Betrayal Disguised as Empowering
I have come to believe that feminism is the idea of equality for both genders, not just women; while still setting forth positive and forward-moving actions. With that in mind, I think that the night at the hotel shows the betrayal of feminism, because both Thelma and Louise lose themselves in the moments with their respective male visitors. Thelma loses her inhibitions as J.D. recounts his days of robberies to her, without which she wouldn't have gotten the idea to rob a convenience store for money. She also wouldn't have been so careless to leave a thief in her room with Louise's money, which was careless and let down her friend. As strong as Louise starts out, she slowly lets her guard down when her boyfriend appears, with the promise of marriage. They then spend the night together, which seems to soften Louise's previously strong resolve. At the climax of the hotel scenes, I observed a very obvious role reversal between the women, when Louise breaks down upon discovery of the stolen money.
This is ovbiously not the only example of a bertayal of feminism, but there are so many examples roled into one "night". The film seems empowering as two women make a bonding trip across state lines; however their strong, aggressive, and sometimes violent personalities do not exemplify a positive and gender-equal film. The lead detective is even seen not as an equal to the women, but more passive and "traditionally" female by being soft on them and overly sensitive, instead of treating the two women like the fugitives that they are. Through out the film, the two women are constantly shown as aggressive and head-strong, and the most of the men they encounter become pawns in their journey until their death. Was it another punishment for taking their sisterly bonding onto the road? Perhaps.