Debra Winger Girlfriend Roles

“In film I always get the call for the girlfriend roll, and I’m like well what does the girlfriend do? She’s very supportive, she is a very supportive girlfriend”, Says Juliana Margulies in the film Searching for Debra Winger. The film industry is making it a habit to give women only the roles of the girlfriend or roles of women empowered by a man. The whole purpose of the girlfriend role, which many women in Hollywood compete for, is to support the male lead character. Most of the women chosen for these parts are young, have had work done to their body, and are judged on how sexually attractive they are. The film industry is developing films that do not give women enough of a purpose besides pleasing the male eye and fail to present them

She is very supportive, attractive, and her purpose is to tie in some love connection with the male character. Swedish theaters even started following the Bechdel Test. “The test, created by comic artist Alison Bechdel in 1985, asks whether a film has at least two female characters and at least one scene in which they talk to one another about something other than a man—if it satisfies these criteria, Swedish theaters give it an A,” says Holly Derr (What Really Make a Film Feminist). This test is used to measure how feminist a movie is. It is commonly found that movies that push more toward feminism or present women in a real way are developed by female film writers and directors. Actresses are commonly forced into these girlfriend roles because these are some of the only jobs offered. Samantha Mathis states, “And the one little part out there that comes along once a year that I 'm really excited about doing, there 's 30 other women and we 're all trying to get that one part,” (Searching for Debra Winger). Women need to compete and accept these roles in order to keep their careers as

In the film The Devil Wears Prada Andy Sachs does not play the typical “girlfriend” role, however men do impact her choices. In the movie she has a boyfriend but when a fashion designer/ publisher hires her as an assistant she finds that keeping her relationship and trying to pursue her career as a journalist is hard to balance. I think Andy Sachs’s role in The Devil Wears Prada could have been better. In one scene Christopher Thomas, a man she meets through her fashion job, continuously hits on her and disrespects the relationship she has with her longtime boyfriend Nate. They are walking down a street in Paris when he starts to make a move on her. At first refuses him and makes up excuses as to why he should stop. Andy tells Christopher, “Nate and I just split up a couple days ago and I can’t. I had too much wine and my hearing, vision, and judgment are impaired. I barely know you. I’m in a strange city. ..I am out of excuses.” Christian then replies, “Thank God” (The Devil Wears Prada). In the next scene she wakes up naked in his hotel bed. This was not necessary. The film portrays Andy as more than just a girlfriend. She even puts her future dreams and goals in front of her relationship, however this scene with Christopher brought her back down to the “girlfriend” level and reminded the viewers that girls need some temptation or relationship with a man to make the film more “realistic”. This is not the case and Andy could have been of more value without having to be