#InternationalWomensDay: 5 movie/show characters who gave us feminist goals
While art is inspired by life, art also inspires life. Hence, fictional characters go a long way in sparking social debates. On International Women's Day, we celebrate some movie/show characters who bent, broke, and fought against patriarchal norms. While calling them outright feminists is a high-reaching task, these characters surely displayed feminist notions and the urge to unlearn age-old rights and wrongs. Read on.
Monica Geller from 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'
After ruling the American sit-com arena for decades, F.R.I.E.N.D.S has earned ill-faith in recent years, given its treatment of body-shaming and the LGBTQ+ community, among others. Still, it had some path-breaking moments. Take Monica Geller's (Courtney Cox) character for example. Pegged to be the group's "mother." she was nurturing yet career-oriented. Geller was ambitious, tenacious, physically strong—all characteristics that aren't associated with model women.
Jai Singh Rathore from 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'
Jai Singh Rathore (Imran Khan) from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008) was raised by a single mother (Ratna Pathak Shah) and broke plenty of gender stereotypes. He did not believe in muscle power and shared every household chore with his mother, despite belonging to a family of "hot-blooded Rajputs." His soft-spoken and ever-smiling characteristics did not challenge his masculinity in any way.
Jake Peralta from 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'
Often tagged to be the most socially-conscious series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine challenges orthodox conceptions of manhood, sexual orientations, and race. Its lead character Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) is a feminist ally. Intrinsically childish/immature, Peralta learns/unlearns how the workplace can be different for women and even stays up all night to watch a documentary on feminism. Makers show how comedy doesn't have to be problematic.
Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice'
Now, we travel to the 1800s. For, in that age, Jane Austen created the character of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (P&P). Fiercely independent, Bennet refused to appease society's expectations from women. Although circumstances prescribed her to marry for economical security/a secured future, she stayed adamant about marrying for love. Keira Knightley's rendition of Bennet in 2005's Pride & Prejudice remains a favorite.
Jeetender from 'Badhaai Ho'
Jeetender (Gajraj Rao) from Badhaai Ho is our last entry. The 2018 Hindi movie was revolutionary to deal with an elder couple getting pregnant. While Rao and Neena Gupta's portrayal of the said couple was disarming, Jeetender displayed maturity—not that commonly seen in Bollywood male characters. When his wife was expecting, he was clear that every decision about the pregnancy would be hers (#HerBodyHerChoice).
