The Femme Fatale
“A woman who attracts men by an aura of charm and mystery” is the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of a femme fatale. This is a concept that we see portrayed in nineteenth-century French literature and film noirs- the woman who is seductive, intriguing, and dangerous.
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Despite their desirability, these women all share one theme- they are all portrayed as the villain. The femme fatale archetype finds empowerment within their own femininity. Through men’s depictions, this often meant women were oversexualized or incredibly unrealistic. These influences in our media created a negative stigma around women possessing traits of intelligence and ambition. Female empowerment was associated with deception and even malicious intentions. However,femininity does not have to be weaponized but instead can be embraced.
This shift is taking place in film and media today, as the femme fatale is portrayed in the female gaze; in which the women are three-dimensional. In Jennifer’s Body (2009), Megan Fox plays a possessed high school girl, Jennifer Check, who seduces boys and then eats them. Jennifer, while not necessarily a protagonist, is not just depicted as a ruthless villain. We get to understand her motives and see how her character has substance.
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The film Gone Girl (2014) is another modern portrayal of this archetype, as we see Amy Dunne seeking revenge by staging her murder and then framing her husband. Amy is characterized as a protagonist because we can see the reasons behind her actions. Her intrigue is not solely from her physical appearance, but rather her ambition and intelligence. She is done seeking to be physically desired by her husband- which is articulated in her iconic “cool girl” monologue. The femme fatale is not demonized, but rather understood and given actual dimension.
Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992) is another modern portrayal of the femme fatale archetype. She transgresses the basic narrative of a seductive female character; as she owns her sexuality. While this film is an elaborate noir murder mystery, Tramell is displayed as much more provocative than most women on screen. This explicit portrayal of a villainous woman demonstrates the idea of women finding empowerment in their sexuality. This empowerment does not subtract from the character’s substance, but instead enhances it and brings out the women’s confidence.
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This same portrayal of the stereotypical femme fatale is displayed by the wild, eccentric seductiveness of Margot Robbie as Nellie Laroy in Babylon (2022). We have a preconceived idea of the femme fatale, they are often subtle and inconspicuous. We see Laroy embody the archetype in a bold, confident, and wild manner. Femininity can be expressive and even provocative, without solely appealing to a male perspective.
These depictions of femininity are changing how women are perceived in films, and demonstrating that the typical “maneaters” do not exist for male pleasure; instead, they serve as symbols of powerful and confident women.
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We are seeing a change in the femme fatales of the media- villainous women are not mindless sex symbols, but rather characters of substance. While still being physically desirable, we are seeing women embrace and find empowerment in their femininity.
Looks are not enough to kill anymore.
Strike Out,
Emily Braunstein
St. Augustine
