BATTLE OF THE SEXES - THE QUEST FOR PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

Whenever you read a book, watch a movie, or listen to a piece of music, in what manner do you attempt to assess the final product? I mean, do you judge it by its own merits? Or do you judge it by how many people it represents? After all, proportional representation is very popular nowadays, especially in the movies, because it is often used as a predefined gauge so people can assess the quality of someone’s work.





But, in all fairness, is this really the right thing to do? Do we really need filmmakers to participate in a tick-box exercise in order to appease political correctness? I don’t think so, not totally, anyway, due to the fact that forced diversity can sometimes hurt a film and cause division among the public.

Well, let’s face it, would a prison-drama like The Green Mile be more moving if it featured more females? Or for that matter, would an animated-adventure like Frozen make more sense if it showcased more left-handed paraplegics? No. Of course not. As these films are just fine as they currently are, and to think otherwise, well, that way lies madness. Madness, or the need to change a story for the sake of someone's own personal ideology.

Now, to explain what I mean by this, I would like you to check out the following interactive infographic that explores the lack of female representation across the top 10 highest grossing superhero movies so far. Go on, check it out. Or alternatively, click here to load it up in a new window.

Powered by Battle of The Super Sexes

So, what did you think of it, dear reader? What did you think about this infographic and what it's trying to represent?  Because, between me and you, I thought that it was fairly accurate, in part, and was exhibited in a very clear and concise fashion. Particularly how it was able to highlight that 91% of all screen-time is commonly dominated by male characters, rather than their female counterparts.

Having said that, though, this infographic was also very biased in its tone and objective, keeping in mind that it deliberately selected a group of films which they knew would fit a certain narrative, the male versus female narrative. What's more, it also ignored the fact that: (1) Certain male actors bring more money to the films they star in, i.e. Robert Downey Junior; (2) Most of these stories were adapted from comic books which didn't heavily feature the fairer sex; And (3) Let's not forget about all of those female comic book movies which have been released over the years, such as Catwoman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Elektra, Captain Marvel, Barb Wire, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, plus both the X-Men and Fantastic Four film franchises, among others.

Besides, both DC and Marvel are currently trying to balance out some of these inequities one step at a time. For example, Marvel are paying some of their female actors more money due to their longevity and hard-work (such as Scarlett Johansson, a.k.a. the Black Widow, for her continued popularity on the Avengers films),  and along similar lines, both companies are setting up new properties which will predominantly feature female leads (such as Margot Robbie's up-and-coming spin-off, 'Birds of Prey').

That said, however, representation in itself isn't always enough to make a good movie: As they also need talent, they also need creativity, and they also need a driving force that brings people together rather than pushing them apart. Which can be done, that's for sure, and is reflected in the following poll set-up by Fandango that shines a light on the female superheroes seen on the silver screen. Please enjoy.

Favorite Female Superhero Performances:

1. Gal Gadot as the title character in “Wonder Woman”.
2. Zoe Saldana as Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
3. Letitia Wright as Shuri in “Black Panther”.
4. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in “The Avengers”.
5. Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”.
6. Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.
7. Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”.
8. Holly Hunter as Elastigirl in “The Incredibles”.
9. Dafne Keen as X-23 in “Logan”.
10. Zazie Beetz as Domino in “Deadpool 2”.

Favorite Female Supervillain Performances:

1. Cate Blanchett as Hela in “Thor: Ragnarok”.
2. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad”.
3. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in “The Dark Knight Rises”.
4. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in “Batman Returns”.
5. Kathryn Hahn as Doc Ock in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”.
6. Rebecca Romijn as Mystique in “X-Men”.
7. Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight in “Avengers: Infinity War”.
8. Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy in “Batman & Robin”.
9. Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost in “Ant-Man and the Wasp”.
10. Elena Anaya as Doctor Poison in “Wonder Woman”.

In closing, I would just like to thank Fandango and bojoko for allowing me to use their information in this article, before encouraging you to check out their respective sites.