Lady Bird - Post 5

Greta Gerwig

On the set of Lady Bird, (from right to left) Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig.

Thankfully, times are finally progressing and women are being looked at more equally. Not by much, but society is heading in the right direction. It is truly exciting to see events like the #metoo movement becoming a national phenomenon. All these women are coming forward and exposing the harsh realities many women have been plagued with. Also, some women are being paid equally in acting roles like Will & Grace and The Big Bang Theory. This past year was exciting because we had a woman director nominated for an Oscar. Greta Gerwig was the lucky women receiving recognition for writing and directing her film Lady Bird, which starred two incredible female actresses, Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Matcalf, in lead roles. Lady Bird follows the life of a young girl, Christine, who likes to be called Lady Bird. She embarks on a journey of self discovery, mother daughter bonding, and desperately trying to get out of Sacramento. 

Lady Bird official movie poster starring Saoirse Ronan, 2017.

Lady Bird stands out to me as a feminist movie because it is directed by a woman, written by a woman, and starring women in lead roles. In many cases, feminist movies are written and directed by men, such as with a recent movie by the name of Assassination Nation. This film was about three women standing up for themselves after being wrongly accused of committing a crime by a man. However, being written and directed by a male seems odd to me. How can a man know the full female feminist experience, without living it himself? How does it make the same impact if the art is coming from the mind of a man instead of a woman? These are the questions that go through my head quite often as a watch movies staring women, that are not by women. It comes across as men creating female roles using the stereotypes society has created for them. This goes back to an older reading, by Berger, where he said, “This nakedness is not, however, an expression of her own feelings; it is a sign of her submission to the owner’s feelings or demands”. Berger is exposing the truth behind the naked images/painting of women back in the day. The repression of women has been around since the beginning of time and honestly has only made advancements in the last hundred years, if even.

Lady Bird is not only feminist based upon the production team of women, but it has moments in the story that shine light on the importance of women in society. The premise focuses on a girl, who is struggling to find herself in a world dominated by men and advertising that tells us who we are supposed to be. When Lady Bird is at the grocery store with her best friend, about seven minutes into the movie, they stare at a magazine cover and ask a significant question, “Why don’t I look like her”. This is a question I think we have all asked ourselves at some point in our childhood, due to the fact these images of “perfection” flood our society.. This goes back to an older reading, by Berger, where he said, “This nakedness is not, however, an expression of her own feelings; it is a sign of her submission to the owner’s feelings or demands”. Berger is exposing the truth behind the naked images/painting of women back in the day. The repression of women has been around since the beginning of time and honestly has only made advancements in the last hundred years, if even.

Lady Bird is not only feminist based upon the production team of women, but it has moments in the story that shine light on the importance of women in society. The premise focuses on a girl, who is struggling to find herself in a world dominated by men and advertising that tells us who we are supposed to be. When Lady Bird is at the grocery store with her best friend, about seven minutes into the movie, they stare at a magazine cover and ask a significant question, “Why don’t I look like her”. This is a question I think we have all asked ourselves at some point in our childhood, due to the fact these images of “perfection” flood our society.This connects to a little article The Media and Body Image, written by Gunther Wykes. He states, “Repeated exposure to media stereotyping can create illusions that representations are truth simply through familiarity…”(Wykes, 216). This sentence explains what Lady Bird was feeling and what many of us feel. We are surrounded by advertisers’ idea of perfection about 24/7, so it is engraved in our brains as being what we think perfection is. Essentially it is brainwashing. Anyways, this scene in Greta’s film brings up how images effect the body image of girls.

Gerwig was the first woman in eight years to be nominated for an Oscar for best directing. Every year the majority, if not all, director nominations are of straight white male figures in Hollywood. Due to some backlash in recent years, the Oscar’s are becoming every so slightly more diverse. Jordan Peele was even nominated for the film Get Out. We are living in a time, where it is crucial for everyone to push for more growth within society. Equality begins with us. 


Works Cited:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/01/23/greta-gerwig-              and-jordan-peele-are-among-those-to-make-history-with-their-oscar-nominations/?                              utm_term=.5f13644691e9, Washingtonpost.com by Sonia Rao

Gunther Wykes,  The Media and Body Image

John Berger, Ways of Seeing