Long Live The Chick-Flick

We need more genuine female-centric stories.

"We're not seeing a chick flick." 

I remember this line of dialogue from an episode of Zoey 101 when Logan Reese belittled the movie his date wanted to see. "It's a romantic comedy, and I find the term chick flick insulting," was her response, but this scene always stuck with me because it was one of the earliest memories I have of the realization that things that are widely loved by women or qualify as feminine instead of masculine are trivialized in our society. A quick Google search of "what is a chick flick" results in the definition "a movie that appeals mainly to women."

Of course, I don't think this genre is exclusively for women. I know plenty of men who love Mean Girls or Clueless. I even remember being in my high school creative writing class, and upon telling the class I was writing about Legally Blonde for our assignment, one boy in my class yelled, "Great movie!" I always remember the times when someone has chosen to celebrate feminine things instead of rolling their eyes. Unfortunately, while Hollywood has recently revived the romcom, chick flicks have seemingly gone extinct, and there's no sign they might get a revival anytime soon.

While some might categorize romcoms as chick flicks, there is a significant difference. If you look at films like 50 First Dates or the most successful of the modern romcoms, Anyone But You, the plot is heavily focused on the two main characters overcoming any obstacles so they can be together. Romance is at the center of the film, and while each character has their own individual lives and character traits, their purpose is to end up together. This isn't the case with films like Clueless, Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, or 13 Going On 30.

Yes, Cher Horowitz ends up with Josh, Elle Woods ends up with Emmett, Mia Thermopolis ends up with Michael, and Jenna Rink ends up with her childhood best friend Matty. But when the films conclude, these characters end up with a lot more than a boyfriend. They have a new perspective on life and a new sense of who they are. These movies didn't draw in young women because of their romances but because they inspired us to live life on our own terms in order to become the person we were meant to be. 

“You must always have faith in people, and most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself,”-Elle Woods, Legally Blonde.

I'm currently reading the book Women Who Run With The Wolves, which heavily focuses on all the ways society constrains women and how we can come back to ourselves, break out of these molds, and live more authentically. For me, this is at the core of every chick flick, and it is the reason we need these movies to be made again.