Females in Film Musicals: Virgins or Whores, and Nothing More

Popular film musicals from 1970's and 1980's often stereotype females as either "Virgins" or "Powerless Whores". However, such depictions of females have changed in relatively recent film musicals like Moulin Rouge, where they are portrayed as sexually empowered "Powerful Whores". Additionally, the "Virgin" and "Whore" dichotomy was also casted upon the female lead simultaneously, where "[s]he is at the same time a courtesan, and a virgin" (Giusta and Scuriatti, 2004, p.33). While earlier film musicals typically classify females as either "Virgins" or "Whores", recent ones have fused the dichotomy, which could bring about unprecedented impacts to the audience.

The generalization of females as either "Virgins" or "Whores" is largely portrayed in earlier film musicals such as Flashdance and Saturday Night Fever. The influence of this portrayal on the audience would be analyzed first. Thereafter, the fusion of the dichotomy in Moulin Rouge would be established, while its impacts on the females would be explored subsequently.

"Virgins" and "Powerless Whores" in Earlier Film Musicals

Film musicals from the 70's tend to portray the "Virgins" as "nurturing, motherly, respectable, innocent, demure, and sexually conservative...[while] needing protection from men"(Wyman and Dionisopoulos, 2000, p.215). This can be exemplified from musicals like Saturday Night Fever (1976). Keeler (1979) observes that the plot features the female lead, Stephanie Mangano, as "monogamous to refuse Tony's [the male lead character] numerous sexual advances "(as cited in Jordan, 1996), thus fulfilling the characteristics of "innocent" and "sexually conservative". Where the relationship between Tony and Stephanie is an interdependent dance partnership, Tony's attempt to rape Stephanie resulted in her renouncing it. However, the final scene saw Stephanie offering Tony her partnership again, which is suggestive of females' dependency on males in film musicals. The reaffirmation of their partnership despite the outrage of her modesty is reminiscent of Wyman and Dionisopoulos's (2000) description of "Virgins" "needing protection from men" (p.215). Thus, Saturday Night Fever serves as an apt illustration in showing earlier film musicals' portrayal of females as "Virgins".

While film musicals from the 70's like Saturday Night Fever showcase "Virgin" female characters, musicals from the 80's portray females as "Powerless Whores", hence demonstrating the dichotomy that is prevalent. Film musicals from the 1980's often see "Powerless Whores" being "objectfi[ed] and subjugat[ed]" (Wyman and Dionisopoulos, 2000, p.214). The popular musical, Flashdance (1983), is befitting of this description. By claiming that Flashdance depicts "marriage as its heroine's only viable alternative to a life of loneliness and economic stagnation" (Jordan, 1996), Jordan is effectively insinuating that Flashdance classifies the female character as "Powerless". His insinuation is substantiated by the plot, which features Alexandra Owen's "nouveau-riche" lover scheduling an audition for her to be admitted into an elite dance academy, helping her to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Through the dynamics of the relationship between the female lead and her lover, Flashdance effectively portray women as "Powerless".

Alex's occupation of "[a] "legitimate" nightclub dancer by night" (Jordan, 1996) puts her in the light of objectification and subjugation. This fulfills the description of "Whores" that was laid out by Wyman and Dionisopoulos (2000). In addition, the supporting female character, Jeanne, also holds the job of a stripper in a striptease club, which only reinforces the portrayal of "Whore" in the musical. Coupled with the female's lack of power, Flashdance effectively portrays them as the "Powerless Whores".

Flashdance and Saturday Night Fever: Influencing the Audience

The dichotomization of female gender roles as either "Virgins" or "Whores" in film musicals would result in the audience adopting a similar view of women in reality. Nimmo and Combs (1990) claim that "films affect audiences' fantasies about themselves and their reality" (as cited in Wyman and Dionisopoulos, 2000, p.211). The extrapolation of this transforms it into an inference that the audience would be largely influenced by the female gender portrayals on screen, and they would therefore categorize females in society as either "Virgins" or "Whores". Espinosa (2010) concurs by stating, "viewers internalize those messages of gender, making it difficult to counter stereotypical behavior" (p.1). Given that such categorization of females was already prevalent since Saturday Night Fever in 1973, it can be inferred that such judgmental views of women as either "Virgins" or "Whores" have existed in society since then, or maybe even earlier. Film musical's continued portrayal of females in such contrastive light further reinforces Espinosa's view that it is "difficult to counter stereotypical behavior". This is indicative that the classification of women as either "Virgins" or "Whores" in society would see continuity.

The term "Whore" is often considered a derogatory label with highly negative connotations and "viewers [would] internalize those messages of gender" Espinosa, (2010). Hence, society would also look upon females classified as "Whores" in the same negative light, which impacts would be elaborated later.

Moulin Rouge: An introduction to the "Powerful Whore"

The "Powerful Whore" is personified as someone who is physically "beautiful, erotic, seductive and exotic" while "use[ing] sex for her own pleasure and to gain advantage"(Wyman and Dionisopoulos, 2000, p.215). Moulin Rouge (2002) epitomizes the portrayal of the "Powerful Whore" through the lead female character, Satine, who is a courtesan. The central plot features Satine using her body and 'affection' to gain money from the duke to obtain the necessary funding for her own show in a bid to catapult her professional acting career (Yang, 2010, p.273). Although the plot bears semblance to the portrayal of the "Powerless Whore" in Flashdance,

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