No doubt by now you've not only watched Rosamund Pike's impeccable performance in Gone Girl but also watched the music video for Blank Space by Taylor Swift. If you haven't, um, what have you been doing with your life? Here - take a few minutes and watch these two videos.
...Not that I have much room to speak seeing as how I only managed to watch Gone Girl a few days ago. But let's not focus on that detail, yes?
For those of you who have yet to watch the movie or read the book, Gone Girl (written by the uber-talented Gillian Flynn) tells the story of the disappearance of Amy Elliott Dunne and suspicions quickly fall on to her husband, Nick Dunne, whom Amy claims had physically abused her. Visually, the movie is amazing with an amazing performance by Rosamund Pike. I haven't read the book (yet!) but Amy Dunne was the cold, calculating character that I can't resist getting to know more.
Having spent a couple of days digesting the movie, I was recently listening to Blank Space by Taylor Swift and I couldn't help but draw a few similarities between the two characters (Amy Dunne and the one played by Taylor Swift).
In a time where female protagonists such as Anastasia Steele and Bella Swan have dominated the young adult market, Amy Dunne is a refreshing portrayal of a true strong female protagonist.
Now you may be wondering what makes me think a character as manipulative, calculating, and possibly sociopathic as Amy Dunne would ever make a good role model but hear me out.
Amy Dunne is the pinnacle of a woman who has tried and tried again to solve her marriage issues with her husband and when she finds him unfaithful, she doesn't play the role of a woman distressed or simply accepting her fate. She takes matter into her own hands and decides to teach her husband a lesson he won't soon forget. Were her actions misguided? Yes, possibly. But those actions also come from a woman who has personified the saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and I can't help but find it empowering.
Amidst times where women are often looked down upon for being assertive or asking for what they want, it's refreshing to see that we're not the crazy ones. We're not weird or annoying or bitchy for going after what we want; for responding in a appropriate manner when we feel cheated; for blamed for actions that are not our own. Gone Girl does not show that women want to feel power over men or that we want to see them at our feet within our control. It shows that women have a right to feel cheated and have the right to fight back.
Some people (okay, many people) will disagree with that last statement on the account of 'two wrongs don't make a right' but in a world where men still dominate the workforce in any given industry and where it's so hard to find a film with a strong female lead who is not just the pretty face there to accompany the lead male character, I'm very happy to see that Amy Dunne stands out against the rest and more importantly, she's able to hold her own.
It's refreshing to see that a female lead doesn't need to don a tight spandex suit and then only be asked about her diet to get into that suit (yes, I'm looking at you reporter-who-asked-Scarlett-Johansson-the-rabbit-food-question) to be a true badass. We can have female roles in mainstream media that are about strong, empowering females who take matters into their own hands, who can manipulate and play hardball with the best of them, even while they wear baggy sweaters and cardigans. Hell, we can have female leads who are slightly deranged and a little psychotic and still make those characters into the protagonist of our TV shows and films.
I think it's about time that network executives learnt this fact. Don't you?
Bloglovin' // Twitter // Instagram
...Not that I have much room to speak seeing as how I only managed to watch Gone Girl a few days ago. But let's not focus on that detail, yes?
For those of you who have yet to watch the movie or read the book, Gone Girl (written by the uber-talented Gillian Flynn) tells the story of the disappearance of Amy Elliott Dunne and suspicions quickly fall on to her husband, Nick Dunne, whom Amy claims had physically abused her. Visually, the movie is amazing with an amazing performance by Rosamund Pike. I haven't read the book (yet!) but Amy Dunne was the cold, calculating character that I can't resist getting to know more.
Having spent a couple of days digesting the movie, I was recently listening to Blank Space by Taylor Swift and I couldn't help but draw a few similarities between the two characters (Amy Dunne and the one played by Taylor Swift).
In a time where female protagonists such as Anastasia Steele and Bella Swan have dominated the young adult market, Amy Dunne is a refreshing portrayal of a true strong female protagonist.
Now you may be wondering what makes me think a character as manipulative, calculating, and possibly sociopathic as Amy Dunne would ever make a good role model but hear me out.
Amy Dunne is the pinnacle of a woman who has tried and tried again to solve her marriage issues with her husband and when she finds him unfaithful, she doesn't play the role of a woman distressed or simply accepting her fate. She takes matter into her own hands and decides to teach her husband a lesson he won't soon forget. Were her actions misguided? Yes, possibly. But those actions also come from a woman who has personified the saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and I can't help but find it empowering.
Amidst times where women are often looked down upon for being assertive or asking for what they want, it's refreshing to see that we're not the crazy ones. We're not weird or annoying or bitchy for going after what we want; for responding in a appropriate manner when we feel cheated; for blamed for actions that are not our own. Gone Girl does not show that women want to feel power over men or that we want to see them at our feet within our control. It shows that women have a right to feel cheated and have the right to fight back.
Some people (okay, many people) will disagree with that last statement on the account of 'two wrongs don't make a right' but in a world where men still dominate the workforce in any given industry and where it's so hard to find a film with a strong female lead who is not just the pretty face there to accompany the lead male character, I'm very happy to see that Amy Dunne stands out against the rest and more importantly, she's able to hold her own.
It's refreshing to see that a female lead doesn't need to don a tight spandex suit and then only be asked about her diet to get into that suit (yes, I'm looking at you reporter-who-asked-Scarlett-Johansson-the-rabbit-food-question) to be a true badass. We can have female roles in mainstream media that are about strong, empowering females who take matters into their own hands, who can manipulate and play hardball with the best of them, even while they wear baggy sweaters and cardigans. Hell, we can have female leads who are slightly deranged and a little psychotic and still make those characters into the protagonist of our TV shows and films.
I think it's about time that network executives learnt this fact. Don't you?
Bloglovin' // Twitter // Instagram
