Being a film fanatic is a blessing and a curse. Watching a movie is an escape into a world full of romantic love affairs, epic battle scenes, or cracking jokes you could never come up with. Movies are a way to bring messages across, to bring people together, to laugh or to cry, and to just enjoy yourself for an hour or two. The downside to it (especially for me) is getting too involved in a movie and struggling to bring yourself out of the cinematic universe. I watched "13 Reasons Why" on Netflix last year and became so distraught after finishing the series I missed a couple homework assignments sitting in my room wondering what I had just watched. However; one of the greatest things film has ever done for me is make me a feminist.
I realized I was a feminist when "The Hunger Games" movie came out. Before I go any further, I have to admit I only read the book because it was becoming a movie, and after the Percy Jackson disaster, I panicked and bought all three books in the series. After finishing the books and getting ready to see the movie, all I wanted to do was wear my hair in a braid and go jumping through the woods pretending I was Katniss Everdeen. I wanted to be everything she was: smart, brave, adventurous, witty, strong, and extremely loving. She faced challenges almost all on her own, whether it was saving Panem or saving herself. Yes, you can argue Peeta was a big part in keeping her sane, but ultimately, Katniss had to decide for herself what kind of life she wanted to live after everything that had happened. Katniss was the first character I wanted to be and caused me to look at film in an entirely different way.
It has always been a huge problem for young women seeing headlines with only males, or seeing women only as a love interest in every single movie. Around the time "The Hunger Games" came out, I only wanted to see movies that had either Will Ferrell, Tom Cruise, or any attractive male in it. After "The Hunger Games," everything changed. I wanted to see women in film, and it was unfortunate how much Hollywood was slacking in this category.
Today, as an 18-year-old college student, I obviously look at film differently than I would as a 12-year-old braid-wearing middle schooler. In my opinion, film is moving in a positive direction when it comes to feminism in Hollywood. I see strong female characters everywhere nowadays, from "Wonder ""Woman," to "Moana," to "Alice in Wonderland," to "Beauty and the Beast"! I hear the impact these movies have on young women everywhere, and it fills me with so much joy to see these characters become role models for not only me, but so many others.
There are strong women hidden even in male-headlined movies, which I think is a pretty cool thing to have. A lot of the times, secondary characters are huge fan favorites and can make more of an impact than you’d think. Michonne, Maggie, Sasha, and Carol on The Walking Dead are all examples of badass ladies who don’t headline the series, but still are enormously important to the continuation of the plot. All of them have wicked survival skills, and Maggie is even carrying a child in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. To me, that screams feminism!
Seeing all these women in film and TV living their own lives, creating their own dreams and goals, and changing their own fate created the feminist within me. I want to chase my own dreams like Moana chasing her love of the ocean, or take charge of my own education like Elle Woods. I want the strength of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow or the attitude of Julia Roberts in" Pretty Woman." I am inspired every day by the strong, independent women I see in my favorite movies, and am proud to be a feminist, a woman, and the person I am today!
