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CA:TFA & Visible Women
Apr. 7th, 2016 07:12 amCaptain America: The First Avenger is an awesome film, the director and screenwriters did a spectacular job for Cap’s debut film. Yet there’s something I would change: the chorus line needs more respect. I think the film in general suffers from a lack of women, both onscreen and on the creative side (but that’s a whole different post). Peggy can’t stand in for all women, yet there are only four named women characters (IMDB), and she’s the only one who gets a first and last name.
Just adding more women in the background before and after the chorus line would go a long way towards increasing visibility about their roles in WWII. Both WAC and ATS used women as clerks and mechanics. Have mechanics “fixing” a jeep while they watch the recruits run. Have a phone operator giving Howard flack for messing with her friend. Hell, show Steve getting fitted for his uniform and there would’ve been a WAC seamstress altering his uniform.
Yes, the chorus line is a total waste of Steve’s time and the government's money to put him on stage to raise bond money. However, those women are doing what they can, what they’re good at, to help with the war effort. They could have stayed in their hometowns and worked in the factories, or signed up with WAC, but instead they put their talents into a show to raise bond money. Captain America will draw and entertain the women and children, but the leggy dances that are always smiling will draw the men, the gender that stereotypically had the power over the checkbook and the disposable income.
It wouldn’t take much screen time to convey their importance: show them talking about how so-and-so was sent over from the drivers pool because she was professionally trained dancer, show them running lines with Steve on the train, going “If you come in late on your cue one more time, so help me,” have Steve defend them when Col. Phillips is disparaging of them when he insults Steve by calling him a chorus girl.
Peggy’s achievements are awesome, but she’s acting in comparison to a void when she should be shown against how far other women were traditionally allowed to go.
Just adding more women in the background before and after the chorus line would go a long way towards increasing visibility about their roles in WWII. Both WAC and ATS used women as clerks and mechanics. Have mechanics “fixing” a jeep while they watch the recruits run. Have a phone operator giving Howard flack for messing with her friend. Hell, show Steve getting fitted for his uniform and there would’ve been a WAC seamstress altering his uniform.
Yes, the chorus line is a total waste of Steve’s time and the government's money to put him on stage to raise bond money. However, those women are doing what they can, what they’re good at, to help with the war effort. They could have stayed in their hometowns and worked in the factories, or signed up with WAC, but instead they put their talents into a show to raise bond money. Captain America will draw and entertain the women and children, but the leggy dances that are always smiling will draw the men, the gender that stereotypically had the power over the checkbook and the disposable income.
It wouldn’t take much screen time to convey their importance: show them talking about how so-and-so was sent over from the drivers pool because she was professionally trained dancer, show them running lines with Steve on the train, going “If you come in late on your cue one more time, so help me,” have Steve defend them when Col. Phillips is disparaging of them when he insults Steve by calling him a chorus girl.
Peggy’s achievements are awesome, but she’s acting in comparison to a void when she should be shown against how far other women were traditionally allowed to go.
