What Are The Stereotypes In She's The Man

You run like a girl. You’re too small. You’re not pretty enough. Almost every girl in our society today has been told one or more of these phrases, if not all. Humanity and the media have placed numerous stereotypes and expectations on women that can be discriminating and binding to their progress in society. However, the feminist movement is beginning to realise this discrimination and thus creating a shift in society to break down these expectations for women to fully accept and love themselves for who they are. Moreover, the entertainment industry has picked up on this idea in the movie She’s the Man, starring Amanda Bynes as Viola and Channing Tatum as Duke. This movie explores the cultural downcast of women by superior men and also the
societal expectation that women are only valued for their beauty, charm, and manners. The director plays with the stereotypes and expectations of both the male and female roles which the characters wrestle with throughout the course of the plot.
Nonetheless, Viola overcomes discrimination and stereotypes by proving that women can be just as athletic as men, that one does not have to be into “girly” things to be feminine, and that women are not merely sex objects. Even though it is a fact of science that women are generally not as strong as men, there is still a lot of crossover between both men and women, and the fact is not true in all cases. Women face a lot of discrimination because of this and can be perceived as weak and powerless. When the girl’s soccer team is cut, the girls ask the boys’ coach, Pistonek, if they can try out and join their team. At this suggestion, the coach laughs and says, “girls aren’t as fast as boys… or as strong or as athletic.” By laughing at the girl’s suggestion, the coach demeans the girls causing them feel unimportant and ashamed. In addition, when he suggests that girls are not “as strong or as athletic”, he establishes a hasty generalization which places them in a separate, lower category than the boys. In turn, this provokes them to feel less empowered and less valued than boys. Further on in the conversation, the coach also states
that “girls can’t beat boys, it’s as simple as that.” Here, the coach does not want the girls on his team because he believes that they will present a handicap, inhibit the team's progress, and ultimately make them lose games. With that, the coach implies that he will be embarrassed among community members for allowing girls to play on a boy’s team. Coach Pistonek is a representation of the societal stereotypes that are placed on women. He illustrates a population of people that believe women to be weaker. However, later in the movie, Viola proves this coach and society in general wrong. Once it is revealed that Viola is a girl, the opposing team refuses her participation in the soccer game. In contrast, her coach permits her to play and orders the other coach that “we can’t discriminate based on gender!” He, coach Dinklage, represents the new movement of feminism that advocates for women’s rights as well as the elimination of those hasty generalizations. Through discriminating comments and gender slurs like “don’t kick like a girl…”, said by her ex-boyfriend, Viola leads her team to victory and scores the winning goal. Viola proves how some women can be just as athletic and talented as men in sports. Societal expectations say that if you are a girl, then you like pink, dresses, cute things, sparkles, and you must be poised.
This is what the world wants and says that women must achieve to be in order to be accepted and liked. Viola’s mom, Daphne, is a perfect embodiment of this part of society. She is first introduced in a scene where she pressures her daughter into going to a cotillion after Viola expressed disinterest. Her mom responds to the lack of enthusiasm by asking, “How could I have ended up with a daughter who only wants to kick a muddy ball in a field all day.” Since Viola refuses to be a debutante, her mother presses her frustrations on Viola by insulting her sport and making her daughter feel odd or out of the ordinary for being a woman who enjoys playing soccer. Later, as part of Viola’s plan, she informs her mom that she wishes to be a debutante. Her mom reacts by saying “Oh my little girl, you’re finally going to be a lady!” In this context, it is implied that somehow Viola was less of a lady when she was not interested in the cotillion. This, again, shows how the women who do not fit within the roles society has placed on them are then seen as an outcast, therefore making them less of a women because they fell outside of the definition. However, Viola destroys these expectations by simply being herself and not being worried about pleasing society, or her mom in this case. When the debutante approaches, Viola shows up late, improperly, and not wearing the
appropriate attire. She then sits in her place and stuffs her face with food and loud chewing. The women are all but pleased and tell her things like “chew like you have a secret” and “make sure she’s in the back for the photo”. However, Viola is unfazed by the rude comments and continues to be herself without conforming to the way everyone wants her to be. She enables all women who do not fit the category to continue to be themselves. Yet, as much as this movie may promote the ideals of the feminist movement, it presents some questions on whether the director may have fallen short in a few areas. Some may have the impression that She’s the Man fails in the area of creating women as simply a sex symbol and eye candy for men. There is a scene in the movie where Sebastian (Viola) has to gain the friendship and credibility of his teammates and roommates, so he pretends to have a crowd of girls drooling over him and wanting to get back together with him. The girls wear low-cut shirts, crop tops, and short dresses with tall heels and plenty of makeup. The scene consists of Sebastian (Viola) putting an arm around the girls, grabbing and staring at butts, and talking big about how many girls want to be with him. After the “show”, all of his teammates respect him, they want his friendship, and they ask for relationship advice. Later Duke tells Sebastian, “You’re officially my idol, man.” His popularity goes to the point where the whole school now knows him and he is suddenly popular. So in the end, Sebastian’s (Viola) plan worked. At first, this may seem like the movie is advocating for the idea that women are simply a sex toy for men and they are only valued for how they look. However, the movie is actually doing the opposite. By creating a scene that is over dramatized and simply unrealistic, the director creates a satire to prove the point that there is a problem in our society: women should not be treated as a sex symbol. The fact the whole school loved him after this incident is a greater metaphor for our culture today. In other words, men receive greater praise when they are adorned by women, and he receives more respect if he treats them unfairly. She’s the Man satirically points out that this social normal is oppressive even though the message was hidden behind a satirical convention. The movie She’s the Man empowers women to resist conforming to what our society has, for so long, wanted women to be. Viola represents the ideal image for the feminist movement in the way she proves the stereotypes of women and athleticism to be wrong and how she does not change who she is despite pressure from family and peers. She not only overcame the stereotype of athleticism, but she also proved that women do not have to prove their feminism by being ladylike. Furthermore, She’s the Man weighs on the significance of pointing out the flaw that women are purposed for their bodies. Progress in the feminist movement has been made among our society today, however there is still much to be done. This is simply a small step in the right direction.