Happy International Women's Day!
If you want a delicious dose of girl power today, Beat's Michelle gives her top picks for movies that celebrate women.
1. Legally Blonde
Who says you can't be pretty in pink AND powerful? Elle Woods is nothing short of a feminist icon as the fashionable sorority sister who won't be talked down to. Even at face value, it's enjoyable to watch some wonderfully tacky outfits and practice the "bend and snap." Legally Blonde should be watched -a minimum of once a year!
2. Alien
Ridley Scott's famous sci-fi series doesn't sound like a feminist hit, but that's what it was. Yes, it is a movie about terrifying alien monsters, but it was the first-ever blockbuster to feature a female as the action hero. Sigourney Weaver is incredible as Ellen Ripley, the woman who is still capable of being everything we associate with the feminine while outsmarting every single member of her male colleagues. This was one of the first movie franchises to deal with gender and sexual politics and Sigourney Weaver will make you bow down to the strength of women.
3. Bridesmaids
If there was ever a movie to overturn the idea that women aren't funny, this is it. Kirsten Wiig's almost fully female cast became one of the biggest comedies of the 2010s and ultimately, celebrates the strength of female friendships. Even men would find this movie funny, and it cleverly shows the roles of mother, wife, best friend and boss that women heroically manage to juggle all at once.
4. Thelma and Louise
Look, if Brad Pitt is going to get naked in a movie, try and stop me from watching! In all seriousness, Thelma and Louise is a cult classic in feminist films. The script was loosely described as "two women on a crime spree." The movie turned out to be one of the first to explore the complexity of women, and how caged they are in domestic roles. Thelma and Louise may not set a good example for young girls (maybe don't rob or kill people) but it was an awakening to the subjugation of women, and how their own desires and fire need to be unleashed and celebrated.
5. Promising Young Woman
All of the movies on this list are worth watching, but this movie is probably the most essential, for both men and women. Starring Carey Mulligan as a young woman seeking revenge for the sexual violence suffered by her best friend, this does sound like a difficult watch. But Promising Young Woman actually manages to tackle issues like rape and suicide in a comfortable way; It's funny, clever and thrilling, a dark comedy with a fierce female vigilante, that will help you to gently reflect on the complexity of rape culture and how we can all work to end it.
To learn more about International Women's Day and feminism in Ireland today, listen to our docuseries, "The F Word."
