Women’s History Month is next month, and according to Forbes 2023, only 35% of speaking roles in films were held by women. The underrepresentation of women means we need to appreciate the characters we have and push for more representation in films moving forward. All women deserve to see every angle of themselves on screen. Stop holding women to incredibly high standards the minute they get in front of a camera and start valuing the mirror they hold up.
Characters can be unlikeable, whether they are immature, self-centered, rude, bad at relationships or all of the above. These can all be traits we carry; therefore, it teaches us to resonate and connect with characters in films. The influence of another character's role in a storyline can teach us something each time. It can be about someone’s struggles, holding a mirror to ourselves to look deeply within our psyche or teaching people how not to act.
The women we see on screen also need to capture all women. A UCLA Study found that the top TV shows of 2024 were less culturally diverse than the previous year. According to the study, “four-fifths of the lead characters in the most popular streaming comedies and dramas were white, while almost all other races and ethnic groups were underrepresented.” This demonstrates other levels of change that need to occur in storytelling on screen.
There have been complex women on TV for many decades. In the ‘90s, “Sex and the City” brought us Carrie Bradshaw and set the bar for fashion as well as dating standards in New York City. She wrote everything down in a sex-positive relationship column, no matter how embarrassing the stories could be.
Her self-centered personality and bad decision-making when it came to men have brought scrutiny to her character. However, she is there for the young women who don’t want to be “the chill girl” all the time and loudly mess up. She is a hard-working woman, remains mostly single and also makes many mistakes, as we all do, and that’s why viewers love her.
The 2000s brought us the mother-daughter duo of “Gilmore Girls.” The daughter of Lorelai Gilmore, Rory, is met with hate by some viewers for her mistakes and her often “perfect” persona. However, throughout all the seasons, she goes from early high school to college graduation and shows the amount of inevitable mistakes that can be made from 16 to 21. Rory is known as a smart girl, so when she makes mistakes, they seem shocking. She depicts a pressure to be perfect. A feeling most women relate to.
Jenna Benedict, a sophomore studying integrated social studies education, said she likes Kat Stratford from the 1999 movie “10 Things I Hate About You” because “she’s just herself.”
Benedict said she enjoys the authenticity Kat provides, even though this may be taken as rude in the film. Another one of her favorite characters is Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde.”
“I think she’s a really good role model for females in film because she really represents that you’ve got to look past looks,” Benedict said. She said that Woods is a character who does things for herself, even as she’s blonde and would be viewed otherwise.
These characters have made comments and done actions that I don’t agree with, but this doesn’t mean I can’t admire many of their qualities as fictional characters in films or TV shows. I simply learn from their actions, whether it’s how to or how not to act.
Characters like Elle and Kat are messy individuals who aim to be great women, and this is portrayed through their plotlines and how they change throughout their stories. They are also white, straight women who are allowed more of a space to be messy than many women of color or LGBTQIA+ women. There needs to be more diversity of women on screen, all with the freedom to be flawed and be shown and admired.
The girls and women we see on screen are not perfect, nor are the women who walk around the world. Women are strong, kind and heartfelt, and in films and TV shows they can also be loud, irresponsible and struggling.
Kyra Dapore is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kyra know by emailing her at kd364521@ohio.edu
