Gender Stereotypes in Movies
This term refers to a female character whose only purpose is to support the male protagonist.
What is the “damsel in distress”?
In early Hollywood, actresses were often cast as innocent, pure characters known as this.
What is “the ingénue”?
The person responsible for directing how actors portray characters.
What is a director?
Animated films today often feature princesses who save themselves, instead of waiting for this
What is a lead / main hero?
A common stereotype shows men in films as strong, unemotional, and dominant.
What is toxic masculinity / traditional masculinity?
Women in early action films were rarely the main hero. Instead, they usually played this dependent role.
What is the love interest?
True or false: Women make up less than half of Hollywood film directors.
What is “true”?
Superhero movies now include more female heroes, but they were historically rare in this type of role.
What is a lead / main hero?
This test checks whether two named female characters talk to each other about something other than a man
What is the Bechdel Test?
This decade saw the rise of stronger, more independent female leads, thanks to films like Alien and Terminator.
What are the 1970s–1980s?
This term describes unequal pay between male and female actors.
What is the gender pay gap?
Many recent films focus on breaking this—rules society creates for how genders “should” behave.
What are gender norms?
This role is often given to women in romantic comedies—they exist to inspire the male hero and have little depth.
What is the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”?
This 1930s–40s film era featured powerful, witty female characters known as “screwball heroines.”
What is the Golden Age of Hollywood screwball comedy?
This famous award show has historically had very few nominations for female directors.
What are the Academy Awards (Oscars)?
This term describes a character who is shown as perfect and without flaws, often used to criticize poorly written strong female characters.
What is a “Mary Sue”?
A film "fails" this gender-representation test if the woman does not significantly influence the story’s outcome.
What is the Mako Mori Test?
This was one of the first female-driven blockbusters to demonstrate that women could lead major action franchises (don’t name the actress).
What is Alien?
This effect describes how audiences perceive characters based on camera angle and editing style, which can sexualize women more than men.
What is the “male gaze”?
This narrative trend subverts the historic idea that women must be defined by romance or motherhood.
What is “female autonomy” in storytelling?