women warriors/fighters in films...

[joko]

ive noticed that they always seem to be visually feeble looking...no muscle tone, no strength, not 'hardy' looking...

they often look like theyd snap if you kicked them hard enough, yet they often kick the carp out of the men...

in particular women in films like boudicca... now she looked strong and in reality she would have been a solid looking woman...not boney and frail like many women look now...im not suggesting bodybuilding type muscles, but just some 'strength' and power to them

for instance lara croft is a rake with no muscles at all...surely for what she apparently does, shed look more atheletic..

they would never cast a man as a centurion or hero, who was scrawny looking, and have him a kung fu expert, so why do it with females?

it makes it very unrealisitc i think.

any thoughts

[bibblebub]

there's always Xena http://images1.fanpop...-1213297_912_1200.jpg

[Mosaic]

It's one of the many cliches used to reinforce stereotypes in the media industry.
Women who have normal body mass and the noses they were born with are categorsied as 'ugly'.

[joko]

even xena doesnt look particularly strong really, shes not got muscles...she is just a tall well built woman...though she certainly doesnt look weak, like some...

but in reality if she really did what she did in that show, her arms and legs would be pretty muscley and even her neck etc woudl be thicker...

remember red sonja? similar type of situation but looked like a waif!

[cazzz1975]

essentially they look weedy because they are actresses

secondly a fierce, strong woman may not be as photogenic as the actress, in hollywood most if not all the female actresses conform to a slight, willowy feminine body type so casting can be difficult.

[andy-hughes]

I think George Clooney's latest amour is making a fine job of being a feminine woman who can absolutely kick ass if required!

[joko]

welll yes cazzz, thats my point.... but why cant they at least try to find ones that suit the role...there are certainly some...but rather they go for the name regardless if she is suitable

[ummmm]

I'm from a family of 'hard' women. It's funny because they are all so lovely, well spoken. church going Christians....don't mess with them though....

[cazzz1975]

because they have to sell the film to the masses joko, angelina et al will get a lot more bums on seats than say julie t wallace

[askyourgran]

Type Your Answer Here... Rosa Klebb the Soviet did Ok in James Bond with her spiky shoe.

[joko]

cazzz, i know 'why' they do it, its pretty obvious its all about money, it always is - thats a given... (i work in film so i know how they work)

my 'why' was looking for a rather less simplistic answer...

...but my point is, it affects the quality of the film...so why dont they insist she beefs up? - renee did it for bridget jones, and other actors do it...or even cgi her, or use sfx makeup? why do they just accept this ?
...they must realise that the audience notice it too...

why doesnt it seem to bother them?

[sp1814]

Joko there are a couple of notable exceptions (Linda Hamilton in 'Terminator 2' and Grace Jones in 'A View To A Kill'), but in general I'd say that the technique employed by female fighters in movies relies on more than overall bulk strength.

However, in some cases, I'd agree with you that a pretty actress who looks as if they've never been to a gym DOES detract from their performance as a 'hard girl' (cf. Kate Beckinsale in ALL the 'Underworld' films).

[jno]

Linda Hamilton was the first exception that came to my mind too. But this sort of film isn't necessarily meant to be realistic; so it's not just women; I could probably beat up Tom Cruise in real life without taking my pinny off*. Alan Ladd used to play tough guys in movies too despite being 5'6" - he had to stand on a box to kiss some of his leading ladies. You just have to suspend disbelief.

* in my dreams