7 Most Problematic Portrayals of Women in Western Media

PROBLEMATIC PORTRAYALS

Women and media have a long-standing battle where representation has been skewed for decades. An online community of women voices its concerns and highlights 11 concerning portrayals of women within mainstream Western media.

While historical accuracy is one, being selective in such portrayal is problematic. Take Game of Thrones, for instance. As a member highlights, this series is loosely based on historical societies only to replicate the suffering and abuse of female characters unnecessarily.

“Historical” Accuracy

One member mentions the assault of Ms. Marvel in Avengers #200. The villain’s manipulative relationship with Ms. Marvel is positively presented as she claims to love him and be happy with him. “The authors write it as if it’s a love story.

The Reality of Forbidden Love

Here’s a particularly prevalent trope: women are the dumbest people on the planet, yet they know how to seduce and fall in love with the first man they see. Many members find this depiction to be reductionist and insulting to women, implying that they are worthless if it weren’t for them being good at physical intimacy.

Selective Smartness

While there are worse examples, one commenter can’t help but be bothered by “how the women in The Walking Dead series stayed gorgeous and never had a problem with their periods.” Many members echo the frustration, mentioning how most post-apocalyptic media ignore these authentic struggles of womanhood.

Zombie-Run Makeup Magic

Here’s another example of female characters looking perfectly flawless and perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards. One person was baffled by the entirety of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). The woman who is the love interest is “in a full, white top/bottom ensemble and gets ZERO dirt on her outfit as buildings are literally collapsing around her.”

Daring Dressing

A user recalls the birth scene when reading the book Bird Box and “wondering out loud if the author had ever met a woman who’d given birth before.” “Unfortunately, I have erased from my mind precisely what it was that offended me so much!” they add.

Biology Lessons Required

A viewer is at the end of her wits with “any movie where there is a woman who’s introduced in a power position and then proceeds to do nothing the rest of the film except ask stupid questions and cry.” She cites Jurassic World, where the main female character is the stuck-up operations manager of the park.

The Oblivious Operations Manager

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