Went to the movies this weekend to see yet another lame, formulaic chick flick. Typically, trailers are the best part of my movie going experience, but I couldn’t help but be aggravated by this one.
Let’s recap:
Destitute, former Playboy bunny winds up taking over as house mother at a sorority for brainiac, outcast college women. Shelly is hired for the job because “Guys like her, and since guys don’t like us, I figured Shelly here could teach us how. ”
Natalie asks, “How can we be so smart, but everyone kind of thinks we’re losers.”
Shelly agrees to help turn Zeta Alpha Theta around, by making them over in her Bunny likeness with short skirts, high heels, make up, and lingerie. Post makeover, Natalie notes, “Now we can be the best version of ourselves.”
But of course, Shelly falls for a smart boy and the ZAT girls give her a make-under, to make her look like the smart girls he digs, including thick glasses.
Yes, we need ANOTHER movie that says girls need to look like sex kittens to land a man. The misfits of ZAT are unique and beautiful in their own way, but they fall in line with a waxed, plucked, and underdressed ideal that the media photoshops into existence on magazine covers month after month.
And why does every chick flick, Made of Honor included, have to be about landing a man? It’s as if landing an engagement ring is the only true judge of a female character’s success. Personal and professional goal posts don’t matter; Girl X needs to land a man.
In the real world, women are increasingly pushing back marriage and kids to get ahead in their careers and develop a sense of self before settling down, isn’t it about time that Hollywood followed suit and generated more strong female characters?
Update: Another random thought, tying in the make under. What is it with the perpetuation of women serving as a fantasy to get her man, versus the men being attracted to the authenticity of the character when being herself?
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Wow. I am speechless.
This is just…wow.
It reminds me of the reverse of “Legally Blond” where, even though she lands a man in the end, it is still a journey of self-actualization and discovering what she loves and what she is good at…plus, the man she ends up with in the end is in love with her for who she is.
Anyway, that aside, they must think we women are really dumb if we will just swallow this explicitly sexist garbage. “Oh, we are all really smart and high achievers but we can’t get boys! We are degenerate!!!”
The sad part is, a lot of girls my age and a bit younger do think like this. It’s really sad they have to have this sort of attitude reinforced by shallow media.
Finally, on why does every chick flick (or every movie for that matter) that might even have a female audience have to end with her landing the man? Well, I have no problem with movies including relationships or featuring relationships…but movies where the change the main character goes through is from single to committed are where the real problem lies–especially in children’s movies. Now, there is no denying that love and sex and so on are part of life, so they have a place in movies. But, when the happy ending (or every ending) is a marriage, engagement, or other passage into coupledom, there is a huge problem of what message girls and women are getting–all other goals are alright, but the REAL doozie is finding and keeping that man.
And what’s worse–it doesn’t even look that funny!!!
I thought this movie was sweet and FUNNY. In the end these girls DID go back to being themselves and realized that they did not need to fit in the ideal of what a “sexy” woman should look like.
As far as why does every leading lady need to land a man… it is a MOVIE… and a chick flick at that… just like in the fairy tails every princess needs her prince… it is make believe and any woman who is interested in watching a chick flick is entertained by that kind of a story line. Also, I don’t care if women are putting off marriage or not in the end someday we all want to be swept off our feet and to fall in love just like the movies! That is part of lie and I think it’s really one of the most important parts! Maybe people did start making this a priority divorce rates wouldn’t be as high! Of course careers are important but when it comes down to it and your working days are over what is left… your family and loved ones!
yet, since most women won’t see more than the trailer. . . it doesn’t matter much how the movie ends.
why can’t in movies women land a great job or great girlfriends, why do so many chick flicks focus on getting a man. There’s more to life than a boyfriend.
You’ll like the Marilyn Monroe quote : a career is wonderful thing, but you can’t snuggle up to it on a cold night.