Flick Chicks, by Mindy Kaling

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/flick-chicks

Flick Chicks, by Mindy Kaling, is an article published in the New Yorker magazine, discussing the women who populate romantic comedy films. Kaling’s favourite film genre is romantic comedies, but she begins to notice a pattern amongst the women written into the films. She describes them as fake, none existent, even going as far as to compare romantic comedies to sci-fi films. She goes on to describe these women, their titles as follows:

• The Klutz
• The Ethereal Weirdo
• The woman who is obsessed with her career and is no fun at all
• The forty-two-year-old mother of the thirty-year-old male lead
• The sassy best friend
• The skinny woman who is beautiful and toned but also gluttonous and disgusting
• The woman who works in an art gallery

The titles are fairly self explanatory, but when I think deeper about each one, I am reminded of the fact that these women simply exist in films (usually). This article is not as deep and thought provoking as many of the other articles I have read, however I found it to be an interesting commentary on the simplification of femininity in popular culture. Although it is not specifically stated, Kaling has a point about the way women are perceived in media. We are put into boxes, made to be simple so others can understand. For instance, in the Marvel universe, there are many male superheroes, all with interesting and complex backstories. However, for the few female superheroes, they are simplified. Audiences, particularly male, would rather ignore the female narrative. In turn, this has affected all types of media – including romantic comedies, which are often geared toward women. Even if Kaling doesn’t expressly state these views, her interesting take on her favourite movie genre leaves something to be said about Hollywood and it’s gross portrayal of women.