Stepford Wivery

I absolutely love the movie Stepford Wives, partly because there’s something about the idea of the 1950s housewife that I find kind of interesting. I also think there’s a really great contrast of what the modern woman is supposed to be and how women used to be seen as just a housewife that is meant to serve her husband in this film.

 Many people would say that if you want to go back to the puffy dresses and serving dinner every night, then it’s regressive against the progression of feminism where women have fought against being expected to ACT like this in a patriarchal society. But I think that this mentality is also detrimental. Feminism and stereotypes are at an impasse in their progression. In our society, the modern woman is supposed to be strong and independent and not rely on a man. But at the same time, this is creating a stereotype of how women are supposed to act.

Even in Stepford Wives, because all of the women were power driven business women, their husbands were the ones that stayed at home and therefore were no longer masculine. The media portrayals of these gender roles don’t allow for flexibility. It’s either one way or the other. A woman can either be in a relationship and take care of the family, or she is career oriented and therefore has to stand alone.