Editor Clara Darko made this supercut of women in action films.
This supercut is definitely an entertaining exploration into the world of action heroines, but it definitely brings to mind the serious issues regarding the representation of women in the genre (and film in general). Of course, many filmmakers and filmgoers would like to see more female leads playing roles that are more diverse and complex than the mostly passive archetypes they embody -- a deviation from the mother/whore dichotomy.
Even if progress is slower than many would like it to be, it's important to remember that things are getting better for women in film. These days, you don't have to go back decades in time to find your Ripleys, Sarah Conners, Thelmas and Louises, or Catwomen -- roles that would seldom come to major actresses.
The first few years before and after the millennium also gave us a few classic female action characters, like The Bride, Foxy Brown, Leeloo, and Jiao Long, but women who did a lot of work in the action genre, like Michelle Rodriguez, Milla Jovovich, and Lucy Lawless, didn't find the same commercial success as their peers who worked in other genres.
Today we're seeing that an action role, sometimes a leading one, can actually launcha woman's Hollywood career -- Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar), and Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) -- or take it to the next level -- Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers). Even women who you'd never guess would be cast in action roles are getting in on this (ahem -- Anne Hathaway). It certainly seems to be more normal today for films to not only include, but star women in non-passive roles: Lucy, Maleficent, Gone Girl -- the list goes on.
Now, if we can only make more action flicks that focus less on their female characters' sex appeal, that'd be awesome. Let's do it -- female action heroines in clothes (that includes shoes, Tarantino).
Source: Clara Darko
