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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples

If you ever needed to run from a Titanic-sized Tyrannosaurus rex, you probably wouldn’t do that in Louboutins. This part, we can all agree on.

But it seems like many Western film directors have a whole different view of what women should be like onscreen. Teens with clear skin? Check. Women always wanting a baby? Yep. Putting freakin' lotion on before going to bed? Done. But life isn't a 2-hour-long reverie in motion and things are very different here.

No wonder people are getting seriously fed up with how unrealistically, and often just plain wrong, many popular movies portray female characters. Let’s take a look at some of the worst faux pas against women in film and hope this will be a wake-up call to whoever believed this nonsense.

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "In films that take place in a post-apocalyptic setting, women somehow still have shaven armpits/legs, perfectly plucked eyebrows, clear skin and sometimes still wear make up! Even if they had the time/supplies to shave/apply makeup, I'm pretty sure they won't care about all that if they're fearing for their lives."

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Live in huge, beautiful apartments when they work as underpaid journalists or small-shop owners.

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169points

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"Biggest cliché is that the vast majority of women sleep in their underwear and a tiny little top. Reality is we sleep in oversized T-shirts and that pair of leggings that have one too many rips/food stains on to wear in public."

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To find out more about why women’s representation onscreen is often so flawed and unrealistic, Bored Panda talked to MaryAnn Johanson, a pioneering online film critic at FlickFilosopher.com and the author of “Where Are the Women?”—a project which broke down the ways in which women are dismissed on screen.

MaryAnn explained that unfortunately, “women are so often portrayed as nothing more than support and encouragement for men as they undertake journeys of growth and discovery.” Moreover, women are also “often depicted as 'perfect' and in no need of growth and discovery themselves.”

Such representation of female characters on screen is truly harmful and gives a “terrible example” to show both boys and girls, men and women.

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "How 'fat' women, aren't fat. Bridget Jones? Not fat. Natalie from Love Actually? Not fat."

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165points

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "25-year-old actresses are cast as high schoolers, while 35-year-old actresses are cast as mothers of high schoolers."

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158points

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples I hate when the "ugly" person gets a 15-minute makeover and is suddenly the best looking person in the film. As a genuinely hideous person it makes me furious because there's probably someone out there who legit thinks that if I just got a makeover my face suddenly wouldn't look like a bouquet of elbows.

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151points

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According to the film critic, the second-worst thing about how women are diminished onscreen has to do with showing them as types. “So many movies have gangs of men doing whatever they're doing: The Leader, The Bad Boy, The Nerd, etc. And then there’s The Woman,” MaryAnn explained.

Representing women as a type gives viewers the wrong impression that female characters “don’t come in the same full range of human interests and talents as men do.”

MaryAnn said that she doesn’t really know the answer to just why so many male filmmakers choose this kind of female portrayal.

She wondered whether it may be “because male filmmakers are projecting their own fears about themselves onto female characters.” Or, “because male filmmakers are afraid of acknowledging that women come in the same full range of humanity—strong and weak, emotional and stoic, messed-up and got-it-together, and so on—as men do?” It may as well be because “male filmmakers don’t know any real women?”

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "Friends existing to talk about your guy troubles with. Sure, my girlfriends and I talk about guys, but we also talk about philosophy and what we’re reading and things we’ve discovered about ourselves lately and our latest workout routine and whether God exists and our cats and Harry Potter...for women in our thirties there’s a lot of Harry Potter."

ABC Report

Final score:

150points

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "Women in movies are always 'cool' because they’re “not like other girls.” This is established by showing them eating chicken wings, enjoying sports, or playing video games. They do all these things in full faces of makeup wearing designer clothes."

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148points

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People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples The geeky girls in high school movies who are supposed to be ugly are still really good looking.

TheSpaceMan1985 , Columbia Pictures Report

Final score:

145points

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MaryAnn explained that until the entirety of the filmmaking industry, from writers and directors to studio executives and festival programmers, is much more gender-balanced, nothing will change. “Storytellers tell stories that are important to them. We need more different kinds of people telling stories, stories that get seen and heard, than we have now.”

The film critic believes that the worst part of such flawed female representation is that it generally tells the audience that women don’t matter that much. “Movies matter. Pop culture matters. The stories we tell each other matter. Children are listening, and they hear what we are saying.”

MaryAnn warned that these “kids become adults with warped ideas about the wide variety of women’s actual experiences—which are so much wider than what we see onscreen—and what women want out of life, which is so much more than what we see onscreen.” She concluded that this is totally unacceptable, and that “the culture that has so far not accorded women the same full humanity it accords men has to change.”

#10

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "Start having an orgasm two seconds into sex. No foreplay needed, apparently don’t need to discuss if they needed a condom/if she’s on the pill, has perfectly matching underwear on for the occasion which is so nice she feels the need to keep the bra on and OF COURSE doesn’t need to pee afterwards. They just snuggle and fall asleep in each other’s arms without any need to clean up or worry about UTIs. Soooo realistic!"

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142points

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#11

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples All women wanting babies, and those who say they don't end up changing their minds and having them anyway

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#12

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "Every time they show a woman taking a shower by herself, she's always caressing her hair/body in a way no normal human being would when simply taking a shower. Also, she's usually clearly wearing eye liner and false lashes, at the very least...in the damn shower."

Cammon Randle Report

Final score:

138points

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#13

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "Working out without putting their hair up - the worst offender is She’s the Man, that final scene where Amanda Bynes plays the whole second half with her hair just whipping in her face drive me nuts. Someone would have given that girl a hair tie."

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134points

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#14

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "For the love of god, put in a teenager with acne or braces or something into a film set in a high school. Teenagers are always depicted with, clear skin and fully developed. NOBODY looked like that in high school!"

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128points

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#15

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "The way women have to always dress ‘feminine’ even in disaster situations! Like Jurassic World – they have their main female character running away from DINOSAURS in high heels...freaking t-rexs and velociraptors and running through the jungle...but no let’s make sure she stays in her skirt and heels (and her makeup will be messy but still pretty), so stupid."

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121points

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#16

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Wearing matching lingerie constantly.

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112points

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#17

"20-year-old actresses are cast as surgeons, astrophysicists, history professors, etc. Unless they were baby geniuses, there is no way someone that young would have risen so high in her profession (especially considering that, because of prejudice and discrimination, it often takes women longer to climb the ladder.)"

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111points

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#18

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Women before the 1930's who shave their legs and armpits.

murderousbudgie , Walt Disney Pictures Report

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111points

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#19

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Any time that women vomit in movies, it's an indication of pregnancy.

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103points

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#20

85 pound women in badass jobs like assassins or secret agents or super heroes. You need more muscle for these big fights you win.

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100points

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#21

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "I really hate how women always seem to be really skinny (and it’s not the women’s fault at all, I don’t want to shame them for being skinny) but I would like to see a woman who wasn’t necessarily plus-size (though we need more leads who are) but weighs 160 pounds rather than 120."

Columbia Pictures Report

Final score:

95points

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Rabbit Carrot 4 years ago (edited)

I’d like to see a bigger sized actress in the lead role rather than seeing her as the fat but funny sidekick.

114points

CatWoman312 4 years ago

Yes please and also not make it some stupid rom-com where the guy doesn’t see her as fat but who is truly is. Just make it a normal movie without the stupid cliches

15points

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Daria B 4 years ago

I recommend you watch Spy, with Melissa McCarthy. It was actually nice.

13points

sabocat 4 years ago

hear hear

4points

Isabella R.W. 4 years ago

You should watch 'Isn't It Romantic?' Good movie 👍

1point

A.M. Pierre 4 years ago

At a community pool once I overheard a teenage girl who was about 5'10", average build, and neither under nor over weight loudly saying "the doctor weighed me and said 'oh, you're still 155' and I'm like "you crazy! Look at me! I don't weigh more than 120!'" I am looking at you. And 155 for 5'10" with an average build is fine. If you weighed 120 with that height and skeletal build you'd look emaciated. It is definitely pounded into girls' and women's heads that around 110-120 is "what women weigh" or is the "ideal weight." Ideal weight varies WILDLY depending on your height, frame size, and muscle mass.

7points

MarTD 4 years ago

We had a conversation about this yesterday discussing why we like British TV shows. It was that usually the actors looked like real people, not models, and older chubby women and men could have a great sex life or love life.

6points

Katerina Huskova 4 years ago

Yes. You can see mostly XS or XXL...just why?

5points

Mimi M 4 years ago

Skinny but with big boobs - totally unrealistic. Have a skinny woman, with her natural body.

3points

Nothanks L. Walk 4 years ago

160 is what 70, 75 in kilograms? That's a pretty slight girl. Mind you 120 pounds sounds like a large child to me, but then friesians are a pretty tall people.

3points

sylvanticx 3 years ago

I'd like to see a woman with kids who actually looks like a woman who has given birth to babies

2points

Stannous Flouride 4 years ago

Nia Vardalos sort of broke through with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" but it took her writing the movie itself and trying for years to get it produced. And she was curvy at most.

2points

Meyer Weinstock 4 years ago

Coming from a certain ethnic group here in the US, Vardalos is still too skinny. -Dr M (not a nutritionist)

2points

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Leo Domitrix 4 years ago

I'd be happy to see osmeone in a normal weight-height-age range. Just that.

1point

Wilson Pickett 4 years ago

Janine Garafolo

0points

Daria Z 4 years ago

My weight doesn't change since I was 15 y/o. It's always the same 50 kg, +/- 2 kg. I really cannot help it.

0points

Tabitha L 4 years ago

I'm not sure why someone downvoted you. I don't think people are saying that they should eliminate skinny characters, but rather show a mix of sizes. And I really hope you don't get a hard time for your weight. I had a very skinny friend who was always being told to "eat more".

6points

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Marcellus the Third 4 years ago

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#22

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Shop or get a manicure as a way to resolve their problems.

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95points

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#23

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "What REALLY pisses me off is women always having perfect makeup and hair in catastrophe movies. For example, in Bird Box, the world has 'ended' four years ago and Malorie still has perfect eyelash extensions. How???"

Netflix Report

Final score:

93points

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#24

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Women running at almost top speed in high heels while in the real world, I can barely walk in them after a couple hours.

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92points

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#25

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "I’m sure some women definitely do this, but going to sleep with their hair down and then waking up with it still in perfect condition and an amazing sheen. I have to sleep with my hair up to be comfortable and I still wake up looking like Edward Scissorhands."

imdb Report

Final score:

80points

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#26

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "It's both super fast and super terrifying. Nobody is ever counting contractions, trying countless positions to ease the pain, doing breathing exercises etc. The woman always loses her shit from labour pain and gives up her birth plan altogether and dramatically begs for epidural, only to be told it's too late, and it's time to give birth, even though it's only been like half an hour. On that note, movies never depict the actual size of late pregnancy, even when said woman is in delivery. Everybody looks six months pregnant max."

The Asylum Report

Final score:

79points

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#27

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Eat food seductively

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#28

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "I can't even with giggly fashion montages and women acting like shopping will heal all mental wounds in the span of time it takes to max out a credit card. First of all, if I maxed out a credit card, I'd flip out and beg the store to take my purchase back, not giggle at how silly I am to spend so much money. Second, I doubt a freelance article writer in NYC can afford to twirl around in dresses all day and spend $2000 in an afternoon."

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71points

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#29

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Lounge around the house wearing super-cute clothes or lingerie.

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67points

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#30

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "That working moms are shown as being overworked, overwhelmed, and never having time for their families, and they always feel guilty leaving their kids at daycare or with a babysitter. First of all, the father is rarely depicted as feeling guilty for being away from his kids. Secondly, most working moms I know have a good work-life balance and feel fulfilled and happy with their careers."

Netflix Report

Final score:

45points

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#31

The number of misunderstandings.

If I get into an argument in real life, I explain down to the tiniest detail why I'm so pissed.

Also, why is everyone's house so clean. Even movie moms - What is that? No stray Cheetos, random toys, grubby counters?

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30points

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#32

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples Sleep in luxurious eye masks and pajama sets

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27points

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#33

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "When every single woman in a film puts on hand lotion right before bed. Does anyone actually do this?!"

CBS Report

Final score:

26points

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#34

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples When women wake up looking amazing

that_girl2014 Report

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24points

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#35

People Are Sharing What Unrealistic Things About Women Shown In Movies Bother Them The Most And Here Are 30 Examples "I’ve literally never seen a female character on their period/talk about their period...like, are they magical unicorns who never suffer the hell we have every month?"

Paramount Pictures Report

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19points

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#36

"Wearing bras, crop tops, camisoles, or other light upper-garments to bed. Or even more egregiously, during sex. And then pull the sheets right up to their bloody chin. Men like to sleep naked, women like to sleep naked, and odds are reasonably high that if you've just had any kind of sex, you probably won't have had clothes on. I know it's all to avoid higher ratings because for some reason female nipples are obscene, but really??!!"

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Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

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What do you think ?

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Pamela24 4 years ago

I don't know, a lot of these points are completely ridiculous and extremely easy to explain by the simple fact that movies simply don't have the time (and reason) to show the "reallness". Like with the illness being always an indication of pregnancy. Unless there's a subplot about her catching a stomach bug, why would any director/screenwriter ever write it in just for the heck of it? And having a stomach bug makes rarely for an interesting story.

30points

Monday 4 years ago

Yup...a lot of these are just people nitpicking and complaining for the sake of complaining.

14points

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Daria Z 4 years ago

Yes but some variety would be refreshing ;)

4points

Miss Cris 4 years ago

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Hans 4 years ago

I think there is a simple reason for this: movies ought not to be realistic. Gender nonwithstanding, movies transport clichés according to their viewers' liking.

13points

Monday 4 years ago

THIS. If people want realism they should stick to documentaries.

8points

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Silvaqua 4 years ago

Movies can set an idea of what's normal for us, so I do think it matters. I lived with a family who had 2 pre-teen sons. The boys believed there was something wrong with them because they didn't have girlfriends - but Zack and Cody on Suite Life did!

8points

Edo Alva 4 years ago

Great! Now do the ones for men too. These things have always been unrealistic since like, forever.

6points

Martha Meyer 4 years ago

Why don't you do them? Anyone can post on BP.

2points

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Shelby P 4 years ago

well, there are a lot of significant problems with how women are portrayed in hollywood, but this list addresses none of them...

5points

Jonanice Kitt 4 years ago

Yeah this list came off as ok but many weak responses. Perhaps to keep the post lighter..?

1point

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Tim Bijlsma 4 years ago

Well it's the movies, lots of things are cringe. Nobody locks their car eighter in the movies haha.

5points

Theodore Triant 4 years ago

if anyone reading this is thinking that movies show us how things are rather than what we want to see, please reconsider that. Also, what studios care most about is sales and what women like factors hugely into into this by way of things like focus groups. There are many genres, such as rom coms, that cater almost exclusively to the female perspective. Some things to consider

3points

stupi001 4 years ago

Theodore Triant good

0points

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Nastassja Ficko Soklič 4 years ago

Movies aren't supposed to be realistic in the first place anyway, why nitpick every little thing?

2points

JenJen 4 years ago

It seems to me that some people should watch lengthy documentaries instead of movies.

2points

Shelly Collins 3 years ago

Well I can't agree with #26. I looked 6 months pregnant and had a 30 minute delivery.

1point

Eagle Girl 4 years ago

As they sat in 'Mean Girls', This is Girl-on-Girl-Crime. Women judging other women for liking Rom-Coms.

1point

Jay Son 2 years ago

I agree with the article, the same can be said for pornography, it gives us a distorted expectation,

0points

David Anderson 3 years ago

Number 17 is bullshit! "because of prejudice and discrimination it takes women longer to climb the ladder. I'm tired of this modern day victim mentality. Women can excel in fields if they want to now a day's. It's not the 1920's

0points

Irma 3 years ago

Not women. Just everybody. Leaving a bar or restaurant without finishing your drink or paying for it

0points

Kelly Wood 3 years ago

Number 30 comment I find incorrect.

0points

Bacony Cakes 4 years ago

Better than that other one about criticizing the concept of anthropomorphism.

0points

fenderfan85 4 years ago

Damn lol. So many angry, jealous, ugly women in the comments lol. Relax Karen's of bored panda....THEY ARE F*****G MOVIES.

-1point

Esha May 4 years ago

fenderfan85 Good response!

-1point

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Bart Moore 4 years ago

Pretty lame article

-2points

hosang1337 4 years ago

Bart Moore what

0points

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JacPot 4 years ago

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Scyth 4 years ago

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Pamela24 4 years ago

30points

Monday 4 years ago

Yup...a lot of these are just people nitpicking and complaining for the sake of complaining.

14points

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Daria Z 4 years ago

Yes but some variety would be refreshing ;)

4points

Miss Cris 4 years ago

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Hans 4 years ago

I think there is a simple reason for this: movies ought not to be realistic. Gender nonwithstanding, movies transport clichés according to their viewers' liking.

13points