The Feminist Filmgoer

Forget Sarah Palin (oh how I wish I could), Hollywood has given us angry women a new, easy-on-the-eyes ‘feminist’ role model.

Meet Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Played by Keira Knightly in the cleverly-named "The Duchess," this woman is truly the old-time "new face of feminism." I mean, she’s played by Keira Knightly! And she makes witty comments! What more could you ask for?

Quite a lot, it turns out. See, take "The Duchess," translate it forward by 300 years or so, and it’s no longer a sexy period piece, it’s a case study:

Young, wealthy white woman (19)

Background: Subject grew up in a wealthy family and caught the eye of a local rich kid. Married after two weeks. 

Beginning of abuse: After a few weeks of marriage, subject began to talk to her mother about her husband’s painful, constant intercourse. Mother advised subject to wait, promising relief when subject had a son.

Development: Very late into her first pregnancy, subject discovers her husband with a maid. She confronts husband about it; he proceeds to force her into intercourse. Next morning, husband announces that she will raise his illegitimate daughter. Soon after, subject bears a daughter and is promptly isolated, ignored, and mistreated by her husband.

And so on. Georgiana is forced to live with her husband’s mistress, regularly insulted, raped by her husband, and made to give up her illegitimate child, yet we’re supposed to think everything will be ok because she can still wear pretty dresses and make witty comments to the public. In the end (SPOILER ALERT), her husband forces her to choose between her lover and her children, despite his own continued affair with her best friend. Georgiana chooses her children (shock) and then, apparently, lives out the rest of her life in peace and contentment, never losing her fashionista status. See ladies? Just think of your children and everything will turn out fine and dandy! Forget those selfish desires to be loved, appreciated, and treated like a human being! The children!

Ostensibly, this movie was based on a true story. How true the story is, I don’t know and frankly, don’t care. It is irresponsible to portray domestic abuse as something that can be waited out (to say nothing of the incredible ignorance of privilege and class constantly on display in the film).

Try again, Hollywood.