Action chicks write up

Action chicks
Palgrave Macmillan
2004
Chapter two
Jeffery a. brown

Talks more about the stereotypical women found in action films. (Same as indicated by Yvonne Tasker)

Goes into great detail about the ‘fetishized female sex object.’ Talks about the film Barb wire. Pamela Anderson is the main protagonist. Do I need to tell you more? This film is described as ‘fetished figure of fantasy derived from comic books and soft pornography.’ From watching the introduction on you tube, this is obvious. Voyeuristic camera work continues throughout the film. The intro starts with Pam/ Barb wire pole dancing and on a trapeze swing, I would have included the video but I think it might be a bit inappropriate, she then proceeds to kill a man with her platform stiletto shoe and hops of stage, therefore establishing the genre.

This chapter reports on the film and the introduction:
‘Adolescent fear and desire of female sexuality that is exercised through the figure of all action heroines.’

‘barb wire has comic book origins’. ‘Controlled sexualisation.’ ‘Cross gender performance.’ ‘Symbolic realm of the dominatrix.’ Described as ‘breaking down and exploiting the boundaries between the sexes.’ ‘because of barb wire’s exaggerated sexuality not DESPITE it that the film can make explicit the fetishist nature of the action heroines real toughness’ Angelina jolie also shows this objectification in the film ‘tomb raider.’

Gear magazines review of ‘the transporter’ (2002) ‘how to make a beautiful woman more beautiful, arm her to the teeth’ ‘putting big guns in the hands of wide eyed waifs.’