Female unconventional role models in film are damaging?

Scott Mendelson makes some pointed comments towards the moralisers who seem to follow unconventional films with unparalled zeal. His examples for slightly left-field characters are brilliant, the Sex in the City girls materialism contrasting with Bella Swan’s fatally flawed teenage girl. These characters should be held up as tributes to real life, perhaps somewhat exaggerated but certainly not damaging role models. I fear for those people who find role models in films involving vampires, werewolves and characters called ‘Big.’ Mendelson points to some male characters, who seemingly do not get criticised as poor role models regardless of character flaws. These are okay, but don’t really hit the mark. What about Rorschach from Watchmen? A fugitive, vigilante murderer, yet a hero in the film. Leon from Luc Besson’s classic film of the same name? There is something unnerving about the burgeoning relationship with a 12 year old girl, the bed-sharing in the director’s cut only serves to underline this. Over and above the fact Leon kills for a living.

Mendelson himself ends brilliantly, so I will end with his well-chosen words

“So the question we really ought to be asking ourselves is why we’re so intolerant of female characters who get abused, while so gleefully accepting of male characters who do the abusing?”

Submitted by John deGraft-Johnson, Second Year