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  • Jamie Belding

the femme fatale

By Jamie Belding

“Life’s a bitch, now so am I.”

Batman Returns (1992)


Is she a badass? Or just another sexist trope to belittle women on the big screen? The Femme Fatale is known as one of the most iconic staples in film, dating back to as early as the 1910s. She is an independent, mysterious, and alluring woman who is confident in her sexuality and uses it to her advantage. The Femme Fatale is known to manipulate men to get what she wants, ultimately leading to their demise. Empowering, right? A woman who knows what she wants, and grabs it by the balls! In some circumstances, maybe. But, the history of the Femme Fatale is far from it.


During World War II, women in the United States were left with empty homes while men were drafted to fight on enemy lines. Women, for once, had a sense of independence in their lives. They had no husband to answer to, as the man of the house was gone, leaving her with her own household to oversee. When soldiers returned to their wives after the war, there was an increasing paranoia that their wives were unfaithful in their absence. Sooner or later, this paranoia made its way to Hollywood in the form of the Femme Fatale. Charles Vidor’s Gilda (1946) follows Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), a gambler who cheats in a game of blackjack and talks his way into a job at the casino, where he later runs into his ex-lover, Gilda Mundson (Rita Hayworth). Throughout the film, Gilda is seen with several different men as a way to make Johnny jealous. Johnny, assuming that she is sleeping around, despises her for this. However, she is actually married to another man the entire time, and she remains faithful in her relationship, much to Johnny’s surprise. Johnny admits his love for Gilda once she proves to him that she is not promiscuous after all. Gilda is a direct example of the anxieties that men had regarding unfaithful women. Gilda is villainized for her sensuality throughout the film, which reflects the opinions men and the collective society of the 1940s felt toward women who openly expressed their sexuality and desires.


Furthermore, while the men were at war, the women on domestic soil got jobs to support wartime efforts. They worked as truck drivers, aircraft mechanics and test pilots, laboratory technicians, radio operators, and many other traditionally masculine positions. Because of this, men worried that women would have a newfound desire to have their own careers and reject their previous roles of housemakers and mothers once the war was over. Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce (1945) expresses the disapproval that was associated with the working women of the 1940s. The film is about a recently divorced mother named Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) who raises her two daughters on her own. Despite Mildred’s success as a waitress, her eldest daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth) resents her for working, as she thinks that it degrades their social status. In this unique circumstance, the Femme Fatale (Vida) plots the demise of another female character (Mildred). Vida is portrayed as a spoiled young woman, demanding the best of the best. She represents societal anxieties that women will become materialistic at the first sight of money, tarnishing their image of innocence and virtue. Mildred, from one perspective, represents a strong, independent woman capable of getting by on her own. However, throughout the film, Mildred’s demise is represented as the consequence of her entering the workforce, suggesting that women would be better off at home. Her accomplishments as a single working mother were overshadowed by societal expectations expected of women.


Continuing on, modern takes on the Femme Fatale give female characters more depth and reasoning behind their actions as opposed to their subordinate roles in the 1940s. David Leitch’s Bullet Train (2022) may have gotten more attention for its stacked cast and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s majestic mustache, but the character of Prince, played by Joey King, was rather overlooked. Prince put on an act of innocence and fragility throughout the film in order to manipulate the male protagonists around her. However, she is the one pulling the strings in order to get revenge on her father for mistreating her throughout her childhood. Prince is an example of a more empowering and less misogynistic representation of the Femme Fatale. She uses stereotypical feminine traits other than her sexuality that people (often men) associate with weakness to her advantage. The fact that the other characters in the film buy into her act so easily can be interpreted as a social commentary on gender norms and internal biases that seem old-fashioned, but still carry over into our culture today. Her act of naivety allowed her to slip under the radar of the other characters and get away with nearly everything until she is found out by Tangerine (Brian Tyree Henry), a hitman on the train.


A major flaw of the classic Femme Fatale of the 1940s that I tend to dwell on would be a lack of motive for her actions. Her entire identity circles around that of the male protagonist. Basically, her only personality trait is destroying a man’s life without any explained reason. Thankfully, modern films are including more and more narratives centered around complex female characters that have depth behind their actions and their character themselves. Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2020) follows Cassie (Carey Mulligan) as she seeks revenge for her friend who suffered a sexual assault years ago. Cassie goes out to bars, pretends to be blackout drunk, and allows a “nice guy” to take her home. Realistically, the men that take her home try to take advantage of her, initiating sexual acts despite her faking nearly passing out. Cassie then reveals to them that she is not in fact drunk, and threatens the guys that try to take advantage of her in the hopes that they will never try to do it to another woman again. It's hard to label Cassie as a Femme Fatale, as the audience is rooting for her vigilante-like actions. However, the way that Cassie seeks out help from “nice guys” is a perfect example of using her femininity as a weapon. The film itself criticizes rape culture, seeing that men who take advantage of women are often everyday guys who appear to be harmless. Cassie’s way of using this in her favor is kind of sad, because of how realistic it is, but can also be interpreted as using a so-called “weakness” (her vulnerability as a drunk woman) as a weapon.


Although there are several flaws with the Femme Fatale trope’s origin, you have to give some credit for the female representation in film for its time. Films featuring Femme Fatales in the 1940s included a woman playing a lead character, which often gave a strong narrative for the female lead. It may not have been perfect, but a woman being portrayed as intelligent, independent, and complex is quite impressive for the time period. The influence of the Femme Fatale is very recognizable in movies today, and we can admire how far women have come in terms of representation on the big screen. I always see posts on social media about boys feeling empowered after watching superhero movies in the theater, wishing I could relate to that feeling. After watching The Avengers, boys would admire how cool Captain America looks throwing his shield, Iron Man flying in his suit, or Thor wielding his mighty hammer. Meanwhile, I sat through several unnecessary ass shots of Scarlett Johanson, thinking “Where are everyone else’s ass shots? Am I missing something here?” Watching badass, complex female characters gives me the same empowerment that guys get after watching superhero movies. Seeing Megan Fox possessed by a boy-killing demon in Jennifer’s Body (2009) is something so personal to me. After watching Gone Girl (2014) for the first time, I immediately tried to memorize Amy Dunne’s iconic “cool girl” monologue. It's simple things like this that make me connect with my femininity, and I can only dream of the future achievements that women will have within the future of film and female empowerment.


Edited by: Sofia Brickner and Kate Castello


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