Highly Debatable Film Posters
Sexist film posters that we need to talk about.
Or should I call... Misogynistic and Sexist Film Posters?
Hollywood has always been a place criticized for the sexist and male-dominated nature it has long embraced. Today, our hot topic comes from the most popular, the most toxic, the most controversial film posters some of which are reeeallly obvious and some of which are more insidious, sneaky, and subliminal.
Well, sorry for the poor quality but here we have such sexy legs that the moment we see these posters, we can't help ourselves but click on the start button, right? Those legs probably have nothing to do with the story expecting us. Or if so, still, rather than showing the faces of the female characters or even rather than highlighting the existence of male characters; we have fetishized female body parts to be looked at. They are not there to show active power; instead, they serve as dehumanized objects put there to provide pleasure.
Not again, not again... Yet again, we have male characters in between the "sexy" women's legs. As if they are femme fatales; hunting and trapping their prey. And unsurprisingly, we only have the objectified body parts. No head, no face: this is called "Headless Woman of Hollywood."
Well, well, well. We have this perfect example of male dominance in movie posters. Here we have a gun as a phallic symbol; demonstrating power and active male agency. Contrary to covers with female bodies, here the male character has control and dominates the picture with the gun as the phallic symbol.
As you can get from these examples, the industry knows what brings them money and goes for it. As a patriarchal industry, they simply use female bodies, there is imbalance and inequality between the sexes in terms of payment, roles and basically existence.
Hope one day we can get rid of these sexist, misogynistic norms and find equality in an industry where women are valued for their artistry, intelligence, and depth, rather than being reduced to mere objects for profit.
ps: If you are interested in these type of topics, don't forget to have a look at my blog to read about gaze theories, feminist cinema, gender and all!