Historically, art’s perpetuation of a woman’s role has always been constricting and limiting. While men are free to pursue their careers while falling in love and raising a family, a woman’s ultimate fate is to decide: love or their career.
As a media that has one of the greatest influences on society today, repeatedly representing this theme in movies only serves to preserve the stereotype of the ultimate choice. Popular movies like “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and “Eat, Pray, Love” depict this recurring theme of the female main character ultimately leaving her career behind to dedicate herself to her true love or pursue a runaway romance.
Others, like “La La Land,” focus more on the idea of having to choose one’s dreams over love, with Mia leaving to become an actress and Sebastian leaving to pursue his musical career. Or “The Devil Wears Prada,” where Andy, the main character, is so consumed by work that it puts a strain on her relationship with Nate who ultimately decides they need to break up.
Those who defend these kinds of plots in filmmaking argue that the isolation provides a greater ability to delve deeper into the character and allows for more dramatic personalities in the movie. Oftentimes, this choice is also interpreted as a result of the character’s past and helps bring complexity to them. Ultimately, the supporters’ reasoning boils down to the idea that an ultimatum is the only way to create a compelling piece of work.
However, successful movies have argued otherwise. One of Disney’s highest-grossing films, and my all-time favorite, “Tangled,” portrays the story of Rapunzel: a character who aspires to discover the meaning of the lanterns and her past while falling in love with the outlaw Flynn Rider. Or, in the world-renowned “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, the directors show Elizabeth Swann’s journey to becoming the leader of the crew while continuing to develop her love story with Will Turner.
In both of these films, intertwining aspirations with love doesn’t take away from the complexity of the characters, nor does it take away from the appeal of the plot. Instead, it enhances the versatility of the leads and provides varying stories to captivate the audience.
Encouraging and supporting films that combine both sides—love and career—will only have positive effects on both the filmmakers and the viewers. For the directors, this combination allows for a more meaningful story to be brought to the female leads, helping increase the relatability and thus the film’s popularity, which we see in “Pirates of the Caribbean” that currently stands at one of the highest grossing films globally. For the audience that watches the portrayals of the characters, they no longer feel the pressure of having to choose.
A film has the power to impress its ideas onto young girls around the world, whether in creating or breaking down stereotypes. Ultimately, acknowledging that a woman can have both love and a successful career doesn’t mean diminishing one in favor of the other, because a woman’s life is more than just this singular conflict.
