By Jennifer McShane
11th Feb 2016
11th Feb 2016
An American film producer has set up a Twitter account to share the degrading, sexist ways in which female characters are introduced in scripts. And may we just say, it’s a depressing, yet necessary thing to behold. It’s no secret that sexism is rife in Hollywood; from ridiculous casting calls to the gender-wage gap, yet’sadly, as the tweets below will attest, it’s showing zero signs of disappearing anytime soon.
Earlier this week,?Ros Putman, set up the Twitter account @femscriptintros, to highlight how prevalent sexism really is in the entertainment industry, and to emphasise the lack of varied roles for women in film.
At a time when incredible women such as Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Brie Larson are portraying complex characters of strength, depth and emotion on screen, to think?that their introduction in a script may have been something along the lines of “The woman with strawberry blonde hair. Her eyes are chocolate brown. Her ruby red lips break into a grin”?makes us feel grim beyond words.
The account caption explained:??These are intros for female leads in actual scripts I read. Names changed to JANE, otherwise verbatim,? Putman began tweeting the introductions of female characters he found in scripts, changing all the character names to Jane.
It’s unclear what scripts these intros were taken from, but that matters not. The very fact is, someone was paid to write this utter crap.
His wife JANE is making dinner and watching CNN on a small TV. She was model pretty once, but living an actual life has taken its toll.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
His account has since gone viral and though he revealed he would tweet every script intro he read so as not to hone in so negatively on females, so far, the bulk of his tweets seem to suggest that females are nothing but?arm candy and background fluff to studio bosses in Hollywood. One can’t help but feel sad and angered at the industry’s treatment of women. So many are standing up, shouting, willing their voices to be heard – Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette – and yet we see this.
Shout louder ladies. Don’t let fear force you mute.?This follows equally depressing statistics released this week which said that a mere 33% of all speaking roles in films in 2015 were from women.
Things must change.
Read a few more of the tweets below, if only to bask in the outrageousness of them.
JANE (late 20s) sits hunched over a microscope. She’s attractive, but too much of a professional to care about her appearance.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
JANE stands next to it (30’s) dressed in a paramedic’s uniform – blonde, fit, smokin’ hot.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
JANE is in her mid-30s and attractive, even now with dark semi-circles underlining her closed eyes.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
Behind a steamy shower door is the indistinguishable but sexy silhouette of JANE showering.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
Like draping the Venus De Milo in a burlap dress, Jane’s sensational natural beauty fights through her plain blue Ann Taylor outfit.
? Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016
Also Read
