CULTURE
Taking Bombshells Seriously
By: Arieza Maglalang Edited by: Tessa Reiner
A common Hollywood phenomenon is to notice women’s appearances first, recognize their talent last. Despite people idolizing her purely for appearances, Actress Sydney Sweeney’s fame has been on the rise since the release of hit HBO series “Euphoria.” and recent rom-com movie “Anyone But You.” The actress has showcased phenomenal acting skills in her filmography, but the audience seems to only be interested when it comes to scenes that involve her nudity. As of last month, photos have been released of her upcoming role as Christy Martin, a female boxer with an emotional story to tell. With her Euphoria role overshadowing her more versatile works, the upcoming role calls for not only a noticeable physical transformation but demands for a strong emotional performance. With this in mind, is it finally time for people to start taking Sweeney seriously?
Sydney Sweeney is not the only famous Hollywood actress that has fallen victim to this treatment. Margot Robbie was in the same line of fire. The Australian actress is best known for her role as Naomi Lagaparia in the Wolf of Wall Street playing the mere model wife to Leonardo DiCaprio’s accomplished stock broker. With her next hit role being Harley Quinn from the Suicide Squad, Robbie noticed an alarming pattern. All the roles were sexualized women whose character arc was dependent on the men.
The roles that Robbie were offered were always tied to a man, and the characters she played didn’t have much substance in comparison to their male counterparts. The actress came out with a statement saying that this recurring issue was “a catalyst for the male story line. It was uninspiring.” Her work remained stagnant until she got her breakout role in the critically-acclaimed movie “I, Tonya.” Following the conspiracy around the famous figure-skater Tonya Harding’s involvement in her husband sabotaging her opponent in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. The role required Robbie to physically train in order to correctly play the character but it also gave her the grounds to show the audience just how much she can offer with her acting capabilities. In the movie, a mirror scene where she is on the verge of a breakdown stands as a famous clip in cinema. The need to perform and conflicting emotion in the short clip translated extremely well and the performance resonated with the viewers in a way that made them inclined to shift their perspective of Robbie as a bombshell to an artist. The film got such high praises, that it secured an Academy Award for Robbie in 2018.
As the years go on, more and more dynamic female roles are popping up and there's a rise of female directors and screenwriters. With this shift in the industry, are the tides turning for Sydney Sweeney as well? The actress has given a variety of performances to combat critics who undermine her talent and portrayed roles across many different genres. She has proven herself to be capable, but she still seems to only gain media traction when it comes to her body. Even in interviews, her body is more highlighted than the projects themselves despite the media’s attempts to get rid of this stigmatized and sexualized version of her.
Sydney Sweeney’s upcoming role as Christy Martin will explore many difficult themes of domestic abuse and trauma. The story looks to celebrate resilience despite all struggles. We’ve seen what biopics have done for other actors and the wonders it has done for their careers. Her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi is a prime example when he went on to play the role of Elvis in “Priscilla.” This may finally be Sydney Sweeney's chance to erase the persona she's been typecast as for so long.
The idea that female characters can be multifaceted, seems to be a hard pill to swallow for Hollywood. With most writers' rooms being dominated by men, female actresses have had a harder time being taken seriously in the field of work. The work towards women-led narratives is far from over, but with more and more demand for women-led media, there is hope in seeing the industry change from within. Actresses won’t only be known for their labels of “Bombshells” and “Sex Icons,” but will finally receive recognition for their hard work on the big screens.
