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cyborgs. As one member of www.filmthreat.com stated "Chicks can indeed be tough. It is inspiring to women in that it makes us think we can do more than we are taught to do."

Representation
The changes in representation of women can be seen in the Terminator' trilogy. In Terminator I' Sarah Connor, the main female protagonist is portrayed as hysterical, screaming and in need of rescue. Terminator II' shows her as a strong, empowered female able to hold her own. The two main female characters in Terminator III' are Kate Brewster, another damsel in distress and the TX, a deadly but sexy killing machine who uses her sexuality as a weapon (e.g. inflating breasts to avert trouble from police). Both of the two cyborgs in Terminator', the Terminator himself (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the female Terminator, the TX, are robots supposedly with no human feelings. However, the Terminator appears to have human characteristics, almost showing compassion and empathy, while the TX is portrayed as a bloodthirsty, evil, invincible killing machine.

Role Models?
These empowered, confident, sexy female characters could be seen as aspirational figures. Women are in need of strong role models and perhaps this surge of action movie heroines could be the answer? The movies used in this essay, for example show women taking action into their own hands, fighting (and beating) men, seeking revenge (and usually winning). Lara Croft (Tomb Raider') takes on an ancient cult (consisting entirely of men), Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill' seeks revenge on a gang of assassins responsible for the murder of her husband and all of the guests at her wedding, Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil') attempts to bring down the corrupt corporation she works for, then spends the rest of the movie killing zombies, escaping from lasers and a self-aware computer virus. However, one must take into account that this portrayal is just setting different (yet equally high) standards for women to achieve.

Media Theory
Laura Mulvey used Freudian theory to explain the male idol-worship of female celebrities (not unlike the cult following of stars like Sigourney Weaver and Angelina Jolie). Freud stated that as a young child the male is overwhelmed by feelings of superiority and fear of castration' when he sees that a female lacks' a penis. In order to overcome this fear the male fetishizes a woman or parts of her body; this fetish acts as a substitute for the (missing) phallus.

The Past
Lara Croft of Tomb Raider' has often

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