Post Feminism

Post Feminism Work

Post Feminism in Contemporary Film

G.I. Jane
G.I. Jane – produced by Ridly Scott, Hollywood Pictures (1997), Demi Moore


G.I. Jane is an example of a post feminist film as it is not trying to show that men are the best, but more so that women are trying to surpass men. This film was made in 1997, which was also the beginning of the third wave of feminism, which was suppose to correct the failures of the initiatives and movements of the second wave. It is an action film, which is not particularly seen where the main role is played by a female. The film tells a story of a woman who undergoes training in the U.S. Navy. This is seen as post feminist because women are never seen as strong enough to fit the role of the character being represented in the film; however the stereotype is still being challenged. The main character in the story is being tested to see if a female can take on the same role as a male, and is faced with both sexist and physical abuse.

Demi Moore plays the lead role in this film and is a highly respected actress in the movie making industry. She has played other post feminist roles in previous films such as ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Flawless’. Charlie’s Angels is about three independent women who take on the role of spy, most commonly seen played by one leading male role (i.e. James Bond). The film ‘Flawless’ is a great example of how women are trapped under a glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is a metaphor for the limit of success that a woman can have before they cannot surpass it, because it is only surpassed by males.

This film was made in the 1990’s, which was the beginning of the third wave of feminism. This film was probably made during this time because it almost entices feminism, as the main character encourages female viewers to question their stereotypical roles in society (i.e. housewives or children carers). Because the main character is female and is undergoing a very male dominate role, it is almost reversing the roles of social norms which allows female viewer to think that if they try and push the boundaries of stereotypes, they too can accomplish roles not normally carried out by females. However, this film has a very inspirational view to it. This means that because it is fictional, it means that it can encourage females to question their roles in society, but won’t encourage them to go as far as training as Navy Seals or war fighters.

This film can be seen as very patriarchal. This is because we have been taught that males are the only gender that can perform jobs that push the physical limits of the human body. That is why when the main character of this film is sent on her training, she is only sent there under the influence that she would fail after the training was complete, if not before hand. This show us that society believe that males are physically stronger, but women are more mentally capable to deal with abuse and negativity.

In the film, there is a scene were the main character shaves off her hair. This can show us that she can only fit in to the male role if she takes on all aspects of the image. This means in order to fit in she must look the part as well as physically keep up with the males. This is also an example of self objectification. We as the audience know that Demi Moore is a very successful actress and is well known for her glamour, which means that she has enough control over her sexual gaze to shave her hair to fit a male’s role, and still hold her image as a glamorized female actress. She is also stared in sexual connotative films such as 'Striptease', which can be seen as opposite to this type or role.

Voyeurism is used in the film, which would not normally be seen in the type of genre of this film. We as the audience are put into the eyes of a commanding officer, as he watches the main character shower. This is an example of voyeurism because even though we are not there, we are not suppose to be watching what he is seeing, because he is not suppose to be their either. This could also be seen as an example of the male gaze as even though she has shaven her hair, her body shape still creates a very sexual object for men to look at.