true strength comes from the ability to dethrone gender conventions, setting one’s own path for success no matter who they are. Films must evolve in their stagnant portrayal of female strength, recognising it as not only an extension of male heroism, but as a unique and multifaceted attribute in its own right. By doing so, cinema can more accurately reflect the diverse and profound ways in which women exhibit strength, both on and off screen.
