All of us who subscribe to the outr’ theory that men and women are jes’ different will get a kick out of James Bowman’s ‘Unisex at the Multiplex’ column.
Advocates of female empowerment contend that, even in the post-Lucy world, movies warp reality by focusing on women in relationships rather than on the job. Another beef: No woman has ever won the Oscar for Best Director.
Elvis Mitchell has complained about the latter in the New York Times, while Felicia Lee has bewailed the former in the same publication.
‘But what if women are just less good than men at producing the particular kind of pretentious, politically correct rubbish — like last year’s The Hours or this year’s Mystic River — that most often garners Best Director nominations?’ Bowman asks.
‘Wouldn’t that be something for women to be proud of? And what if, rather than ‘warping’ reality, TV in this instance (if in no other) actually reflects it — since most people, women as well as men, share TV’s tendency to ‘define’ women in terms of relationships rather than occupations? Call them ‘sexists’ if you like, but at the least, it must be admitted that ‘reality’ here is a problematical concept. The reality of Mr Mitchell or of Miss Lee is that of the cultural ‘lite whose commitment to a unisex ideal is ideologically motivated.’