Let’s play a game. How many movies have you seen this summer? Okay, and how many of those movies have had female leads? Two female leads? If you answered very few, that’s not surprising. Data collected by Vulture shows that no more than 18% of films in 2013 have more than one woman in a co-starring role. Though this statistic is abysmal, it’s nothing new in the film industry. Though there have been tons of superhero blockbusters about male heroes, Hollywood has ignored most female figures. Though The Heat did very well in theaters, there have been few other films starring a woman or women. Not to mention the ever-present lack of female writers and directors as well.
Though we think of ourselves as becoming more socially progressive, the results Vulture came up with show that 2013 has less co-star women than 1992 (and compared to more recent years (2010-2012). Additionally, films with summer flicks that had women in a starring role came in around 32%.
However, this statistic is about films with a woman in a starring role, not necessarily about a woman or women. Many of these films would probably not even pass the Bechdel test, criteria that measures the active presence of female characters. Hopefully the success of The Heat will show filmmakers that both men and women will go out to see films starring women and that women can be funny (as if we didn’t know that already from flicks like Bridesmaids).
The thought in Hollywood is that men and women will go see films about men but only women will see movies about women. Hopefully as more variety of roles emerge for women, these films will continue to do as well as The Heat and prove that everyone wants more complex roles for women in movies.
What’s your favorite film that stars a woman? Do you think Hollywood will start to realize that people enjoy a variety of portrayals of women? What kind of roles would you like to see in the future?
Thanks to: vulture.com
Images from: flickr.com, screenslam.com, vulture.com
