Sexist things that they show on female characters which are awfully disturbing

Whenever I watch a new movie or even read a new book, I find myself wondering if the female characters are going to be actual and not really surreal. Even today we find that writers fail to portray the female characters properly and they end up falling into a particular sexist trope or another. 

I know that it can be coincidence as most of the time female characters are displayed in a way that it sends a wrong message whether we are watching it as a critical audience or writer  who wants some inspiration for your own female characters. We have for you the four sexist female tropes you should keep eyes peeled for. 

1. Female strong characters

Strong female characters can be sexist at times. However, there are plenty of women on the screen or in the books who are legitimately badass, and it can be reflected by their actions. If we consider katniss from the hunger games she is probably a very tough character and most people would agree with it. There’s plenty of proof of this as she takes down the dystopian government and with a fight got the death not once but twice. 

Princess Leia is another example. Although we know that she is not the protagonist in Star Wars, she plays a powerful character in the scripts and helps the story to move forward. 

2. Strong women can’t have emotions

Black widow ( Natasha Romanoff) had a surgical procedure before she was fit to become an assassin. It was a part of the rule of their assassin. It made sure she could never reproduce which made her incapable of having familial ties. 

Conclusion: she was denied her natural female ability and was weaponized.The marvel franchise have been so focussed on making her a strong female representation that they have forgotten to make her a person at all. One would rather watch Katniss become terrified and show some expression than watch Black widow beat up a bunch of bad guys with some blank expression. The message should be loud and clear that a strong woman character should carry a personality which would make them worth watching. 

 3. Every girl wants to be a bride or a mother

This is something we get to watch on every rom coms. Consider the tv show ,friends , where on the tenth season, the female characters are all saddled with a baby or with a man. Phoebe is newly married, Rachel leaves her dream job to stay with Ross,Monica has just adopted twins with Chandler. There is nothing wrong with killing a female character, having a child or getting married but that should not be the primary goal of a woman’s life. Same goes for other sitcoms like How I met your mother and Big bang theory. The characters are strong but they all end up following a pattern- a woman ‘s journey isn’t done until she is married or has a kid. 

4. You are not like other girls  

If a man in a book or in a movie ever tells a woman that she is not like other girls it is considered as a compliment. She is cool. She cracks jokes and drinks beer. Cameron Diaz’s character from – There’s Something About Mary is an epitome of a cool girl. Despite the masculine things they are still meant to be male eye candy. The message that this troop sent out is troubling. It objectifies women to a core.

 Wrapping up

There are plenty of sexist female troops out there, they can bleed into real life. The next time you watch a movie, sit down to enjoy a favourite show, or even read a book, try using a critical eye – you might be surprised how often these tropes show up.

_{Featured image: Reddit}

---