On Ghostbusters: I have to say something, I have to, because for the first time in my life I felt something that I had never felt before. I sat in that theatre and though I’ve been watching movies my entire life I saw and felt something completely new.
It started about an hour in. It really began to sink in that I was watching women being funny, quirky, hysterical even, but not cute. Just hilarious.
Then I noticed that they weren’t talking about guys. Not much, a bit here and there, a little joke about Chris Hemsworth peppered in like seasoning. But it wasn’t hours of 4 women fighting over him or trying to figure out why they weren’t married yet.
And then, the fight sequence at the end. Kate McKinnon just… I sat there gaping. She was badass, WITHOUT BEING SEXUALIZED. She was a woman in coveralls and combat boots with no cleavage or hourglass figure in sight fucking kicking ass. It was so awesome and amazing. And for the first time in almost 30 years I saw a woman doing something badass without also being sexy at the same time.
When action sequences always sexualize women, women grow up learning that the things they do are only important if they look good doing them.
I’m almost 30 and last night was the first time I saw a movie where a woman fucking did a thing and was funny without crying into a pint of ice cream and was badass without being a pinup and all I could think was… I really didn’t know that was an option. I really didn’t know you could save the world without looking like you’re trying to pose for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition at the same time. Never, in 30 years, have I seen a major movie that didn’t reinforce the message that how I look is more important than what I do.
30 years is way too long.
And that’s why it matters.
Go see Ghostbusters. Love it, hate it, I don’t care. Go see Ghostbusters. It matters.
This post was originally a Facebook status update.
It has been republished on The Huffington Post, and Code Like a Girl.
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