Everyone wants to empower women but few want to ask the question, what exactly are we empowering women to do?
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Ever since Hollywood’s sex for fame scheme was exposed to the mainstream masses in the light of the Harvey Weinstein case, Hollywood has taken a radical position that men are the problem and women need to be empowered. The same people who created the toxic environment that they are actively trying to combat are now in charge of changing the dynamic of men and women everywhere.
It is one thing to empower young girls, it’s another thing to lead them astray. The release of the feminist retelling of Hansel & Gretel ironically entitled Gretel & Hansel was met with poor reviews and very little box office interest. Despite that, there was a push to praise the film for its feminist coming of age storytelling. In the film, The evil witch is shown to be a maternal figure for the young Gretel. At one point, she even goes as far as to tell her that she alone has the power to shape her future. However, in order to keep this “power” intact, she must let go of her younger brother who will only hold her back from her potential, she must give up on her family.
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Now, one could write this off as a villainous message from a villainous character, but the context of the message becomes more concerning when you realize that the writer, as well as the reviewer, do not see this deeply disturbing messaging as just that. In the film, Gretel is not only the older sister to her young brother but a parental figure as they are but abandoned by their mother. Gretel is not only told to give up on her brother to further her own potential but metaphorically give up on her child. This is something the “maternal” figure of the satanic witch Holda not only did herself but took it a step further by murdering her own children who according to her, made her miserable by holding her back…this is who our protagonist is learning life lessons from.
One could not help but look back at the recent Golden Globes speech of one Michelle Williams, an actress who was praised for her decision to get an abortion which led to her being able to continue her dream as an actress and win her golden award.
“I’ve tried my very best to live a life of my own making and not just the series of events that happen to you but one that I can stand back and look at and recognize my handwriting all over, sometimes messy and scrawling, sometimes careful and precise, but one that I have carved with my own hand and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without employing a woman’s right to choose,” Williams said in her speech.
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In the world of intersectional feminism, which has become a celebrated doctrine in Hollywood, anyone who prevents a woman from doing what she wants is considered a burden to her potential, even if that person is their child. When female empowerment is taught by the gatekeepers of the progressive left, it becomes a message that tells women that men are their oppressors and putting others ahead of yourself is wrong. The message becomes inherently anti-family, anti-mother and it is celebrated.
If culture is downstream of politics, then what is the endgame of convincing a generation of young girls that love and family are virulent to personal satisfaction? Are we empowering women to be independent or leading them to the same life of misery and unhappiness shared by their “teachers”?
4 responses to “What The Message Of Female Empowerment Is Actually Telling Women”
Anonymous
I find Michelle Williams to be a sick human being.The fact that both Salma Hayek and Tiffany Haddish applauded that sick and twisted speech also probably tanked they’re movie Like A Boss as well.
Not to get too “meta”, but IMO the real underlying “message” of movie empowerment of women at the moment is “I’ll green light whatever movie you want to direct / star in / write if you please just don’t accuse me of sexual harassment/rape.”
The Hollywood “casting couch” was obviously still in general operation right up until the Harvey Wienstein blew up and combined with the “No, women can’t be President” Clinton debacle has resulted in a number of vanity movies by the Hollywood powers that be in order to get the avenging harridans off their backs. This has resulted in 3rd string writers and hack directors pumping out feminist “message” movies where the messages are sophomoric and the movies unattractive and predicable.
It’s particularly amusing that they are cutting out “the male gaze” which is film studies jargon for “stuff men like”. So when the movie fails at the box office, the reason, of course, is the audience is sexist.
I find that the movies that do not think about “empowerment” to have genuine empowerment as opposed to fake propaganda that is slathered onto a pedestal of intentional design. Ripley from the Alien series (1 and 2 at least) is a fine example. Initially you aren’t really aware of who the main character is but eventually you find out that it’s Ripley. The communication and relationship dynamics in the film also feel real and believable.
The focusing of some arbitrary message only subverts the actual story and if anything it merely gets in the way. Rather then telling a good story with good character development you just have a generic character who is good at everything and overcomes all obstacles with ease while proving everyone else to be lesser. Disney Star Wars in a nutshell.
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