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Where Are the Women? We Are Your Friends

Wed Aug 26 2015, 07:02pm | 2 comments

Oh, there are lots of women onscreen. They are silent, and gyrate slowly at poolside or stripper-pole-side…

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: 0

-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]

+10

Is there a female character with significant screen time who grows, changes, and/or learns something over the course of the story? (for an ensemble cast, or a film with a male protagonist) [why this matters]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: 0

[no significant representation of women in authority]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: -55

-10

Is there a scene set in a strip club for no good reason? [why this matters]

-5

Is a woman or women used as decorative objects/set dressing? [why this matters]

-10

Are one or more either a protagonist or significant supporting character? [why this matters]

-20

Is this a major recurring visual motif? [why this matters]

-5

Does this include breasts bouncing in slo-mo? [why this matters]

-5

Does this include gratuitous “booty” shots? [why this matters]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -10

-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 who is primarily defined by her emotional and/or sexual relationship with a man or men? [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: -65

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

IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? Yes, one of three credited (Meaghan Oppenheimer) (does not impact scoring)

BOTTOM LINE: Oh, there are lots of women onscreen in this movie. Most of them don’t say a damn word, and need only gyrate slowly at poolside or stripper-pole-side to have served their purpose. But never fear! Women and their sexually taunting ways will never come between men when they have Art to make.

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

NOTE: This is not a “review” of We Are Your Friends! 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 We Are Your Friends.

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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