We're showing kids a world that is very scantily populated with women and female characters. They should see female characters taking up half the planet, which we do.
Geena DavisRead
When my friends and I would act out movies as kids, we'd play the guys' roles, since they had the most interesting things to do. Decades later, I can hardly believe my sons and daughter are seeing many of the same limited choices in current films.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Geena Davis reflects on the impact of gender representation in films on children.
The quote highlights the concern of limited roles available to women in films, both in the past and present. Geena Davis reminisces about her childhood experiences of acting out movies, emphasizing how children, regardless of gender, often gravitate towards the more dynamic and adventurous roles typically assigned to boys, which in turn influences their perceptions of gender roles in society.
Themes
Gender RepresentationFilmsChildrenRolesSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a film discussion panel about children's movies, this quote could serve as a springboard to talk about gender roles in modern cinema.
More from Geena Davis
All quotes →Having been in some roles that really resonated with women, I became hyper-aware of how women are represented in Hollywood.
Geena DavisRead
We are in effect enculturating kids from the very beginning to see women and girls as not taking up half of the space.
Geena DavisRead
It's really important for boys to see that girls take up half of the planet - which we do.
Geena DavisRead
The more hours of television a girl watches, the fewer options she thinks she has in life.
Geena DavisRead
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