MovieChat Forums > Gemini Rising (2015) Discussion > So tired of the "strong woman" cliche.

So tired of the "strong woman" cliche.

posted 9 years ago by rushknight
6 replies | jump to latest

I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say it: Women are the weaker sex. Period. It's just not effective movie-making to have a slim woman be portrayed as a master of physical fighting when she is clearly slower-moving and lighter-hitting than all the men around her. I'm getting tired of all the male actors having to pull their punches to make her look good. Frankly, I think it's insulting to both sexes to put such a charade forward.

Do you know what a real strong woman looks like? She has muscles. If the woman doesn't have muscles, she's not going to beat trained military soldiers in physical combat.

I know we're all into tough chicks in our day and age. I get that. But somehow I always thought that a tough woman became tough through more means than just being able to kick box like the boys. A real strong woman gets her strength from her experience and determination, not through her ability to dropkick a guy.

Why is that not good enough? Why do we have to paint our heroine as some sort of "Chuck-Anna Norris", as if her other qualities were not good enough to make her a suitable lead hero?

I'm just getting a little sick of the cliche I guess.

[–] Cenobitehell 9 years ago

even though your subject was slightly sexist, i do appreciate what you are saying

Would you cast Jim Parsons as the Terminator? no...

[–] rushknight 9 years ago

Well I guess I'm a slightly sexist guy.

I'm ok with it. I don't hate anyone, and I'm a firm supporter of women's rights. I just also believe that gender IS a thing and the old roles associated with it did indeed have their place.

So thanks for tolerating my opinion. :)

[–] Osmooms-201-517112 9 years ago

And I happen to agree with what you're saying 100%.
Thanks for taking the time to do so.

[–] danzig138-668-939218 7 years ago

Well I guess I'm a slightly sexist guy

You're not real clear on what "slightly" means, are you?

I'm a firm supporter of women's rights

No, you're not. You're a liar.

old roles associated with it did indeed have their place.

Thanks for demonstrating that you're a liar right there in the post so we don't have to go looking for the evidence.

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WORDS MEAN THINGS! Also, before you come to bitch about a plot hole, rewatch the show/movie.

[–] FCA1975 8 years ago

So how do you feel about Asian "tough guys" that don't have (or at least have very little) muscle, like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, etc?



[–] storm-the-dog 8 years ago

Good point.

OK, I'll have a stab at this one. The answer is that Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, etc, would be just as disadvantaged against well-trained, muscled, multiple combatives as their female equivalents for the reasons suggested.

Allow me to suggest in defence of that statement, that even though they may have been real martial arts experts, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, etc, were still only "acting" onscreen. There's nothing to say they would have won those battles in real life.

...it's just another dumb film, get over it.