F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

This may seem like a random thing, but I just thought it was funny how I unintentionally ended up seeing the films Yentl and Tootsie over the past few weeks. They are both about the necessity of changing one’s sex in order to achieve or to get some desirable thing—of course the moral of the story is not to do it, because discrimination is wrong…so, there should be no need to change yourself in order to conform to some ideal (very simply stated). For instance, in Yentl, a young woman desires education but must dress up as a man in order to get it. Similarly, Tootsie involves a young struggling male actor who must dress up as a woman in order to get a particular acting role that will help him out financially. Essentially, both the female and male characters are being themselves, but are basically forced to wear a mask (change their outer appearance) in order to get “accepted�—which makes it quite ironic. I really love these kinds of stories, because they truly reveal how ridiculous society can be. We are told to believe that a certain type of individual (mostly white male, middle/upper class, straight…) has a certain power or superiority over another. But, it’s all façade. I know it’s very elementary and what mom always used to say, but it’s very important to know that “it’s what inside that counts the most.� So, we can be the most masculine, white, rich, heterosexual in the world and still be the most selfish, cruel, and heartless individual. Sometimes using the most simple/common sense can be the most effective tool in fighting the most complicated and abusive issue like sexual discrimination.
And, as a side note:
I really recommend seeing Tootsie—very, very funny, and quite the cast!
Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084805/
But Yentl—was “o.k,� my friend’s a huge fan of hers so that’s mostly why I decided to give in and check it out.