#MeToo enabled long overdue conversations about the treatment of women in Hollywood, Charlie Kendellen discusses how these power dynamics emerged.
In this post-MeToo era, the unethical treatment of women in Hollywood is widely publicised and criticised. However, there is still much to observe and unpack in regard to the treatment of women in the industry, and the amount of power and autonomy they are afforded - which, quite frankly, doesn’t seem to be that much. The values of old Hollywood still hold a tight grip on the industry, making it incredibly difficult for women to break beyond the glass ceiling.
Contrary to popular belief, in the ‘Golden Age’ of cinema the majority of women in Hollywood were producers. The marital status of women heavily influenced their chances of success, as their husbands’ wealth enabled them to finance movie productions. Hence, women’s class and social status played a major role in their creative success. It is no coincidence that many of Hollywood’s esteemed actresses were the wives or girlfriends of established directors, producers, or industry titans - such is the case of Marion Davies’ relationship with William Randolph Hearst, the worst kept secret in Hollywood. In this era of cinema, women’s only source of power was their beauty and their relation to men. Their subsequent successes were, of course, credited to their relationships with these men.
This lack of true representation by women behind the camera is evident in the various ways that women are portrayed in front of the camera. The infamous femme fatale archetype - typically seen in crime film noirs - features a voluptuous and mysterious woman, nonetheless a perceived powerful woman, whose only source of power is her sex appeal. This is egregiously regressive to the movement for gender equality in Hollywood, suggesting that the only power women hold is over the male audience. One example of this is Rita Hayworth’s portrayal of the titular character in Gilda (1946). Heavily sexualised, objectified and abused by the men around her, her power is ultimately confined to how she is viewed as sexually appealing by men in the film.
In the golden age of cinema, women were so often portrayed as eye candy, or as an accessory to the male protagonist - their power ultimately in the hands of men. Despite being treated as a decoration in front of the camera, women were objectified and sexualised behind it. A well-known example of this is Dustin Hoffman’s treatment of Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft whilst auditioning for and during rehearsals of The Graduate (1967). He pinched his co-star Katherine Ross on the bottom during rehearsals, in order to “get [her] relaxed”, as reported by Huffpost. Similarly, Hoffman sexually assaulted Ross on screen, as he “put his hand on her right breast” in an unscripted move, prompted by director Mike Nichols “in a prankish way.” This exemplifies how women were treated as mere instruments to men in Hollywood. They were deprived of respect, autonomy, and privacy.
Women have often been overlooked for bigger projects, and have been accused of having a reputation for being “difficult” simply for standing behind their creative decisions.
Despite there being a vast increase in female directors in Hollywood today, many successful women, such as Lynne Ramsay, have been vocal about the struggles of being a woman in an industry dominated by men. Women have often been overlooked for bigger projects, and have been accused of having a reputation for being “difficult” simply for standing behind their creative decisions.
While there are various women in Hollywood who were given the opportunity to direct substantial projects, such as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) and Chloé Zhao’s Eternals (2021), women earning the opportunity to direct big budget pictures isn’t a regular occurrence. The first woman to direct a Marvel film was Cate Shortland with Black Widow (2021), merely three years ago to date. This is a recurring problem for an industry that has had women behind the camera since its inception.
Women have always had a substantial presence in the film industry, yet they have so often been limited by patriarchal values and restrictions. While theorists have criticised the objectification of women in film, such as in Laura Mulvey’s pioneering essay, ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, women are still treated as secondary to men, rarely afforded the opportunity to direct huge industry projects or lead major motion pictures. Since #MeToo, there is a growing respect for women’s stories, and creative autonomy for women filmmakers in Hollywood. However, there is still a long path ahead until we achieve true equality between the creative men and women in this industry. Without women, the industry would simply cease to exist, and Hollywood would do well to remember it.
Women have always had a substantial presence in the film industry, yet they have so often been limited by patriarchal values and restrictions.