The BFI London Film Festival, showcasing films from 72 different countries within 12 days in October, has announced 2015 to be "the year of the strong woman," with Suffragette seen by many as the headline act. The film focuses on a group of women within the British Suffragette movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. The story is told through the eyes of working class Maud, played by Carey Mulligan. Whilst the film no doubt passes the Bechdel test, (requiring a film to have two named female characters who talk to each other about something unrelated to men), and no doubt shines a necessary light on gender equality, the film raises the question of which ‘strong women’ it is representing?
Throughout the film, I could only see white men and women despite the fact that there were ethnic minorities both in London and in the Suffragette Movement itself. One example is the Indian Princess Sophia Duleep Singh. Whilst the majority of the British Suffragettes were white and the opening credits shows that the intended focus is on "the story of one group of working women who joined the fight," there were more opportunities for representing racial diversity. The East End itself, the film’s chief setting, was a home to many migrant and ethnic communities. There were, according to Anne-Marie Duff, women of colour in a laundry scene, so maybe I need to rewatch the film and have my slow-mo button at the ready. The year of the strong white woman?
The marketing campaign leading up to the film also rightly raised controversy as the main actresses, Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Romola Garai and Anne-Marie Duff were photographed for a Time Out editorial in T-shirts reading, ‘I’d rather be a rebel then a slave.’ It is true that this was a historically accurate quote from Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, but it is also true that it was a quote from 1913, meaning the quote doesn’t and shouldn’t have the same resonance now, in 2015. The editorial team obviously needs to take some time out before their next publication. The quote negates the experience of many BME people and implies that slavery is a choice, nullifying the idea of intersectional feminism and consequently whitewashing female Suffrage. The use of the word ‘rebel’ also has connotations to the ‘Rebel’ or Confederate flag in America, leaving further questions as to what demographic the film was being directed at, if it didn’t take stock of the power versus powerless implications. The film ended with a list of countries and corresponding dates when women got the vote. The date next to America read 1920, neglecting to mention that President Lyndon Johnson only signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and only then were all ethnicities and both genders able to vote. The year of the strong white imperialist woman?
The film’s London premiere in Leicester Square on 7th October was met with more than 100 protesters; the majority was from Sister’s Uncut, bringing attention and publicity to the cuts made to domestic violence services. Many protesters also wanted to bring attention to the lack of racial diversity in the all-white cast. Domestic violence disproportionately affects disabled, transgender and BME woman, showing that they are not being properly represented within policy-making. 32 refuges for women affected by domestic violence have been shut since 2010 and only 155 remain. Chants such as "Dead Women Can’t Vote" and "Cuts Kill" showed that the fight for gender equality is still an ongoing battle and a battle that needs to be intersectional, a battle that recognizes that each individual is going to have a different experience of prejudice. 50:50 Parliament was also present, a campaign group fighting for equal political representation, serving as a reminder that whilst women may have got the vote, they still aren’t being represented in the policies they’re voting for.
Another film director, called Chanya Button, recently starred in a Guardian video questioning the recurring phrase, ‘strong woman’, making the point that what we’re being asked to see as strong and therefore positive are women taking on male traits in traditionally male roles. We’re consequently undermining supposedly ‘feminine’ roles such as Tilda Swinton playing a mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Chanya Button raises the important and often overlooked issue that we need to be careful not to create more gender stereotypes that will need breaking in the future. Having said that, what’s being called the "Year of the Strong Woman" in film is an encouraging declaration because whilst it, in itself, may not be wholly representative, it helps to inspire debate and action, ensuring that an increase and diversity of voices are heard and that feminism looks inward as well as outward. As Molly Frances Bell, a member of the University of York’s Feminist Society comments, "Suffragette's lack of intersectionality should be challenged; the film is flawed. For this film to inspire protest, to reinvigorate the fight in people, is wonderful. The story of the vote may be over in this country, but the story of gender equality certainly isn't."