action women

Action Women
Routledge
Yvonne Tasker
1998

In this book Tasker identifies and describes the stereotypical roles women play in action films. These being:

The butch/tomboy type- oedipal, cross-dressing, enthusiastic lack of decorum, ‘butch femme’, acting tough, confrontation and bravado. Sometime in films these women ditch the masculine clothes or a feminine out fit- this then becomes a different form of cross dressing as they have ditched their male clothes to dress as a stereotypical member of their own sex. Seen in films like alien, cut throat island, resident evil and terminator. (also tomboyish character in aeon flux, but objectified due to costume.)


The glamorous or sexual action women. (These are most common and populate the genre.) – fetished figure of fantasy, comic books, soft pornography, exaggerated sexuality, strong women are the stuff of fantasy, dominatrix, built male and female bodies that are put in static positions in order to pose, erotised toughness both inviting and returning of a sexual gaze, an aggressive pouting version of female sexuality. Seen in films like barb wire, cat woman, Charlie’s angels, tomb raider and aeon flux.