This is especially true in the film industry because guess who that woman has to suck up to even though she just got slapped by him? Yep, you. I don’t necessarily care about your rationale behind your actions but whatever they are, figure them out and learn basic human respect. No one should have to endure abuse to move up in the world. 

And what makes you think that this assault can become sexual? I hope I’m not bursting your bubble here when I say that women are sexually assaulted all the time and, because of that, are hyper-aware of situations that could turn into sexual abuse; so don’t try to blame us because “we were asking for it.” Do I even have to say your name, Quinten Tarantino? Or your buddy Harvey Weinstein? Your names are covered with so much dirt and fungus from the Me Too movement exposing you for all the abuse you executed that I don’t even need to elaborate.

Humor me for a second and let’s discuss your film Kill Bill, where you inaccurately depict Japanese women as the fetishized fantasy of Asian women you directors love to support. Out of all the characters you could’ve made, you decided to create Gogo Yubari, a badass 17-year-old schoolgirl who kills people. Now that isn’t inherently bad but in hindsight do you really think that sexualizing an underage school girl was the best thing to catch people's eyes? Because who was this movie for? Definitely not women. With a box office of around $181 million, men all around the world flocked to see all these sexy women tear each other apart. 

Let’s take a step back, outside of the fact you contribute to these stereotypes because they make you rich, not necessarily because you agree with them or not. How do you think this affects women in the real world? Given what I’ve said already about sexual abuse culture in our modern society, I think you can put the pieces together and realize that you are contributing to the support (or lack thereof) of normalizing sexual abuse. Let’s go back to Kill Bill, back to Gogo Yubari. That character embodies a Japanese schoolgirl stereotype that is characterized as badass, rebellious, and mature for her high school age. Think also about the popular Japanese fashion trend Kogal, where girls dress in schoolgirl attire that is altered by making the skirts shorter and adding large white socks. Schoolgirls in Japan just trying to express themselves are abused, raped, and even killed, all because of the fact that men like you portray them as an object of male sexual desire. 

Now that’s just one example from one of you, so that could just be a bad apple right? Well, I can go on. George Lucas, after all the exploring of Princess Leia’s character in the first Star Wars movies, why did you have to stoop so low as to put her in that bikini when she was captured in Return of the Jedi? That scene is what, five to ten minutes yet that is the most iconic and memorable scene of Princess Leia we are ever given? Oh yeah, that and when she kisses Luke Skywalker like an hour after she meets him, but I rest my case. How about you, Luc Besson- what was the rationale for putting the “Supreme Being of the Universe” in an outfit that’s nothing more than a few straps of fabric over her upper and lower body? Leeloo might as well be the definition for the male gaze, wearing basically nothing and having character traits such as being sweet and submissive. Pair her with a macho dominant guy like Bruce Willis’s character and what does that portray to viewers? I could go on and on with examples here and as much as I would love to bore you, I have to continue my point. 

Do you see where I’m going with this? Not only are you hurting the women in your films, but you’re hurting women everywhere with what they imply to the viewers. The stereotypical characteristics of a “suitable” woman applied to every female supporting role, the over-sexualization of costumes, and the treatment of women on the screen all contribute to the societal picture you’re painting with your films. I don’t know if you were aware, but we Americans are so stupid that we take what we see on a screen and apply that to the reality of the life we live in, so if a guy sees the sexual abuse of women in media all over the place, he’s going to think that it’s okay, that it’s normal, and even that it’s hot. Don’t try to preach feminist allyship when the media you are producing harms those who you say you stand with. If you are truly serious about standing with women and supporting feminism, stop producing and profiting off of toxic stereotypes about us. 

Harshly,

Clair Sciglimpaglia"