Recently, a friend left a comment on this here blog in regards to my entry on “chick-flicks”. This comment, along with a recent happening at Best Buy, has inspired me to once again post on the topic. This friend, who shall remain nameless for the sake of making him sound more mysterious, attempted to define what a “chick-flick” is. And I quote:
“The best definition i can think of is a movie that inherently appeals to, and is marketed to a female audience. An addendum to that definition would be a film that is too girly for me to enjoy.”
Now I ask you, oh mystery friend, how does a company decide how to market to a female audience? What is it that has classified a movie “too girly” for you? What ideas and attitudes have led you to these conclusions? My answer would have to be the decades of brainwashing by the media from the moment you are born! Every aspect of commercialism and advertising has been given specific gender roles and characteristics. Things like having baby boys wear blue and baby girls wear pink. Or how about the mass industry of baby fashion? Where the clothes for boys are pretty much the same as for adult men but miniaturized as if to say “my baby is a little man”, while girls are dressed to look like little fragile princesses. What, I ask, is “too girly”? I guess the answer to that pretty much depends on the person, but that’s not even the point I’m trying to make here. My point, and what bothers me the most about the casual use of “chick flick” is that it is being used as a genre. It is NOT a genre. The genre of what most people call “chick flicks” is in fact a romantic comedy. “So what about those movies where all the lead characters are female?”, you might be inclined to ask. Well I’ll tell you. They’re a rare case of Hollywood stepping out of its sexist shell and believing that a group of leading ladies can carry a film.
Allow me to pose a scenario. Under what genre would you categorize a movie with the following plot:
Two disparate siblings who have lost a parent go on a journey of discovery as they come into conflict with each other in almost every scene until ultimately they see just how much they truly love each other and establish a bond like no other.
Would you say drama? Or would you say chick flick? Think about this one for a second, and then consider the following: when released under the title of Rain Man, the above movie went on to become one of the most powerful dramas ever put on screen. But, when this story came out as In Her Shoes, it was regarded as one of the most unsuccessful “chick flicks” to ever hit the movie world. It became the “what was Cameron Diaz thinking?” movie. The problem, all the “experts” said, was that it was too much of a girly movie. There is something seriously wrong with that.
So this is what happened at Best Buy. After I wrote about How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days here, they showed the movie on tv like 10 times in a week and I realized how much I really enjoy the movie. So I go to Best Buy to get that movie and anything else that might catch my attention. I ended up coming out with the classic King Kong Collection and How to Lose a Guy. This is how it all went down at the register:
Cashier Lady: [picking up How to Lose a Guy] Is this for you?
Me: Yes.
Cashier Lady: haha and you said yes! Are you serious?
Me: Yeah…it’s a great movie.
Cashier Lady: It’s a chick flick.
Me: Don’t get me started, I can’t stand that term. It’s a great rom-com.
Cashier Lady: [calling over the greeter] hey, what would you call this?
Greeter Guy: A chick flick.
Me: [to greeter guy] Chick flick is not a genre. A good movie is a good movie.
Greeter Guy: hey man, there’s no shame in it.
Me: hell yeah there’s no shame. I’m proud of buying this great movie.
True story.
You know what really bothers me? The fact that I just wrote this 700+ word post in about 10 minutes and it took me about 38 hours to come up with 480 words of my 1250-word essay due Wednesday.
...hold my watch, because if it breaks I'll kill everyone on this train
10 comments:
wow! i can't believe that really happened to you at best buy! lol, that's crazy! How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a really good movie. I wonder who first came up w/the words chick-flick to even describe movies...
I'm sure the term came from the obvious rhyme that is made from the word chick, (a common, some say denigrating, term for women, or young women made most popular in the fifties and the movie grease, which is a chick flick) and flick, (a common term refering to movies). Not really that much of a stretch of the imagination to see how it came to be. (And i was making that up about grease, i've never seen it.) But what about the movies labeled chick flicks that aren't comedies, what about the hardcore female dramas, titanic, Thelma and Louise, Fried Green Tomatoes (which is one of my favorite movies of all times, when they barbequed that guy i laughed loudly and I said you go girls.), divine secrets of the yah yah sisterhood, and the musicals like chicago, or grease, (Frank Sinatra musicals can't fall under these categories because nothing with Frank and Deano can be called girly.) Also many, not all rom coms, have topics that apply mainly to women rather than men. Like that movie with the lady from Will and Grace who gets the male prostitute to go as her date to a wedding. And you know what, i think your only problem with chick flicks is actually that it implys and people percieve that you are a chick by enjoying Chick flicks. my friend i am proud to say that i enjoy many chick flicks, not titanic, but the notebook, and fried green tomatoes, and thelma and louise, and how to lose a guy in ten days, which is a chick flick title for a film if i've ever heard one. And if your problem is really with the term chick then would you rather call them lady films, or Woman Movies. And the whole gender assingment thing, is a little bunk, since i watched a program last night, about a boy who had a horrible accident during his circumcision, and because of it was given a sex change operation, and without, hormones was raised to be a girl, and grew up lonely and out of place and strange and unhappy. Even though all he had ever known was that he was a girl, he often played violently, more like a boy than a girl, played with boys toys and rejected girls, and even dressed like a tom boy, even though he had long hair. And eventually had reconstructive surgery to look more like a man, when his brother found out his twin wasn't a girl but a boy, he got schizophrenia and eventually killed himself. In terms of gender identity, there is definately a strong case to be made for nature. Now i agree with you about the training men recieve to be emotionaly closed off and even disainfull of emotion at times (i speak from experience as one such male. Not the sex change but the other thing. Emotionaly closed off.) I don't really see a problem with the word chick, but then again i don't really have a problem with the n word so, i might not be the best judge on those kinds of things. Steel Magnolias was definatly a chick flick.
also did you see that Cameron diaz movie, what a stinker.
all the movies you mentioned are dramas. that's my problem with the term "chick flick", its being used as a genre, which it isn't. also when used in a insulting form, as if to say that if a movie is a chick flick it automatically means it's crap. they're just dramas. with women as the main characters. Hollywood is already a sexist industry as it is, by labeling these movies as "chick flicks" and blaming that as its reason for box-office failure will only further this sexism. But instead, women will only be given strong parts in all-female casts. in all other movies with a top-billed actor, she will forever remain "the girlfriend" or "love interest". keep in mind i use the words "only" very generally here. i agree with your nature thing, but don't really see it as a support to your argument.
by the way, Ian, i think these discourses we've had about Star Wars and chick flicks could very well end up in a movie, a la independent contractors for the Death Star in Clerks.
right on my friend you must needs keep these transcripts. But those dramas are labeled chick fliks, and not all romanntic comedies are chick flicks, i gotta be quick cuz i'm using a computer illegally in the library, Coming to America with Eddie Murphy is obviously a romantic comedy, but i don't think anyone in history has ever called it a chick flick, few even would classify it as romantic comedy. He's a prince unsatisfied with his arranged marriage who seeks a woman who fulfills him mentally and spiritually as well as physically, and one who doesn't just want his money, It's so funny they just call it a comedy. But with the Girl born a boy, i was just saying some things are naturally male and female, it's hard for me to say exactly what those things are but you see what i'm getting at? I'm not even sure what my point is. I think i might just be trying to explore the issue.
Duuuuude, I'm so stoked about SED and MCBI this winter break!! SWWWWWWEEEEEEEeeeeeet!
Mama! I'm glad there gonna let you out of your dim, lightless cell long enough to come! You should petition with the other dental inmates for air-conditioning and more exercise time. I'll be glad to see yuh mama.
awwwww... sweet sweet Ian! I too cannot wait to see you and all my joonams! =)
Now I have a real comment to make. I just watched bridgette jones diary 2 for the second time today. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I'm telling you it greatly unsettled me. For me it was basically like watching a monkey clamber in a cage throwing its feces and smearing itself with bananas for an hour and a half. Or i suppose 3 hours since i watched it twice. I honestly couldn't understand why this woman was acting the way she was, i wasn't sure if there were mistakes in editing, or if there was bad writing, or how people could actually enjoy watching this woman do things and believe things so contrary to reality. As if she were oh i don't know from venus, and like i was, say for the the point of analogy, from mars. Whats worse and what really scared me, was i talked to an expert in the area of interest, (a woman who is not my relative) and she told me, "all women think like taht, when i saw it in the movie theater, all the women in the place were chearing" CHEARING I SAY!!! this scared me. That I would one day have to search for a wife amongst such alien beings, made me question if i really even like women that much. (thats kind of a strange thing to say, but, i can only clarify by saying, not in terms of sexuality, thats not the question.) If theres ever been a movie to deserve the title chick flick, this is it.
MUNIB!!!!!! AGAIN! WHERE IS YOUR AMAZINGSELF? ITS BEen TOOOO LOOOONG SINCE WE'VE SPOKEN!
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