As a woman who has grown up in an era where the right to choose has been under constant attack, I find it disheartening and frustrating that Hollywood, a platform with immense influence, continues to overlook the importance of portraying abortion and reproductive health issues authentically on screen. The statistics presented in Stacy L. Smith’s report are alarming, especially when we consider the significant role these narratives play in shaping societal perceptions.
As a movie enthusiast, I was struck by the fact that out of the top 100 box office hits of 2023, only one film, Blumhouse/Universal’s horror flick Exorcist: Believer, features a depiction of abortion – and it’s delivered by a demon character. The line goes like this: “She was scraped out, just like a rotten pumpkin, your baby,” the demon maliciously says while tormenting Ann Dowd’s character, who played a woman grappling with an abortion from her past.
As a gamer in 2023, I’ve noticed that while roughly 40% of women under 30 consider abortion a crucial topic in this year’s election, it seems to be largely overlooked in the world of popular movies. A recent study from Stacy L. Smith at USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative titled “The Prevalence & Context of Reproductive Health Portrayals Across 100 Popular Films” has revealed this striking silence on the topic. Interestingly, even after the overturning of Roe v Wade in the following year, none of Hollywood’s major films featured any discussions about abortion as a medical procedure or mentioned medications like Plan B.
Smith pointed out that access to abortion and reproductive healthcare are crucial topics in the upcoming vote. However, he noted that these issues were given just 3 minutes and 12 seconds of attention by Hollywood in over 200 hours of film content last year. Smith criticized the movie industry for failing to portray abortion realistically, insightfully, and with depth.
Smith suggests that the lack of abortion references in films may be due, in part, to the predominantly male demographic of big-screen storytellers. In the past 17 years, 93.5% of directors, 87% of writers, and 77.9% of producers were men, according to a study. The research brief explains that many stories presented on the largest screens in the U.S. and globally are told from a single gender’s perspective.
As a gamer, I’d say: “In the world of cinema, it was found that around 42% of the year’s top films delved into various aspects of reproductive health, primarily focusing on pregnancy. These films also tackled themes like miscarriage, infertility, contraception, abortion, and menstruation, offering a broader perspective on overall reproductive wellness.
In total, fifty-three female characters portrayed pregnancy in these movies, but only fifty-one actually appeared on the screen. This equates to 3.3% of all adult or adolescent women seen in popular films. Few teenage pregnancies were depicted, and a vast majority (80.4%) of the characters were involved in long-term relationships.
In the year 2023’s most popular movies, only two stories dealt with infertility, both set in historical periods and focusing on male characters’ despair. In Apple’s film Napoleon, Vanessa Kirby’s character Josephine is unable to produce a male heir for Joaquin Phoenix’s Napoleon, leading to their divorce; while in His Only Son from Angel Studios, Sarah is unable to conceive for Abraham in the biblical drama. No contemporary movies depicted infertility, IVF, or surrogacy among the top 100 films of 2023.
Among the hundred movies I’ve seen this year, five of them delved into general reproductive health themes, a subject matter close to my heart. One of these, “Barbie” directed by Greta Gerwig, features Margot Robbie’s character visiting a gynecologist. Another, “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?” helmed by Kelly Fremon Craig, shows preteen girls studying anatomy in a book. These two films, which have garnered much acclaim, boldly tackle sensitive topics and showcase women directors at their finest.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-10-30 18:25