In the TV and film industry, there are various ways in which women are not seen or treated as equals. It can be as simple and commonly known as the lacking amount of pay a woman receives for a role, and as deep as it starting with the character in the script. Stereotypes and gender roles are everywhere, and are engrained in our minds by the media we consume. Take a moment to think about the long term amount of male dominant sexual themes in TV and film. It is seen as okay for a man to explore his sexual urges and fantasies. It is also okay to show a man pleasing himself and reaching climax, sometimes even showing the messy aftermath. But women? Forget about it. Unless satire, I don’t know of any movies where they are portraying a woman sensually. It wasn’t until recent years that I’ve seen female roles that get to indulge in their sexual desires. A few examples; “50 Shades of Grey” (although it portrays male dominance), and Netflix’s “365 Days” (also male dominated, and based on manipulation and abuse that turns into “love”, yikes). I believe the reason for this mostly ties back to stereotypes. Religion is also a factor at times, but that is a whole different side of the story for another day. A man and a woman can have the same “body count” and one would be a “god” while the other “used up” and dirty. Men that are sexual can be praised for it, while if women are sexual they are “slutty”. Unless women are being dirty on a man’s terms, of course. Then, it’s a hot, kinky medium and she’s a freak! I hope for a day where I can see more media where stereotypes are shattered. I understand that they will likely never be fully rid of, but I am looking forward to see the growth in each generation to come.
Unruly Bodies 
Hi, your blog post reminds me of so many issues within Hollywood and the movie industry. Especially with how racial stereotypes and tropes such as the spicy Latina are connected to that sexuality. It’s almost as if they aren’t allowed to express their sexuality without being exoticized. For women in general sexuality has to benefit the male lead and add to their stories. Sex in movies is rarely seen through the female gaze, and if it is it comes off as cheesey and pushing a feminist agenda. This is such a huge problem and I think it actually holds us back from progressing in any way.
This brings up a great point about the role of sensuality in gender politics; the idea of women enjoying sex is so tabboo, while they are simultaneously expected to engage in it in a satisfactory capacity at a man’s will. I agree it’s so hard to find examples where female pleasure is centric to the piece of media. Even in media about two women having an intimate relationship absent of a man on screen, so often the male gaze is hyper-present and it fails to truly empower the concept of a woman in sex, where sex is something she has agency in. There are also countless conversations about how to portray female sexuality without being exploitative, which is an important balance to think about.
Howdy,
You really got me thinking about why *I* never liked or understood random sex scenes in action movies. Especially now as an adult, and not a child averting my eyes, it really is just a matter of I never got to see an end where the woman is satisfied. She is tossed to the side like a used sock and the plot continues. It’s ALWAYS been about the objectification of women and making the male protagonist/lead more valuable to the audience. But when a female lead even *tries* to be sexual on her own terms, the movie is suddenly Not a Family Film and/or the lead is mercilessly attacked like you said. Irritates me to no end.
I agree that there are many stereotypes in media that affect woman. You hardly ever get to see a woman for who she truly is as a person it’s either she’s stereotypes or she’s hyper sexualize. You definitely see the stereotypes racially when it comes to different communities. This is something that has been seen for years in terms of gender, sexuality, and race that needs to be change so everyone can be represented properly as human beings and artists.
I agree that society has shaped a woman exploring their sexuality as being shameful. On the other hand a man exploring their sexuality is deemed as a “right of passage” into “manhood”. Conversations surrounding straight sex have also avoided being geared towards a woman’s pleasure and more towards a mans pleasure. There needs to be more education in what makes sex pleasurable for woman as the reality of sex is not what majority of movies portray.
Hi!
What a really unique concept, that I totally agree with. I really like how you brought up the films 50 Shades & 365 Days — because that is easily the “argument” that women are allowed to be sexually liberating, which is disgusting. Society’s idea of men as a “sex god” vs women as “slutty tramps” is insanely tied to the amount of space these bodies are allowed to take up. Men can have sex with whoever they want, whenever they want, and no one bats an eye. I could go on and on about this, so you really hit the nail on the head with this type of conversation. Well done!
I agree that the double standards of men and women are atrocious it irks me how the media portrays women as sluts if they openly are honest about who they sleep with or who they like, whereas men can do what they want with no backlash. It is crazy how it’s so generalized and people don’t even bat an eye anymore. I blame the patriarchy.
I agree that the great majority of films focus on male sexuality over female sexuality, and on top of that when male sexuality is present it adds to the character while for female sexuality it is a negative part of the character. It is important for sex to be portrayed in other ways than with a dominant male where male pleasure is prioritized because too many people see this as the only way to have sex. In films like the ones you mentioned, when female sexuality is more accepted, it still only portrays a dominant male and even seems to normalize abusive relationships and sexual violence.
Your post got me thinking about Laura Mulvey’s “Male Gaze” theory, where women are objectified solely for the heterosexual male’s pleasure or to further their agenda. This is extremely common theme in films and tv shows, where female characters are never fleshed out or given sophisticated back stories because she must be inferior to the male lead. Likewise, female characters will always be the catalyst to the male’s rage. To clarify, it will never be the male’s fault that they spiraled down a destructive past or made a rash decision. It will always stem back to their tragic backstory where their female counterpart died, furthering the idea that females are objectified for their male superiors.