Snow White, And The Challenge of Writing Women On Screen
by Ashley Griffin, Guest Editorial
Please note: For this article, I am focusing on how women are portrayed in media and the effect that has on media consumers. Obviously, there is a spectrum to gender identity and representation, but for the purposes of this article, I’m focusing on the historical portrayal of those who present as women in media. When I discuss women and/or men relating to a character of the opposite gender, I’m looking at it from a binary perspective for the purposes of this article - meant to discuss self-identifying men relating to female characters (and vice versa) and the potential problems that have historically arisen from cis men writing female characters and how that can be addressed.
So, a male screenwriter friend asked me for suggestions about writing female characters.
The question of “how to write women” has been floating around the industry since its inception, namely in relation to “how hard it is” or how often it’s not done well.
Writing women is an important topic. There have been numerous discourses about the fact that, percentage-wise, many, if not most, women are relegated to the “damsel in distress” arm candy role – pretty, hot girls whose only function is to be the “reward” the guy gets at the end. The first “Transformers” movie and the role Megan Fox portrays usually serve as the first example cited. If you haven’t heard of the Bechdel Test (a test that helps identify gender bias in mass media), this is it:
- Does the story have at least two women in it?
- Do they talk to each other?
- About something other than a man?
Take a minute and think through some recently released films. Do they pass? Based on statistics, it’s more than likely they don’t.
(SIDE NOTE: Sometimes, it is totally justified that a story does not pass the Bechdel test. Someone I know cited "Romeo and Juliet." I would argue that the conversations between Juliet and the Nurse do actually pass the test - although Romeo/Paris are important to all their conversations, they are not talking about "OMG - he's so cute. I want him!" They are using those men to explore deeper issues about their relationship and Juliet's life choices. In the "The Clock Strikes Nine When I Did Send the Nurse" scene, the nurse talks about everything BUT Romeo for most of it. And keep in mind - though "Romeo and Juliet" is a romance, at its heart, it's a story about the tragedy of blind feuds.)
In essence, the Bechdel test is a good general guide—and it's really good for discussing most Hollywood "moneymakers." But it's just a guide; no simple guide will solve the problem.
The discussion gets more complex when you start looking at films like “Sucker Punch,” – which claims to be a movie about female empowerment but depicts said females as “erotic fanboy stereotypes.” Personally, I actually really liked “Sucker Punch” – and I think it had some positive things to say, even though it may not have accomplished its “female empowerment” goal as successfully as it could have.
Most of us can agree that women are not always portrayed well, but we can’t all agree on how best to rectify that. For what it’s worth, here’s my two cents.
First of all, take a brief interlude and go watch/read the following:
Ted Talks: How Movies Teach Manhood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOqYebVhtc)
And:
Why Oz The Great And Powerful Is A Major Step Back For Women and Witches (https://jezebel.com/why-oz-the-great-and-powerful-is-a-major-step-back-for-5989268)
No, seriously, go. I’ll wait.
You done?
Awesome.
When thinking about this question, I started by asking myself which characters I identify with the most. Interestingly, they’re not all women:
Ofelia – “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Joan of Arc
The Little Mermaid (original Hans Christian Anderson story)
Elphaba – “Wicked”
Matilda – “Matilda” (the book)
Frodo – “Lord of the Rings”
Katurian – “The Pillowman”
When someone asks me who I’d love to play in the musical “Into The Woods” I want to give the answer: The Baker, or in “Pippin,” Pippin.
Two male characters.
I am a cis woman, so, for me, this experience of relating to male characters is not connected to a non-binary identity (although I think everyone, regardless of gender identity, is served by exploring, for lack of a better description, the “male”, “female” (and “in-between”) aspects to their identity – as Emma Watson so succinctly put it: “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive, both men and women should feel free to be strong.”)
Yes, there are major themes that connect all the characters listed above. Those are the themes I most strongly identify with personally. Everyone has their own.
But this is a personal illustration of a bigger point:
Many articles discuss the fact that since there are usually more male characters in a story than female (often there is just the “token” female), most women grow up learning to identify with a male character.
(Please note: As with points made throughout this entry, this is not a hard and fast rule. In fact, sometimes trying to "break" gender bias convention ends up causing more of a problem. There are more women in "Oz The Great and Powerful" than in "The Wizard of Oz." But it's still a far poorer film at portraying women.)
So sometimes I wonder, when and how do men relate to female characters? Does a little boy watch “The Wizard of Oz” more strongly relate to the Scarecrow – because he’s a boy, or to Dorothy – because she’s the protagonist? I tend to relate more to Frodo than Arwen or Spiderman than Mary Jane. I remember being in great turmoil as a child because I could never decide whether to play Peter Pan or Wendy. I’m still not sure.
And, for me, this had nothing to do with “gender” – it had to do with which characters I saw representing my experience as a human being. I was not often given examples of female characters who seemed to have any relationship to my participation in the world. That’s something that men don’t experience in the same way.
There was an article making the rounds a while back (I can’t seem to find it now) that cited a study where men were more likely to be upset when a traditionally male character was recast (and this crosses all identities – whether a traditionally cis, white, straight man was suddenly gay, or female, or non-white or trans, etc.) saying “Why does my character have to be X?” Then, revealingly changing to: “Why do I have to be X?” The people in this study didn’t seem to be able to empathize with someone different than them.
Likewise, they didn’t seem to be able to empathize with a human experience that they did not personally identify with.
If you’re unsure how to write female characters – or just want to get better at it- the first step is to make a list of all the female characters you identify with. For example, what roles would you like to play if you were an actor and a woman? Then, really start thinking about WHY you relate to that character. Why do you like them? What do you identify with? '
The truth is that both genders can be stereotyped. Think of same-gender characters you really don’t relate to – and figure out why. Now think of opposite-gender characters you don’t relate to – and figure out why. Take physical characteristics out of the equation. Imagine playing that part. Would you want to? Why or why not?
A really hot topic right now is female empowerment, especially in film. Now, I’m all for female empowerment. But the second I, or anyone else, try to write an “empowered female” – that being the sole goal – they’ve probably just killed any chance of ACTUALLY writing an empowered character.
First, you must write a good, well-rounded character with an arc. The vast majority of “politically correct” female characters I’ve seen actually feel more offensive and politically incorrect to me as a woman.
I’m a huge fairy tale fan - I found the Snow White character in “Snow White and the Huntsman” – you know, the supposed “badass” Snow with a sword in her hand - FAR more “politically incorrect” than the Snow in the original story. Putting a sword in her hand doesn’t make her a relatable character (and using traditionally masculine markers of “strength” doesn’t make anyone automatically “strong”). And you’ve completely missed the METAPHORIC significance of her journey in the original story. I found Snow to have no personality, no real want, and really, nothing I could relate to or empathize with, whereas I see all those things with Snow in the original story - even though her character is far from fleshed out.
The Snow White in the original Grimm brother’s story is, for all intents and purposes, an abused child. She is brave and doesn’t need a sword to show it. She’s kind, and that kindness is a huge strength. She is innocent and trusting, which doesn’t make her “stupid” in the context of this story; I think it makes her complex. Character traits we might admire cause Snow to put herself in danger. That’s an interesting idea – something that can be a strength but also a danger.
On the flip side, I find Ginnifer Goodwin’s Snow in the TV series “Once Upon a Time” to be both an empowered badass AND to have all the metaphoric elements inherent in the original story. But that’s because the creators of the show did more than just put a sword in her hand (which they do within the first five minutes of the pilot) – they made her a well-rounded character with strengths, flaws, wants, thoughts, and feelings. She has an arc. She grows and changes. She’s strong, she’s funny, she’s vulnerable. (Yes, she’s strong AND vulnerable.)
Women, just like men, can have contradictions. It makes them interesting, just like real people. Being vulnerable doesn't make her weak.
What does empowerment mean for a woman? Is it different from a man? I’m not sure. All I know is that simply transposing a masculine stereotype of “empowerment” onto a woman does not actually empower that woman.
I find the final scene of “Pan’s Labyrinth” – in which a young girl (Ofelia,) confronted by her abusive stepfather who is pointing a loaded gun at her, refuses to hand over her infant baby brother to him to be one of the most empowering scenes I’ve ever seen. A simple word: “No,” with the brave acceptance of the consequences such defiance will incur, does more than an armory of swords and guns ever could. Simply giving a girl a weapon doesn’t empower her. It can make her a “fanboy fetish” just as easily. I think this can be true for both genders. I find the moment Harry Potter walks into the forest to sacrifice himself for his friends far more meaningful and empowering than all the epic wand battles.
On the flip side (as my screenwriter friend pointed out), many writers write women as damsels in distress even though they don't realize it. Since women aren’t often the protagonists of the story (or sometimes even when they are), they end up being written as reactionary and passive instead of proactive. Stuff happens TO them. They don't DO stuff.
Interestingly, this is one of the issues I have with Kristen Stewart's Snow White in "Snow White and the Huntsman." Check out the film - then tell me what she actually DOES to advance her story.
Yeah, she's a little feisty. She tries to escape those trying to hurt her - but she is, in reality, basically lost and confused until she meets a bunch of guys who are like: "Follow me, I'll show you where to go." Then these same men go: "You're THE CHOSEN ONE - you have to lead us to victory."
And Snow just goes along for the ride.
Even the moment when she defeats the Evil Queen is basically an accident. This Snow - even though she has a sword in her hand, is really, at heart, a damsel in distress. "The Wizard of Oz" is the opposite. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion - the "sidekicks" are all given moments to be proactive. Even the Lion - depicted as a male damsel in distress for most of the movie - has moments of driving the action forward.
Above all, you must care and show empathy for your subject whenever your subject is “other” than yourself. This is true of a character of another gender, race, age, ethnicity, etc.
Portray women as human beings.
Think about your mothers and your sisters – what are their deepest fears? Secrets? Dreams? How do they process and express their feelings? How is it different than you? I’ve had to do that in reverse to write my male characters.
And it always stems from empathy.
Taking the physical out of it, what do I love about men? How would the men in my life process X differently than me? I’ve never had to deal with the pressure to “be a man” in contemporary society. But my friends have – and I can empathize with that. I may never have to face the pressure to prove my masculinity, but I have had to deal with feeling like I needed to prove myself to be “worthy,” “strong,” “what I’m supposed to be” – and I use that to inform my characters. I think when we stop thinking of women as objects in life – they’ll stop being portrayed as objects on film and in theater.
So here’s what it boils down to:
1.) Unless there is a GOOD reason, ensure everything you write passes the Bechdel Test. And even if your plot demands that not all three elements be met, you MUST give your female character(s) something driving them besides a man. I think the films of Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”) are brilliant examples of stories where romance is present, AND the stories pass the Bechdel test with flying colors.
2.) Give every character you write an objective and an arc. No matter how minor they are. Have at least five adjectives that describe every character.
3.) Tell a good story first and foremost. Don’t TRY and empower/make politically correct/etc. women. Tell a good story with good characters. Everyone will disagree on what empowerment is. But if you tell an effective, moving story – you can’t have gone too far wrong.
4.) Make your women active. Even if they're not the primary driving force behind a plot, give them thoughts, ideas, and actions. Don't make them purely passive and reactionary. (Even Alice in Wonderland, technically one of the most passive characters in literature… is active. She CHOOSES to follow the White Rabbit. She CHOOSES to talk back, leave, or go into new situations. And (in a bit of a “Kill the Cat” inverse… those around her are almost more passive than she is…not to mention surrealism just requires a whole different toolkit:
5.) Most importantly, empathize. Writers have been taught for years to understand and empathize with their characters – no matter how “evil” or “different” they are. Well, do the same for gender-opposite characters. Care about them. Understand them. Empathize, and relate to the real women around you. Talk to them, ask them questions.
Then, write real characters.
There are no hard and fast rules. There can be damsels in distress. There can be attractive women, just like there can be dumb tough guys. But the point is, that can't be ALL they are. It's difficult sometimes to understand the opposite gender. It's also difficult to understand an alien, a murderer, or a fairy.
But that's our job as writers. Care for women in real life. Do your best to understand the women around you. Then, you can start to write female characters that will matter to everyone.
I think Dustin Hoffman sums it up best:
And for more of a deep dive into the “Snow White” question: