10 Ways Female Characters Get Screwed Over in Movies and TV
Female villains don’t necessarily have the best luck thanks to some truly terrible writing. Here are 10 examples of those.
10. Most Iconic Villains are Male
Some of the greatest villains that have appeared in movies or television have been male. Even if female characters exist, they are usually relegated to background characters. Take for instance Avengers: Endgame. Proxima Midnight was just.. there.
9. Female Villains have Weak motivations
Most female villains do not have the strongest motivations as stories unfold. They’re usually paper-thin or badly written, making it that much more frustrating to watch.
8. Female Villains are Two-Dimensional
Many major female villains do not have the luxury of good writing. And with bad writing comes a little something called bad character development. Most female villains are two-dimensional, with little life and rarely interesting, Not to mention they’re skimpily clad for no reason.
7. They’re Overly Sexualized
One of the ways creators tend to go wrong is when they overly sexualize female villains. The justification for this is that these female villains are empowered women,
6. Redemption Rarely Happens
Male villains have moments where they redeem themselves through acts of heroism at the very end. Loki, Darth Vader are just some examples. Female characters on the other hand usually meet tragic ends.
5. Disgraceful, Violent Deaths
Female villains suffer some violent or disgraceful deaths. One major criticism that female characters, not just villains have received is that they usually die to fulfill the purpose of male character development. This gave rise to the term “fridging”. It was spearheaded by writer Gail Simone and “Women in Refrigerators”.
4. Boring Characters
A consequence of bad writing and 2-dimensional characters is that most of them are not fascinating characters. Villains can be fascinating and likable. Most female villains on the other hand, due to bad writing, are not. What was the point of captain Phasma anyway?
3. Female Villains Usually aren’t Humanized
There are moments when male villains tend to have moments that humanize them. They become more relatable with regard to their motivations and actions. Female villains don’t necessarily have that.
2.The Bechdel test
The Bechdel test is a measure of the representation of women in fiction. The test is simple: at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. In most cases with female villains, that’s not usually true.
1. Extremely Predictable Character Arcs
We all know how this might play out. Female villains don’t have the luxury of a good ending. Bad writing ensures that female villains do not get the send-offs they truly deserve.
