Mad Max: Fury Road

If there was one award the film Mad Max: Fury Road deserved at the 2016 Oscars, it was Costume Design. Costume designer Jennifer Beavan did an exemplary job of creating a wardrobe for each of the characters that wholly encompassed the gritty, war-torn world they inhabited. Not only were these costumes aesthetically pleasing, but each one told a unique story about its owner. It is especially important to take note of the costumes worn by the diverse variety of female characters, both leading and supporting. They help to illustrate one of the film’s main themes of striving for gender equality, as well as how women’s roles are changing in an otherwise male-dominated world. In an interview with Vanity Fair Magazine, Director George Miller
Serving very much as Immortan Joe’s foil character, she is a level-headed leader figure that uses violence when necessary but never loses sight of her morals. Right off the bat, it is clear that Furiosa is of equal status to the men in the film, from her wardrobe choices to her sleek buzz cut. Upon the first glimpse of her, one can even see that she will be an equal to Max if one pays close enough attention to detail. Max and Furiosa both sport what appears to be a single shoulder pad (a repurposed football pad?), with Max wearing his on his right shoulder and Furiosa wearing hers on the left. While Furiosa’s pad seems to be part of the contraption keeping her prosthetic arm in place and Max’s is more of a nod towards Mel Gibson’s iconic biker jacket from the previous films, the fact that they wear them on opposing shoulders makes it appear as though the pads are from the same set, further introducing Furiosa and Max as equals belonging to the same
While it wouldn't be fair to say that The Wives, Imperitor Furiosa, and The Many Mothers are all at different parts of some feminist spectrum (no one female character in the movie is the “most feminist” out of all of them), it could be argued that they do all represent the different stages women have been faced with and are striving for on their quest for gender equality. So, with that being said, even though their portrayal was controversial and criticized, having the Wives dressed the way they were was important. They represent the beginning of the journey, in the movie and in the history of women in general. They are the starting point, the Mothers are the ultimate goal, and Theron’s Imperitor Furiosa, coupled with her complex wardrobe, is a symbol for the place where women in present day’s society stand. They are not completely where they could and should be, but they are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were in the past. Just like Furiosa, today’s women are already breaking ground in a predominantly male-driven world, and they only gain even more momentum upon any attempted