Stereotypes Of Women In Film Essay

Filipino films usually depict women as weak, helpless, and dependent on other people, especially on men. These stereotypes shown in films contribute to how women are seen and treated in real life. In Benilda S. Santos’ article, entitled “Idol, Bestiary and Revolutionary: Images and Social Roles of the Filipino Woman in Film (1976-1986),” she discusses how Filipino women have certain images and stereotypes in films and how Filipino films “from the beginning [have] been dominated by a male hierarchy” (225). One of the films that have deviated from these stereotypes is Ploning, a film directed by Dante Nico Garcia. In this film, roles of women are revolutionized in how they are portrayed and it shows how they overcome their expected roles as seen in the article.

In the said article, several roles of women that are usually present in Filipino films are discussed such as “the role the suffering virgin/wife/mother” (224), and the “role of pet and sex object” (234). These stereotypes are still present in the film, but they are portrayed differently in a way that they are not looked down upon. Furthermore, the women in the film show how they triumph and overcome their roles by not limiting themselves to how they are usually played. At the end of her article, she also included how

She wants to prove to herself that she is capable of doing great things and that she is capable of being remembered by people, even after her death. She wants to make a name for herself, just like how Ploning is considered to be important by the people around her. Comparing the two, Celeste prefers certainty rather than being willing to take risks and chances. On the other hand, Ploning is more willing to do anything for the people that she cares about. Despite their differences, both women revolutionized how women are portrayed in