Gender-swapped movies: the missrepresentation of women

Gender-swapped movies involve reimagining popular male characters as female counterparts in an attempt to promote gender equality. Movies such as Ghostbusters (2016), Ocean’s 8 (2018) and What Men Want (2019) are examples of well-known films that have been remade with female leads. While the purpose of gender-swapping is to empower women by breaking the stereotypical image of a female character, I wonder if this truly benefits women? 

The stereotypical image of a female character as passive, caring, sexy or overly emotional in movies has for a long time been questioned, not only by the audience but also by critics. While it’s important to not diminish the improvements that have led the movie industry to move on from these portrayals of women in the 21st century, gender-swapping seems to be a cheap way of avoiding the challenge of actually writing complex female characters. By taking already well-established male characters and reimagining them as female characters, this sends out the signal that female characters are difficult to write. In other words, the act of writing a compelling female character is hard enough that writers resort to stripping a well-known male character of his personality and pasting it on a female character. This not only deem female characters as difficult but also unapproachable. 

Some people would argue that gender-swapped movies challenge the stereotypical image of a female character by giving them strong personalities. That providing female characters, especially female leads, strong personalities results in a broader and more positive view of women and their abilities.  Even though it is important to provide female characters with strong personalities, one should question why a male lead must first exist before studios feel confident investing in female led films. It seems that it is not about providing a female character with a strong personality but rather reassuring investors that the film will be financially successful.  

That takes us to the following idea, that gender-swapped movies raise the idea that films are specifically written for male versus female audiences. Producing the same movie with female counterparts implies that male and females can not enjoy the same stories without a male or female character to relate to. Much like companies packaging two identical products in blue and pink and marketing them to different genders, the movie industry seems to have applied the same marketing strategy to films by remaking popular movies with female characters as leads. This approach not only divides audiences into two genders, but also reduces individuals to stereotypical expectations associated with their gender.

To conclude my thoughts, in resorting to reimagining a male character to a female character, writers simultaneously admit to not being able to write an untold story with female leads while also deeming female characters as difficult and unapproachable. Moreover, investors need reassurance of a male character before producing a female led movie.  Furthermore, gender-swapped movies raise the idea that films are specifically written for male versus female audiences, an assumption that risks reinforcing gender stereotypes rather than challenging them. Instead of remaking movies in the name of gender equality, the film industry would benefit from creating original stories with their own female leads. This does not only promote inclusivity, but also accurate representation of women.