by C. Li

Created on: July 03, 2007

I hate to say it, but unfortunately society does favor men. Do I think it's right? Absolutely not. I am a fan of the empowerment of BOTH men and women.
In general, when I contemplate this issue I think a lot about the entertainment industry. When I watch films I often times enjoy watching romantic comedies as well as bildungsroman, or coming of age themes. In most romantic comedies the character development usually revolves around the male's perspective: male protagonist reaches some emotional crisis and female protagonist is there to comfort and nurture him. The female character is usually portrayed one-sided, and simply part of the backdrop of the male's character development. Those types of films do not display her own angst, desires, and beliefs/conflicts. There should be an equal emphasis on each gender's growth and development.

In addition, when I think of male dominated bildungsroman type films I can think of many films: "Dead Poet's Society", "Drumline", "Stand By Me", and "Almost Famous". When I think of female bildungsroman type films only a few come to my mind: "Girl Interrupted" (terrific film), "Thelma and Louise" (never saw it), "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood" (will never see), and "Chasing Liberty" (quite entertaining). I could keep going on and on with the male portion of the list, but the female portion I have much summed up all of the movies that I know. As an English major in college I read some of the most beautiful stories which were female-centered: "Brown Girl, Brownstones" by Paule Marshall, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston, and "La Princesse de Clves" by Madame de La_Fayette. Many of those novels deal heavily on the young character's compromising of her own desires to a male dominated society, their discovery and evolution of their sexuality, and displaying a more abstract and more emotional slant on life (versus male dominated narratives which are comparatively more straightforward and black & white). Society should be exposed to more female-dominated pieces of work for both the education of young males, and the empowerment of young females.

Women have just as much to offer in the intellectual and moral realm as men. We no longer live in a hunter and gathering society where might makes right. Women can hold just as much responsibility and professional clout as men. In this day and age the brain is the single most important commodity in this modern society today, therefore men and women should have an equal playing ground.

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