The Mary Sue: 2017 was, in many ways, a standout year for women in film. Female protagonists dominated the box office and they did so in movies marketed specifically towards women, with films like Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, and Girls Trip. There were also plenty of critical and awards-season successes starring women, like Lady Bird and I, Tonya. But overall, the number of female leads in films last year was lower than in 2016, with women making up only 24% of sole protagonists (as opposed to an ensemble).
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Articles like these are extremely important to read in today’s world where the hype of an all-black cast or a live action Mulan can sweep all of the other injustices under the rug. I, like everybody else, thought it was a great year for women in movies but I guess now it wasn’t exactly true. The most interesting point this article makes is that within movies with a female director or writer, the percentage of relevant women roles skyrockets. I find this to be a very important ideology, as does the author, in saying that women behind the scenes is just as important, if not more so, than women on screen because they are the ones that can make the authentic movies with strong female roles and prevent stereotypes and other issues from leaking into the film. I also feel like this website does an excellent job of keeping up with the issues of women’s roles in the entertainment industry, which is great.
Articles like these are always the sort of harsh wake up call that while we have made improvements, there is still much more to do. I am very happy to see an increase in awareness of diversity and action towards change, but this article reminds me that, while small steps are good, we cannot stop fighting for equality until it actually happens and can be sustained. I think the film and theatre industry have had similar issues regarding gender equality and I would like to see both fields make similar strides towards a more equal industry. I would also like to see something like this talk about the women behind the scenes more, how design teams are comprised or what percentage of the crew is female. I would also like to see this type of article for other types of diversity to bring to attention the work we still have to do.
This is another one of those articles that I wish I was so shocked by the staggeringly low numbers, but I am not because the facts are so prevalent and so true. While this article does highlight some small improvements, such as the dramatic increase in female protagonists- which isn’t saying much considering protagonists are identified as any speaking role and even then it’s only 34%- it definitely emphasizes how much father we have to go into the industry to actually reach some form of parity and equality. I think it is interesting (and not at all surprising) that films directed by women are closer to reaching that line of gender equality. I am hoping as we see changes happen more and more with the call for female directors to be recognized, that the change will trickle down the line and also influence the presence of female design teams, female crew members, and female actors/ characters. It will be interesting to see how this will change and fluctuate over the upcoming years- hopefully for the better.
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