Download femme fatale

FATAL ATTRACTION
A certain poster is hung up in the Chinese gallery at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is an
advertisement poster for a Chinese tobacco company called Hatamen from the 1930s. A
fashionably dressed young woman is depicted large and bold, while the product is only
subtly visible at the bottom right corner of the poster. What’s interesting is that the focus
lies not on the product, but the rather alluring female figure that overshadows it immensely.
In fact, in today’s society, whether it is on the cover of a fashion magazine, or a poster for
a movie, campaign or product, the sight of a female figure is a norm. Words such as
‘seductive’, ‘alluring’, ‘mysterious’ can be associated with the way the woman is portrayed.
This brings us to the subject of the femme fatale figure – when and why was it created?
The emergence of the femme fatale archetype traces back to the beginning of the
twentieth century, which also marked the growth and development of the modern world we
know today. A new image – an assertive, confident and very much sexually liberated
female figure, was a far cry from a traditional submissive woman whose only niche lies
within her own household. To some, the radical change created a distorted view of women
in a negative way, in most cases associating them with lust, greed and power. To others
however, this marked the gradual emancipation of women, and brought along a
phenomenon known as ‘capitalist modernity’. A “relationship between women and
modernity” was thus created. To what extent has the femme fatale archetype led to moral
degradation, or the emergence of the modern world?
A Brave New World
In her evocative essay Women In Film Noire, Janey Place stated that femme fatales can
be the “the dark lady, the spider woman, the evil seductress”. She is unbound by race,
culture or character. As Hanson and O’Rawe suggested, this figure is a manifestation of a
“locus of mystery”. She is a catalyst to attract and ignite the curiosity of people to pursue
and discover messages or motives hidden behind this mysterious aura. The emergence of
this sexually charged archetype parallels with a period that saw societies undergoing
radical socio- economic changes in the light of political developments. Friedan’s book
Feminine Mystique asserted that women could only “achieve total contentment by fulfilling
the roles of the housewife and mother”. Yet, war and technology called many women out
of their homes to seek for utilitarian roles once taken by men, in contribution to the war
effort. Females began to discover a new place in general society; they became more
ambitious and less submissive. In a femme fatale context, the growing power and
independence of the female figure is represented through their sexuality. Camilla Paglia
stated that qualities of the femme fatale “express women’s ancient and eternal control of
the sexual realm”. They are portrayed to be “intelligent and powerful, if destructively so”.
Femme fatales are portrayed in many sectors, most notably in films. The French phrase
“cherchez la femme” means “to look for the woman”. It is used to describe the behaviour a
man displays when he is trying to pursue or find favour with the mysterious woman, whose
inexplicable qualities captivates him. The mysterious female is often the cause of major
problems, a fatal attraction that spells disaster for both man and woman embroiled in a
destructive relationship. Her role is often very small, as most of the times she causes the
downfall of her male counterpart before being quickly discarded (essentially killed off). Yet,
as Richardson states, they are never “fallen women”, but instead “ambitious exploiters”
who make sure whoever crosses their paths go down with them. Iconic franchises such as
James Bond feature the infamous ‘Bond Girls’, whose sole roles are to seduce the agent
and earn just enough trust to lure him into a trap that leaves him in jeopardy with the
mission. In Asian culture, the stereotypical term ‘Dragon Lady’ was given to women who
are strong, mysterious and deceitful. One such example is Ana May Wong, famously
remembered for her role as a courtesan in Shanghai Express, in which her character kills
the powerful warlord after a night of seduction. Ang Lee’s 2007 film Lust Caution explores
the lust- filled and ultimately tragic relationship between an agent and a woman involved in
a plot to kill him during the Chinese Civil War. A more contemporary example is of
Cotillard’s role in Inception as the deceased wife of Cobb, whose career as an extractor is
jeopardized by his inability to block out her projections in the dream world, challenging his
rational decisions between dream- world and reality. Her characters is described by
DiCaprio as being “strong and vulnerable and hopeful and heartbreaking all in the same
moment”, thus, as Christopher Nolan puts it, bringing out the “essence of the femme
fatale”. In the narratives, it is “she who wields power over him” – the man is in fact the
vulnerable one. His rational thinking and morality depends heavily on the influence of the
femme fatale, whose power comes from both party’s innate sense of lust and greed.
Women As Objects?
Outside the cinema, the female figure also acts as a constant in an advertising context,
channeling the consumer’s inner feelings of desire and excitement to attract them to a
certain product or campaign. The figure is designed to look seductive, maybe even
dangerous; she is a manifestation of a certain experience, whether it is sexual, trendy,
empowering, or even rebellious. In many cases, they are so emphasized that the figure
itself overshadows the product being advertised. Dior’s short film Lady Noire Affair in 2011
featured Marion Cotillard as an audacious and independent young woman who finds
herself embroiled in a police investigation. It is quite ambiguous; no one really knows for
sure what is happening. Similarly, Calvin Klein’s Provocations campaign in 2012 featured
a film in which a mysterious lady lures her male counterpart into the isolated unknown.
Little is described of the collection; yet, the mysterious aura is precisely what prompts
consumers to want to find out more.
As “sexy, exciting and strong” this archetype presents women to be, it has also shed a
negative light on how media portray women today. Sociologists related the femme fatale to
misogyny – the negative portrayal of women in the areas such as discrimination,
sexualisation, violence or abuse. Such portrayals made women seemed only capable to
ascend to power through sex and a certain ‘look’ they must adopt to be ‘attractive’. As
Naremore suggests, “slick clothing styles” or a “scantily dressed” ensemble of “long- hair,
makeup, jewellery and cigarettes” seemed to be public’s standard for women to achieve
the “to- be- looked- at- ness”. Women were, and still are, objectified to a point where many
individual personalities were neglected. Controversy sparked in a 2011 lingerie campaign
in which supermodel Gisele Bundchen was featured in a series of provocative and erotic
images. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff stated how the advertisement “reinforced the
wrong stereotypes of the woman as a husband’s mere sex object”. A debate began
between the political and fashion heavyweights over the role of women in society. In other
parts of fashion, anorexia has been an existing concern among models who try to achieve
the ‘perfect look’, often emaciating themselves to the point of starvation – there are
reported cases of model death from anorexia such as Luisel Ramons in 2006 or Isabel
Caro in 2010. Though used for humorous purposes, sexist stereotypes of women are still
portrayed. Target came under fire in 2013 for an advertisement considered “misogynistic”,
as the women in the video were all portrayed performing everyday domestic tasks in a
strong sexual manner. The over- usage of sex as a form of marketing has become a norm
nowadays. It doesn't necessarily benefit a brand, as it is less likely consumers would
actually remember the product as the product itself, but more of the sexy appeal it seems
to present.
Through the femme fatale archetype, women seemed to be more socially and sexually
liberated. They are a far cry from the weak, the small, and the domestic. The image
portrayed is sexy, exciting, and overall empowering – hence the wide use of this concept
in film, advertising, or fashion. Yet, the idea of women being able to “manipulate (men)
simply by donning a teddy and fluttering their eyelashes” in fact presents a very distorted
idea of what society still think of women today. It is sexist and it objectifies women to a
level where, despite the sense of independence and newfound opportunities in society, it
seems like everything still boils down to sex for power. Society still has yet to make
progress to convince the public that it is not merely through their sexuality, but unique
personalities of different female individuals that really mattered.
Bibliography:
Hanson, H, O’Rawe, C. (2010) The Femme Fatale: Images, Histories, Contexts. United Kingdom:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Place, J. (1989) Women In Film Noir. London: Ann Kaplan.
Synder, S. (2001) Personality Disorder And The Film Noir Femme Fatale. USA: University of
Georgia.
Naremore, J. (1998). More Than Night: Film Noir In Its Contexts. Berkeley, CA: University of
California Press.
Shanghai Express. (1932). Directed by Josef Von Strenberg. Paramount Pictures. 80 min. [DVD]
Inception. (2010). Directed by Christopher Nolan. Warner Bros Pictures. 148 min. [DVD]
Lady Noire Affaire. (2011). Directed by Oliver Dahan. Christian Dior. 6 min. [Video: Online]
Lust, Caution. (2007). Directed by Ang Lee. Haishang Films. 158 min. [DVD]
Downie, A. (2011) Dilma vs. Gisele: The War Over Brazilian Womanhood. Sao Paulo: TIME
World. Available from: http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2096771,00.html
[Accessed: 11 March 2014]