People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

When researchers from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and the data analytics firm Movio explored the connection between who appears in a movie and who shows up for its theatrical run, theyfounda correlation between the representation of different demographic cohorts and their share of the audience. In other words, we want to see characters we can relate to. But sometimes, instead of giving people a voice, filmmakers reduce them to stereotypes.

Embarrassed-Toe-1920 added that the movie felt like a man’s fantasy and a woman’s nightmare, inviting others to list titles that had a similar vibe.

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I love many movies that Ryan Gosling is in, but in The Notebook (2004), the character threatening s***ide (or at least a broken neck and bones) if Rachel McAdams won’t date him has got to be one of the more disgusting coercive interactions in a mainstream movie that only a bunch of men in the writers room (and a male novelist) could think of as “romantic”. Truly messed up stuff.

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When we got in touch with Embarrassed-Toe-1920 to learn more about her now-viral post, she reiterated that its roots lie within that Adam Sandler production.“The question popped into my head when I was deciding what movie I should watch this week,” she toldBored Panda.“I remembered my disappointment with Just Go With It from the previous weekend, and as a woman who has cringed at many sexist films in my lifetime, I just knew my fellow Redditors would have fun with this topic. It’s always refreshing when women have a safe space to vent!”

When we got in touch with Embarrassed-Toe-1920 to learn more about her now-viral post, she reiterated that its roots lie within that Adam Sandler production.

“The question popped into my head when I was deciding what movie I should watch this week,” she toldBored Panda.

“I remembered my disappointment with Just Go With It from the previous weekend, and as a woman who has cringed at many sexist films in my lifetime, I just knew my fellow Redditors would have fun with this topic. It’s always refreshing when women have a safe space to vent!”

It still baffles me how many women were involved in the making of What Women Want. It should be called What Men Think Women Want. It is so so so so stupid.

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This reminds me of the woman who wrote about male only writing rooms, she cited an episode of a crime drama where the inspector declared that the k*ller must have redressed the female victim because her “bra and panties don’t match”. And her underwear was really expensive, at least $20 for her bra alone!

A person in a suit studies a bulletin board with photos and notes, symbolizing the flawed portrayal of women in movies.

Dr. Stacy L Smith, the head of research, said in a statement that this is a catastrophic step backward for girls and women in film.

The study’s authorssaid, “We cannot explain the collapse,” calling it “an industry failure.”

Basically every single James Bond movie ever.

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The episode of Ted Lasso in Amsterdam, where Rebecca falls into a canal, goes into the houseboat of the man who helped her out, showers there, and ends up sleeping there. The whole time I was thinking “what MAN wrote this?!” In what universe would an adult woman go into the home of a complete stranger and feel comfortable enough to shower, let alone spend the night?!

Woman in an office setting, reflecting on movies' portrayal of women, with a journal and tea on the desk.

Two men in sci-fi uniforms on a spaceship bridge, highlighting movie portrayal issues.

Audiences definitely pick up on it. “Some common stereotypes or tropes that stand out to me are that women are not an important part of the plot or only serve as eye candy in the film,” Embarrassed-Toe-1920 told us.“I am also so sick of seeing the stereotype that a woman can either have a career or have a family and social life. I’m currently watchingUgly Betty, and the male magazine executive (Daniel) has a thriving career and 1,000 booty-call girls, meanwhile the female executives (Wilhemina and Alexis) have almost no social life outside of work. Work is their life.““Stop saying that women can either have a career or have a social life. If men can have both then we can too. We shouldn’t have to work twice as hard just to achieve the same career level that men can with half the work,” she added.

“I am also so sick of seeing the stereotype that a woman can either have a career or have a family and social life. I’m currently watchingUgly Betty, and the male magazine executive (Daniel) has a thriving career and 1,000 booty-call girls, meanwhile the female executives (Wilhemina and Alexis) have almost no social life outside of work. Work is their life.”

“Stop saying that women can either have a career or have a social life. If men can have both then we can too. We shouldn’t have to work twice as hard just to achieve the same career level that men can with half the work,” she added.

My ex and I rewatched the first National Treasure movie last year and it was…rough. The treatment of Diane Kruger’s character was downright criminal.She plays an archivist working in the f*****g National Archives, a bona fide professional in her field, but once she gets wrapped up in the (from her perspective, INSANE) hunt for the Declaration of Independence she’s treated like a child. I can’t count the number of times the two male leads share a look and shake their head in response to DK’s character asking questions. They just oozed “aww isn’t she cute, she’s trying so hard to keep up” energy. The infantilization was crazy.

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Passengers, and if you can’t tell that Chris Pratt is absolutely evil in that movie, you’re definitely not safe to be around. And tbh, I’ve heard the “he picked the wrong girl obviously " argument, and it also reeks of predatory male privilege.

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Anything with 90% of men being the protagonist and the overly-objectified women who are only there as love interests.

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However, the woman who initiated the discussion acknowledged that some of these pitfalls are due to a lack of skill, which carries over to other genders as well.

“While female characters are often poorly written in movies, so are male characters,” the Redditor said. “And the messages that male characters may send to an impressionable young audience can be highly problematic. For example, inUgly Betty, Betty breaks up with her boyfriend because he cheats on her and then he stalks her incessantly until she gets back together with him. Nowhere in the script is the stalking named for what it is or made clear that it’s not appropriate,” she explained.

Not a movie, but the S1 Supernatural episode [Home]There is NO way in hell a woman would open up the house to a male stranger (much less TWO) who knocked on the door and asked to come in just because they “used to live there”, and ESPECIALLY not when she has a young child with her at home too. WtaF.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Pretty much every, manic-pixie-girl, who’s a huge extrovert, lives an amazing action-packed life, inexplicably falls in love with the quiet, introverted guy who does nothing to show any value and she makes it her personal mission to bring him out of his shell. They’re not always the manic-pixie aesthetic, but the concept is the same.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

I haven’t seen the whole thing but just the premise of The Switch and knowing they end up together anyway is revolting to me. I had to stop watching it.Him switching the semen to his own in the cup she’s gonna use for insemination must be some form of asault if not rpe adjacent. And obviously the movie wants it to be this romantic thing that it was his son all along when it’s actually horrifying that he overrode her choice and made her have his child instead. (I don’t care that the character is drunk as he replaced the semen. When she finds out and loves it instead of running for the hills is disgusting.).

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

I can’t imagine any Adam Sandler movies holding up especially well tbh .

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As much as I enjoy M.A.S.H. I still find myself thinking about how it was played as a funny prank to set an officer up to sexually a*sault Margaret Houlihan.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Love Actually.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Ghostbusters, specifically the manipulative creep that is Peter Venkman. Literally his entire character is that he is a sex pest that manipulates women into sleeping with him , from his first scene trying to hook up with a student through his entire romantic subplot that is just him using the fears of a distraught client to get into her pants.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Two men in a sports-themed children’s bedroom, reflecting movies' portrayal of women.

SupernaturalThe sheer amount of times that the woman costars died instead of their male ones was enough that people started memeing it. And then the people in charge got all mad when we started shipping them with the other male characters. They’ve got no one to blame, but their own s****y writing.

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I feel like this is basically every movie until “Clueless.“My boyfriend likes a lot of movies from the 70s and he’s always watched them through a “filmmaker’s eye” and never watched them with a woman. When we watch them together I always end up telling him how problematic the film is afterwards. I’m a bummer. But, it’s not my fault - I didn’t write this trash!

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Not a movie but some disney episodes make me turn my head. The Proud Family (one of my fav shows) has episodes I can’t event stomach. One in particular is “There’s something about renee”The rundown essentially is Trudy (wife/mom) who works full time as a veterinarian, is the sole breadwinner AND takes care of the household is extremely tired. Her husband Oscar literally never helps with household work. She has a vet convention coming up and decides to hire a nanny (on her dime) to make sure the house isnt a s**t show while she’s away. Well, she gets nervous and returns early only to find that the new nanny has essentially replaced her role as a mom. All the kids and her husband like the nanny better and they pretty much forgets she exists. In the end, she has the nanny fired and comes back home to a messy house, all the family being demanding, but she’s happy again because her role as overworked mom has been restored. Literally nothing changes. Oscar still isn’t helping with the kids and the house is a disaster since no one cleans it but her. But she’s just so overjoyed and complete being the sole breadwinner at a stressful job AND taking care of the household solo when she returns.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

“There’s Something About Mary” Just watched it this morning and that exact thought kept popping upeverytime a joke was made.

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Ready Player One was a major one for me - I mean, the book alone already gives me the ick but the whole “All my problems are fixed because I’m finally loved even though I’m soooo ugly!!” s**t from the protagonist’s love interest was especially ridiculous in the movie, considering that they gave her a tiny, faded red mark, which you couldn’t even SEE in most scenes because of the lightning.

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Indecent Proposal. Hated, hated, hated the movie. Woman goes with the old rich guy. 🤮.

People Are Sharing The Films That Scream ‘We Didn’t Consult A Woman’

Three women in colorful outfits walk confidently at a party, highlighting the portrayal of women in movies.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but it’s how I feel about Scott Pilgrim. I won’t deny that it’s a really well-made movie overall. However, I’ve always struggled with why Ramona Flowers suddenly becomes so interested in Scott Pilgrim. What does she see in him? That aspect of the story felt a little too rooted in the male gaze for me.

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Poor Things, for so many reasons.Equal_Tumbleweed_556:THANK YOU! That movie felt like a 3 hour sequence of triggers and rage bait. And the gaslighting in the reviews! “You don’t understand, it’s actually a very feminist movie 🤓” Miss me with that bs. Unlike the protagonist, I have a functioning adult brain of my own, thank you very much. Sorry for the rant, I’m just so glad I’m not alone with this! All the best to you

Woman in elaborate costume stands in vibrant market scene, highlighting movies' portrayal of women.