Women Are Sharing Movies And TV Shows They Say Don't Deserve Their Reputation As "Empowering For Women"

"It shows all of these boring, two-dimensional characters as they go about their unattainable lives, while wearing designer clothes we're all supposed to want to buy after watching the show. No one has pets, parents, siblings, disabilities, hobbies, etc."

We all know that women's representation in movies and television still has a long way to go. I mean, we're definitely in them, but are we always shown in the best — or most realistic — light?

20th Century Studios / Via youtube.com

Not exactly.

But even worse, there are certain movies and TV shows that present themselves as feminist and empowering or boast their "realistic" or "strong" female characters, when in reality, a lot of women find them problematic.

Warner Bros. Pictures / Via tenor.com

Recently, over on the Ask Women subreddit, redditor u/Phantomx7845 posed the question "What movie/TV show is presented as women empowering but is actually the opposite?"

The responses were definitely eye-opening and got me thinking a lot about what I personally find empowering or not. Here are some of the best responses:

1. Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)

Michael Courtney / ©The CW /Courtesy Everett Collection

"I love the show but gosh, the misogynistic comments and lack of intersectionality just kills me."

—u/Booklover30001

"Rory and Lorelai Gilmore are classic 'not-like-other-girls' girls." 

—u/Arwynfaun

2. Blonde (2022)

Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"It's pretty messed up, and it does more harm to Marilyn Monroe's memory than it does good."

—u/Virtual_hug_1997

"Extremely misogynistic. The director obviously doesn't like Marilyn or see her as a real person."

—u/ConsistentTip6508

3. Sex and the City (1998–2004)

HBO / Via youtube.com

—u/schoolme_straying

"It's an infomercial. It shows all of these boring, two-dimensional characters as they go about their unattainable lives, while wearing designer clothes we're all supposed to want to buy after watching the show. No one has pets, parents, siblings, disabilities, hobbies, etc."

—u/applebubbeline

4. That '70s Show (1998–2006)

20th Century Fox Film Corp.

—u/Potatoscanbeanything

"Women are talked down to a lot. Donna's acceptable to the group because she acts like 'one of the boys.' Jackie's femininity is presented as annoying, and she eventually turns into another 'cool girl/one of the boys.' The boys are allowed to be dimensional, and the girls are always slut shamed."

—u/shittyspacesuit

5. Rocket Power (1999–2004)

Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

—u/wheres_mayramaines

"Any of those '90s/early 2000s cartoons that are basically about a group of boys plus maybe one or two girls who tend to act more like the boys in order to earn their place in the group."

—u/Zeiserl

6. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

"It's presented as an empowering movie for queer women, but the actresses were allegedly harassed and put through hell by the male director."

celestialism

7. Pretty Woman (1990)

Buena Vista Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

"I loved this movie as a little girl. It was one that my mother and I would often watch together. Later though, when I could actually understand how it portrays women, in particularly sex workers, suddenly it doesn't seem so romantic."

—u/Amarminalie

8. He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

"It touts a lot of 'you don’t need a man to be happy,' but in the end, several female characters end up with a man that still wasn’t that into them. Very 'pick me' kinda vibes."

—u/LadyShaSha

9. Scrubs (2001–2010)

ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

"The way women are portrayed as overly self-conscious about and obsessively preoccupied with their appearance, weight, and femininity in general directly contradicts the shows half-hearted attempt at making female lead characters appear 'empowered.'"

—u/Lismale

"I think Elliot was written as a male writer’s response to the female stereotype of the 'dumb, hot blonde.' They were like 'seeee blondes can be smart and still be extremely insecure. Doesn’t that make her different and better?'”

—u/postcardmap45

10. Girlfriends (2000–2008)

Paramount Television/Courtesy Everett Collection

"Those girls risk everything for a man. And I was completely floored at them betraying each other every other episode and then having sushi like nothing happened."

—u/buenobars

"I watched the entire series again as an adult, and I quickly realized how toxic these friendships are."

—u/sherivero

11. Grey's Anatomy (2005–present)

ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

"Meredith Grey's 'pick me, choose me, love me' speech after Derek literally doesn't tell her he's MARRIED and that she's the other woman. Yikes."

—u/Creepy-Ingenuity5080

"The whole show is full of misogyny. Every episode."

—u/evezinto

12. Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

"This movie is about controlling women, not empowering them."

—u/redjessa

"Olivia Wilde intended it purely to be feminist, but it just left me extremely uncomfortable."

—u/4215265

13. The DUFF (2015)

Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

—u/BlackConverse020

"Why can’t we ever be shown examples of how to LOVE ourselves, instead of showing us a girl who hates herself, changes everything about herself for a guy, and then after the guy doesn’t want her, gives up and dates another guy who bullies her and treats her awful?"

—u/Creepy-Ingenuity5080

14. And finally, "Almost every Tyler Perry movie."

Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

—u/Concerned_Kanye_Fan

"His entire catalogue promotes the wrong message. His films show women in such tragic and awful situations, or they promote toxic ideologies for women, especially black women. I stopped engaging with Tyler Perry movies ages ago. I’m shocked he’s still around making films, sitcoms, and toxic soap operas. I truly think he doesn't like women and is a secret misogynist, but that’s another story for another day."

—u/yellowpowaranga

Obviously, not everyone is going to feel empowered (or unempowered) by the same thing. These are just a handful of opinions, so let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree with anything on this list!

And be sure to comment any other movies, TV shows, or other piece of media that you personally feel was presented to women as progressive or feminist, but was, in reality, anything but.