Media Essay: Analyse the representation of women in “Thelma and Louise”

At the start of this film we see Louise working in a busy diner as a waitress. At this point Louise fills the stereotype of “the hard working women” that struggles to get by on only minimum wage[U1] . Thelma on the other hand fills the stereotype of the “feminised housewife” as she does everything for her husband who controls her life. During the phone call both characters are depicted in a kitchen, which conforms to the stereotype of women fulfilling their domestic duties[U2] .

When Louise pulls up outside Thelma’s house, Louise is wearing jeans and a white t-shirt whereas Thelma is wearing a white[U3]  t-shirt and a skirt which suggests that Thelma is the more girly one and Louise is the stronger of the two characters. Thelma has several handbags on her and a large suitcase, which suggests that she is unsure what to take, and conforms to the stereotype that women are indecisive when it comes to clothes and fashion[U4] . When they first get in the car Thelma holds up gun as if it a banana peel, which suggests that she is immature and that she doesn’t know how to handle a gun.

When on the road they drive past a water sprayer they give out a little scream. This scream is very feminised as this is how men expect women to react in this situation[U5] . This is because Ridley Scott who is male directed the film and, according to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze, men objectified women in films and television so the camera was put in their point of view – this scene makes the characters seem very innocent and unable to protect their selves.  

In the bar Thelma and Louise’s attitude to men are easily identified. Louise knows what men are like and when Harland comes over to offer the characters a drink she blows smoke in his face to tell him to leave. However, Thelma is very naïve so when Harland comes over she thinks he’s just being kind so she goes and dances with him. When Louise goes to the bathroom all the women are crowding round the mirror to fix their make up and hair this conforms to the stereotype that women are always concerned about their appearance[U6] . During this scene Thelma steps outside with Harland to get some air and she thinks he’s just being kind. However, Harland is a stereotypical man that only has sex on his mind and because she’s been dancing with him all night he thinks he the right to take advantage of her[U7] . Thelma comes across as very innocent and is overpowered by Harland, Louise on the other hand is a strong women that stands up for Thelma and for all women by shooting Harland after he tried to rape Thelma[U8] . This shows Louise as a woman who stands up for herself and stands up against men; it shows that she is the stronger woman of the two characters and also the more down to earth character.

After this, the two characters attitudes and personalities change, but to start with Louise acts as a shoulder to lean on for Thelma who is traumatised by what just happened and keeps crying. Louise on the other hand stays strong and starts coming up with plans for going on the run.

On their journey they come across J.D who Thelma falls for, this conforms to the stereotype that women are naïve. When they get to Arkansas Louise goes to get the money her boyfriend wired to her, however when she goes in she finds Jimmy, her boyfriend, waiting for her which conforms to the stereotype that men don’t listen[U9] . After this they go to a motel where Jimmy proposes to Louise, in this scene Louise pushes Jimmy away. This is does not conform to the stereotype of women as it is normally the men that push the women away. This indicates the start of Louise’s rebellion against the stereotypical women[U10] .

In the morning Thelma’s personality and attitude has completely changed. This is first shown by what she is wearing – jeans and a t-shirt – which show that she is a stronger person now and that she has lost her girly responsibilities as she is no longer wearing a skirt[U11] . This change is explained after she tells Louise that she had just had sex with J.D and she now feel like a woman and not a girl. When they go back to the motel they discover that J.D has stolen their money and Louise starts to break down and cry, now Thelma is stronger of the two and tells Louise that everything is going to be all right and Thelma starts driving. This shows a role switch between the two characters and how they represent women[U12] . 

After being on the road for a bit they stop off at a gas station where Thelma goes in and leaves Louise in the car – she proceeds to rob the store using the gun. The gun is now held firmly in her hand rather than with just her fingers like it was before. This shows that Thelma has completely changed and that she is a bit careless of her own life. In the late 80’s this was nearly unheard of so Thelma’s character has gone against the stereotypes of women and makes herself seem dangerous compared to her innocent, girly self from the beginning of the film[U13] .

Back on the road they pass a truck driver who is a stereotypical man looking for sex. When they pull him over they start asking him to apologies but because he doesn’t they decide to get their own back on him by shooting his tanker. This is a way to show women rebelling against men and represents women as ruthless and careless. As they drive away Thelma and Louise laugh which shows that they enjoyed getting their own back, which shows that Thelma and Louise no longer care about the control that men had over their lives[U14] .

When they are pulled over by a cop for speeding Thelma comes across as a reckless woman with no feelings as she puts the cop in the boot at gunpoint. This shows that Thelma’s personality has changed completely since that start of the film, she is no longer the girl that gets bossed around but in fact the complete opposite. This presents women as strong and independent but also it presents them in a negative way, which is that they don’t think things through[U15] .

At the end of the film you can see that Thelma and Louise’s relationship has become stronger and they are very honest and trustworthy of each other. Driving off the cliff at the end shows that they were not going to ruin everything they have fought against; listening to the authority of men. This represents women as quite rash at their decisions but also that they are strong enough to make a stand for what they fight for[U16] .

In conclusion Thelma and Louise to begin with represent women as innocent and naïve but during the course of the film it shows how a woman’s attitude and personality changes when put into unfamiliar situations. It shows that even the most innocent and feminised housewife can become careless and independent when pushed over the edge.

Excellent essay Liam. You have provided a detailed analysis of the two characters, with clear comparisons made between them.

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 [U1]Good point

 [U2]Detailed analysis

 [U3]What is the significance of both women wearing white tops?

 [U4]Good point

 [U5]Good link into the effect the directors has on the film

 [U6]Good comment

 [U7]Good comment about Thelma’s behaviour

 [U8]Good, a stand for womenkind

 [U9]Good point

 [U10]Clear character analysis

 [U11]Costumes tell us a lot about a character

 [U12]Detail comparison between the characters

 [U13]Good detail

 [U14]Great point

 [U15]You could make the same comment about a lot of male characters

 [U16]Detailed analysis