When I first saw the trailer for "Bombshell," I wasn't sure what to expect. The first trailer which was released didn't indicate what the story was about, and in complete honesty, I had to look up the events behind the new movie. For those who don't know, "Bombshell" chronicles Gretchen Carlson's suit against Fox's television executive, Roger Ailes, which eventually led to his resignation. Knowing this information, I was pretty excited, and then I did some research.
Despite the movie depicting Kelly and Carlson as right-wing feminists, the two are far from perfect. Back in October of 2018, Megyn Kelly fell into some hot water while working at NBC for condoning blackface as long as it was for a costume. The movie tends to stray away from some of her controversial comments except for her "white Santa" stance.
Even though the film attempts to portray Gretchen Carlson as a trailblazing feminist at Fox who started the chain reaction to bring Ailes down, she isn't without her faults. In 2013, while she was still hosting "Fox and Friends," Carlson made anti-trans comments when California legally allowed transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. Carlson said, "Can you imagine now, the boys want to go into the girls' bathroom, and the girls want to go into the boys' bathroom, and they can just say, 'Oh, well, I was transgender for the moment.'"
Despite these women and their past shortcomings, the film is being received as a feminist text for the #MeToo movement, documenting women finding their voice to call out abuse, harassment, and injustice in the workplace. Ultimately, it is easy to judge these two women and their biased opinions, but at the end of the day, regardless of someone's political beliefs, women should feel safe in their work environment. Not forced to "give a little head" in order "to get ahead," as the movie points out. These women shouldn't be chastised for their political beliefs as skewed as you think they are. We do not have to agree on politics to recognize that no one should be sexually harassed in the workforce, a place they choose to work.
In the Florida election of 2018, Amendment 4 allowed people who convicted of a felony, except murder or sexual abuse, to regain the right to vote after completing their sentences. Regardless of someone's past, political preferences, gender, or sexual orientation, we are allowed equal rights.
Yes, these women depicted in the film are far from perfect, but they still stood up to a powerful man despite negative repercussions and changed the work-climate, one that continues to change during this upcoming decade.