Gender stereotypes not only are rooted deeply in American society but also everywhere else in the world. There are certain ideas, bias about gender roles in every society which are widely known and accepted. In America, these ideas are very much connected to the concept of the American Dream, these bias define lifestyles, happiness, social acknowledgement and set boundaries for individual expression and self-realisation. These are especially true for women roles and stereotypes, but there are movies, such as Revolutionary Road, and Erin Brockovich, which try to push these definite boundaries forward and approach women stereotypes from a critical point of view.
As it is mentioned, gender stereotypes are greatly connected to the concept of the American Dream. The concept of the American Dream is most of the time associated with the image of a suburban home in America with 2 kids, 2 cars and a stay-at-home mom. The character of April in Revolutionary Road represents the woman who stays at home with the kids, does not work, she lives her perfect life. She seemingly fits into the roles society laid down for her. She prepares every meal for her husband, shows her everlasting love to him, supports him, keeps the house clear and nice, enjoys social acknowledgement ensured by neighbours and maintains the image of complete happiness. But as the story unfolds, we can have an insight of her internal conflicts, the struggles she lives with because of those roles. She is closed into the box of the perfect life, and the basis of the walls is built from these immovable roles of a housewife, a stay-at-home mom, and a perfect partner. The only possibility for her would have been moving to Paris where she wanted to work and she wanted her husband to stay at home with the kids. That step would have been her self-realisation but this idea was totally out of the conventional, the accepted, the normal. This was emphasised by the neighbours’ reaction. Nobody understood this plan. It was supported and thought to have been brave, honest and smart only by a mentally unstable man.
Erin Brockovich also has to deal with stereotypes which limit her life every day. At the beginning of the movie, the car accident is her fault, she is wrong. Why is she wrong? Because she has no job, she is divorced, and she is a single parent with 3 kids. She cannot fit into the roles, she is an outsider. She is judged by society as wrong. By her perseverance, determination, and consciousness she is able to break down those walls which are too heavy from the other side, which is April’s side. Erin can never be conventional and April can never be unconventional. It does not matter whether you meet preconceptions made by society or not, you are defined by them as a woman. Because they exist. These stories point out stereotypes which defined, controlled these women’s lives and affected them negatively. Sometimes they drive you mad. Sometimes you can become stronger. The main point is highlighting boundaries which need to be pushed forward because they are not handrails anymore, but are rather obstacles on the path of improvement.
To sum up, these two movies challenge American women stereotypes by telling stories and show how important, empowering individual stories might be. They depict roles from different angles, raise awareness and let us draw conclusions for ourselves.
image source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/mediaviewer/rm1520454656/
