Geena Davis is pretty much my hero, and we were thrilled to spot her hanging out around our BUST Craftacular space at Maker Faire this weekend. The actress has a long history of debunking female stereotypes in her films. In A League of Their Own she became a female athlete who made history; in Beetlejuice, she portrayed a warm, loving lady ghost who saved a teenage girl from being forced into a marriage with a demonic spirit. From her role in Thelma and Louise to her hilarious performance in Earth Girls Are Easy, Davis has paved the way for strong, witty, and complex representations of women.
Davis at Maker Faire!
In a recent video collaboration with Funny or Die, Davis showed off her archery skills and demanded equality in film and sports. In the video, the Olympic archery semi-finalist aims her bow and shoots; each arrow hits home with woman everywhere. She truly is an impressive athlete, and she draws on her on-screen work to promote women’s sports, noting, “I was in A League of Their Own, but as an archer, I’m in a class of my own.” At one point, a paparazzo hides in the bushes and snaps pictures of her, and she promptly shuts him down: “You got your shot, paparazzo; now I get mine,” she says.
She also draws attention to ageism in Hollywood. She reminds us that at 57, she is just as much of a warrior as the teens and twenty-somethings we see on the big screen today. Holding up posters of The Hunger Games and Brave, she casually says, “Ladies, you’re welcome… for the inspiration.”
She ends the video with a resounding demand that we “support gender equality in film, television, and archery,” and with her aim, everyone had better listen up! Watch the video below – it’s awesome.
Thanks to Upworthy and Funny or Die
Images via BUST Magazine and Upworthy
