The Cat, The Widow and The Mockingjay: The Plight of the Female Action Star

Whilst I am in no means the first person to say this, it is still something I believe that needs to be addressed. I truly hate the attitudes towards actresses in superhero or actions roles in today’s media. 

We are finally at a place where there are a plethora of strong female characters, not only starring but also leading action films. We have Katniss Everdeen, Selina Kyle, Black Widow, Evelyn Salt and Snow White; all strong characters in cast of men and showing they can kick just as hard as the boys. We see these characters pull off stunts that are, in most ways, far more impressive than those of their male counterparts. And in interviews when men are being asked about how they prepared mentally for their characters, and how their “Hulk is different from other Hulks”; women get:

“How do you fit into that costume?”

I shudder every time an interviewer asks this, and you can see the actress resent it. Why should Scarlet Johansson be asked about her figure when Tom Hiddleston is discussing the psychology of his character? Anne Hathaway was actually asked how much weight she had lost to fit into her Catwoman outfit! Not about the vocal work she did to lower her voice (Tom Hardy wasn’t the only one who had a vocal transformation. Yes, Hathaway’s wasn’t as prominent, but it’s hard work to lower your voice.) Another question Hathaway was asked was how did she run in her characters signature knife-blade heels, and if her role in "The Devil Wears Prada" helped at all? The only thing journalists seem to be interested in is the physicality of the actress. Not the strength, or psychology behind the exterior.

Another instance of this was the highly controversial discussion over Jennifer Lawrence’s weight in “The Hunger Games”. Now, the argument was that Jennifer Lawrence’s figure was too full to play someone who was supposed to be living in poverty. Now, I’m not going to discuss this argument but simply ask, why was nothing said about the weights of Josh Hutcherson, or Liam Hemsworth? Both of who added muscle to play their parts? 

 

Why is the media so obsessed with sexualising these characters and the actresses? Do they believe that this is what women want to read, or all that women care about? Because, even as a male viewer, I don’t care about how good these women look in skin tight lycra! I care about how they shaped a character mentally, and how they bring originality to roles. I care about the professional relationships with director and the fellow actors.

So, journalists and interviewers, please stop sexualising female stars, and start respecting them for the talented actresses that they are. Otherwise, what is the point of having strong female roles, if we are going to not treat them as equals?