Since
the medieval period, women’s power has progressed tremendously. The Princess of
Tars secretly kept her Christian faith, instead of truly committing to the
sultan by converting. The Princess challenges the sultan to change their lump
baby into a regular child and whoever won deemed their religion superior. It
resulted in the sultan having to convert to Christianity since the Princess
won. Even though the Princess had to stay with the sultan, she went beyond her
defined role of domesticity to challenge her husband. In medieval context, her
actions were radical but she set the stage for women’s emerging dominance.
In Big Little Lies, Madeline, played
by Reece Witherspoon, exemplified the power women can have. Madeline went to
great lengths to protect their local community production from Renata, played
by Lauren Dern, and the mayor shutting it down for being controversial. Madeline
also fought against Renata in the principal’s office because Renata wants to
suspend a child who was wrongfully accused of being a bully towards her
daughter. Madeline shows how even as a housewife, women’s power cannot be
limited by social constraints. From the start of the season, Madeline has
evoked mothers to channel to the power that they thought they have lost. The
evolution of women’s power can be seen from the Princess of Tars challenging
the sultan to Madeline vocalizing her opinion to powerhouses in Half Moon Bay.
Women
have been tagged as commodities from as far back as the medieval age to the
present. The sultan views the Princess of Tars only for her beauty and used her
as a peaceweaver. Perry views Celeste as a perfect housewife that can be molded
into his ideal image. However, The King
of Tars allowed for present women to identify their true strength, which
is showcased in Big Little Lies.
I like how a lot of stories that actually pass the Bechdel test choose to focus on the proverbial romantic search/quest for love by women, while also demonstrating character development and the struggles women have had to endure historically. In both cases the Princess from the King of Tars, and Madeline from Big Little Lies both are tasked with finding the strength to stay true to their heart while also undoing the BS of men. Bluntly put, how many women have started wars in comparison to men? This same argument can be paralleled to Celeste, another protagonist in the Big Little lies series that discovers her son Max has converted to a bully after being exposed to aggressive behavior in their household from his dad. Madeline wants to help celeste but is dealing with her own angsty teenage daughter while also fighting off Renata to protect her family. This duty to family is what gives women their strength, but is frequently contaminant with the struggle of having to upholds societal standards of beauty, submissiveness, and nurturer. If you really wanted to relate more examples, think of any Disney Princess ever….
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