Thelma and Louise
Feminism is the movement to achieve gender equality in terms of rights and opportunities. Feminism is not women striving to be equal to men. We want to be different, but on the same playing field. I, for one, do not want to be compared to a man.
In the film Thelma and Louise, many restrictions to women are broken, but they are unable to break free and define feminism. Instead, their entire journey is a betrayal to feminism. From the very beginning of the film, Thelma and Louise are placed into positions stereotypically held by women, a waitress and a homemaker. Until the very end, they are unable to shed themselves of these "womanly" roles. Louise is constantly mothering, telling Thelma what she can and cannot do, like order a drink. Thelma can't even leave for the trip without asking permission from her husband, and when she neglects to do this, he yells at her. Once they have set out on their "liberating" road trip, they don't last a day without being shoved back down into anti-feminist positions. Harlen sexually and physically abuses Thelma, proving that women are not safe on the road. Thelma and Louise rely on Jimmy at one point for money. Louise loses independence and resorts to having him get them money. Once the money is stolen by J.D., they learn to acquire it on their own, thanks to J.D.'s teachings. Their crimes are made comical. I was laughing watching Thelma pull of the robbery. Thelma and Louise are only a baby step into women's freedom and feminism in films. Many of their actions above show that they still rely on men for subsistence and that they could not have made it as far as they did without men.