Betrayal of Feminism
In the very begininning of the movie we see Thelma at home with her husband and Louise at the diner where she works. Thelma is the steriotypical "weak" woman. Thelma feels the need to ask for permission from her husband but is too frightened. She has no strength of character, person, or mind. Louise is the opposite, manly to the greatest degree she has no kind of feminine charm about her. She is a man. As the movie progresses Thelma loses her weakness, but in this she also becomes manish. Her womanhood does not stay with her, and even in this new male state she hasn't the judgement to make good decisions. Steriotypically speaking she has the balls of a man without his brains.
An effective feminine portrayal would look very differently. Feminism means that women are equal to men, especially in a mental capacity, but it doesn't mean they are the same. A feminist can wear a dress, be kind, be beautiful, but she must have strength. All women must have strength in order to confront the obstacles we face due to our gender. Louise appears to have strength but it later is discovered that it is just a coverup, Thelma lacks strength but even when she gains it she is unequal in mental capacity. These two women are failures, allowing themselves to be put in bad places and making unwise and often unruly decisions.