A Case for Chick Flicks
I love a good chick flick. Whether it’s Sophie Kinsella, Jenny Colgan, or Melanie La’Brooy when it comes to books or Legally Blonde, Confessions of a Shopaholic, or Girls Trip, when it comes to movies, chick flicks are my ultimate mood booster. I mean, who knew the knowledge that goes into these "frivolous" habits of getting nails and hair done would be what saves the day?! Such an iconic movie about living your best life the way you damn well please!
But every time I venture into this genre, I find myself thinking "What exactly is a chick flick?" I always assumed it’s a movie for women. But a Google search on “chick flicks” for books or movies often lands results on anything with a female protagonist. Like, anything. You will see plenty of romcoms (expected), but you will also find Titanic (a movie based on the actual sinking of a ship with actual incidents woven through), Easy A (a coming of age movie), and the 2015 Spy (literally, an action-comedy). By this measure, you would think Gone Girl would make the cut, but it never has. I feel like anything that tackles emotions often falls under the “chick flick” category. But for me, a chick flick is anything with a movie that centres around a female’s experiences and is funny/ light-hearted. So, Miss Congeniality? Yes. Absolutely. Moulin Rouge? Not so much.
The way I see it, chick flicks are one of the genres that round out the movie world, the book world, and the TV show world. They are another way that people can see themselves represented. Which should be celebrated. But in reality, chick flicks and the taste for them always feels like something that should be hushed about in dark alleys. It’s often insulted and those who express a preference or just a general like for one item from this genre have their intelligence challenged. The dislike expressed for this genre is often so patronising and shallow. And all I want to know is, why?
One of the main reasons I love a good chick flick is often simply for the way a woman is portrayed. I remember being a thriller/ suspense fan before I found the chick flick genre. And so back then, I was obsessed with books by Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, and Jeffrey Deaver. Somewhere along the line, which probably stemmed from me wanting to see more of myself (personality-wise, not so much race), was probably how I found more female authors and thus chick flicks. And it’s through the world of chick flicks that I realised how differently women write about women as compared to men.
“By God, she's magnificent when she's angry.” – Sidney Sheldon, If Tomorrow Comes
Ummm. Okay.
“You know what, bear claw. Today I’m not going to eat you till I get to work. That’s discipline my friend. Sorry about that.” – Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project.
YES.
Even genre-wise, False Impression by Jeffrey Archer feels worlds apart from Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party. The impression I have gotten over the years from chick flicks is that the way a woman is, her flaws and all, her perspective – fair or illogical, are all a matter of fact. Not an explanation, a rationalisation, or an attempt to “capture” her essence. Most female protagonists in chick flicks simply are. And they often thrive. They are likable, they don’t know where they are going in their life and they joke about it with their BFF while strolling through Central Park. They are not mere appendages to the bigger picture. They are not objectified, and their emotions, no matter how stupidly simple, are valid.
Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun! Life can really get to you at times no matter how much you’re living in the moment so chick flicks are a great source of escapism for me. It's like seeing my life through rose-tinted lenses could be. This girl redeemed herself and her reputation with next to zero dollars in their bank! Why can't I? I mean, I am not looking for “Twilight” level of unrealistic outlook on possibilities and happily ever afters here, but is wanting a “Confessions of a Shopaholic”-esque turnaround in my life so bad?
It's not to say that the chick flick genre is perfect. I get that grand gestures are next to a rarity, white people are often the centre of the narrative and they can be incredibly heteronormative. Especially with movies like “The Ugly Truth” and any Nicholas Sparks books or movies that purport the patriarchy with a delicate woman and a masculine man. But movies like Bride Wars that show female friendships and The Devil Wears Prada that show women excel at their careers and women’s fictions that have women figuring out their lives makes me feel heard. They reassure me that things are going to be okay. All of which should be good things. And yet it’s not. Which forced me to wonder why during many insomnia riddled nights. And I think I'm finally on to something here. Let me know what you think. I’ve been reading pretty much since I can read. And what I have noticed over the years is that there are a lot more similarities in books and movies for little girls (i.e., Disney princesses, a rite of passage that almost all girls go through) and chick flicks than I was led to believe. Those fairy tales often featured underaged minors obsessing over their prince; the love of their life. They get married and they live happily ever after. With a handful few exceptions, this is pretty much the essence of the stories fed our way. And that's where the dissonance lies. These tropes of a prince coming to rescue the princess, while using her hair as a ladder seem to be acceptable. But the commonplace trope of 'lady gives up on love altogether/ stops looking, moves cities/ jobs and suddenly finds love' is deemed impossible and eye-roll worthy. Which I don’t understand because if you ask around, you will find that there are people who still meet their partners just like that in this Tinder era. Those underage children fall head over heels for literally the first man they meet. And that’s okay. But grown women fantasising about Mr Right, and waiting for him is unhealthy and not okay. “I’m going to meet a nice, handsome prince!” from a little girl earns an “Aren’t you adorable?” and a pat on the head. “I’m waiting for the king to the queen I am” gets you an “Oohhh you have standards.” And suddenly, you have impossible expectations and a damaged perspective of relationships.
I’m not saying those books for little girls need to be a little more realistic nor can I accept the “that was a child, you are an adult now, you should know better” argument. Because the issue here is far deeper; one that focuses on the marginalisation of women, yet again. The way I see it, the difference in both scenarios is agency. A grown woman who is independent, weighs her choices (i.e., “choosy”), and makes decisions that she knows are best for her life continues to be nit-picked in today’s society – by both men and women. And in chick flicks, an adult woman who is often looking for love and/or trying to figure out her life has taken the reigns of her life in her hands. She often figures out what she wants and she’s not going to settle. And I feel like that is why the world of chick flicks is often not only met with disdain, it’s trivialised as garbage. Because the concept of emotions, and a woman basically wanting to live her best life based on what she wants and likes are still not allowed to be part of the mainstream world. I didn't even make the connection when I kept wondering why Mulan was my favourite Disney princess. And that penny didn’t drop for me until I saw these elaborate discussions about Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman. And I realised how comparisons about their suits, hair, and makeup often invariably ended up in the discussion.
In today’s world, a man admitting that he shed a few tears while watching the Titanic earns a sympathetic “Yeah, bro” and a pat on his back. Because guys being in touch with their emotions is brave and celebratory. But women wanting to be in touch with their emotions and pleasures has been and continues to be seen as “hysterical”. Which I think is why so many women sheepishly refer to chick flicks as a “guilty pleasure” – like eating a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. Ironically, a common trope in chick flicks. Because a woman vocalising her pleasures is still frowned upon. And that is why continuing to market the chick flick genre just for women, like it's some sort of feminine hygiene product, with a lack of understanding on what it's about and how it works as part of the general society is not only unfair, it's detrimental to society. This indifference and patronisation of women enjoying films that prioritise emotions, laughter, and well, women, feels like a "girls will be girls" and does nothing to further the conversation on equality. Especially when it's something as important as movies and books that shape our outlook.
I feel like at the end of the day, beyond books and movies, our lives, in general, should be governed by what makes us happy; they should be led by the right choices for us and our growth. And if that happens to be through a chick flick, then so be it. What our life shouldn’t be headed by is a perceived sense of superiority, artificiality, and pretentiousness. Or subjugation towards them. I, for one, like reading about a female protagonist finding her purpose and love after quitting her 9-5 and moving to a seaside town when I want a break. It makes me feel better. I don’t want to read about actionable steps I can take to turn my blog into a six-figure income generator. I already do that when I’m working. And I feel like dismissing this entire genre as a killer of brain cells is the equivalent of Martin Scorsese’s dismissal of Marvel movies as cinema. And my argument for both scenarios is, anything that makes you feel heard or seen, anything that validates your emotions, anything that makes you feel anything at all is valid. That is the purpose of art. No matter the form it comes in. No one can evoke these things for you no matter how much they tell you it should. That’s something that happens on its own. And that is why no one should have the right to diminish or downplay your experience.
While there are requests made to cancel the term “chick flicks” altogether today, I think it's something that should be reclaimed. For us to own it. Because recent trends show more variety in cultures, races, and sexualities – of both writers and settings – in this genre. And I for one am excited to see this grow. And that is why more of us should be unabashed with our love of chick flicks. As unabashed as Elle Woods was when she showed up at Harvard.
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