My two penneth
I think that Sci-Fi in the movies has always been seen as a foray into fantasy. For many years the ‘standard’ idea of the fantasy woman, was a gorgeous lass that the man could impress by showing his prowess by protecting her from the evil flesh eating nasties. And having done so, obviously she fell into his arms in wide eyed adoration (of course this can be seen in all genres of film, not just Sci-Fi).
In recent years there has been more of a movement towards the stronger woman lead. But is this entirely to do with the empowerment of women? I’d like to think so, but I’m not convinced. It is widely recognised that sex sells, and the biggest consumer in the Sci-Fi market is the adolescent male. Also society has changed in the last few decades, so that it is more accepted that men can be attracted to strong women. So it does beggar the question, is it just a combination of the Hollywood money machine still trying to titilate the consumer demographic whilst putting a venier of ‘girl power’ on it?
It is a cynical point of view, I admit. But I do feel that the entrenched Hollywood moguls are less forward thinking that we would like to believe.
I feel that to see women in more powerful (less exploitative/submissive) roles, you need to look at TV Sci-Fi. I think that the TV industry has a younger and more forward thinking group of producers. Series like Dark Angel, Bionic Woman, Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicals, et al still have ‘eye candy’ leads, but are more successful in portraying women in stronger roles than the vast majority of cinema releases.
I feel that this is more a reflection upon the conceptions of the corporate structures producing the films or series’ (and there desire to stick to the money making formula established over the years) than the thoughts and wants of the Sci-Fi fans.
Having said all that, I do still get warm and lesivious at the thought of Princess Leia in that gold bikini… Did I just make a mockery of all that intellectual moralistic stuff?