Where Are the Women? Absolutely Anything

The male protagonist uses his newly acquired godlike powers to treat women badly, as if they were nothing more than playthings for men.

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: -10

-10

Could the protagonist have been female without significantly impacting the film as a whole? (for a film with a male protagonist) [why this matters]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +7

Is there a female character (either a protagonist or a supporting character with significant screen time) in a position of authority (politics, law, medicine, etc.)? [why this matters]

Is there a woman whose role could easily have been played by a man? [why this matters]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0

[no issues]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -35

-5

Is femininity used as a joke (ie, a man crossdressing for humorous intent) in passing? [why this matters]

-5

Is there a female character whose primary goal is romantic (to get married, enter into a longterm relationship with a man, etc)? [why this matters]

-5

Is there a female character who is primarily defined by her emotional and/or sexual relationship with a man or men? [why this matters]

-10

Does a man police or attempt to police a woman’s sexual agency? [why this matters]

-10

Is there a female character who is sexually manipulated or abused by a male protagonist as a way to advance his story? [why this matters]

WILDCARD SCORE: 0

Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)

No.

TOTAL SCORE: -38

IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

BOTTOM LINE: The male protagonist uses his newly acquired godlike powers to treat women badly, as if they were nothing more than playthings for men… and only regrets it and reverses it when another man complains to him about it. Women exist in this story only for what they can do for men; the women’s wants and desires are of no import.

Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.

NOTE: This is not a “review” of Absolutely Anything! It is simply an examination of how well or how poorly it represents women. (A movie that represents women well can still be a terrible film; a movie that represents women poorly can still be a great film.) Read my review of Absolutely Anything.

See the full rating criteria. (Criteria that do not apply to this film have been deleted in this rating for maximum readability.)

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