Sucker Punched

So the second thing that struck me in the past 13 days was with the new movie Sucker Punch. A second trailer may be found here. Now I have mixed feelings, and I guess it comes from the thing that always bothers me: the physical appearance of female heroes.

Personally, I think Sucker Punch is awesome. The main 6 characters are all females; they are all damaged in some way; they are all strong; and they are all trying to free themselves from those that have hurt them/ the guards (the men). It's a story that actually allows girls to be the protagonists, to find a way out, and to fight for what they want rather than just relying on "Prince Charming" to do it for them.

But, every single one of them is dressed up, and made up, in a sex-ified, totally unpractical fighting outfit. I know that there is always some element of sex in media because we are humans and sex does sell. HOWEVER, did we have to do it with the way that they are dressed?

First of all, they are in a prison, yet for some reason they all have access to eyeliner, mascara, sparkling eye shadow, foundation/ concealer/ powder, and blush. I don't ever remember any convict, from any era, ever having the access to make-up that can do this.

Secondly, their costumes are completely illogical for the stunts that they are pulling. Why is there cleavage? The heart is completely exposed making them an easy target for a kill via cardiac stab/bullet wound. Why are their thighs exposed? As we learned from Dexter, the femoral artery pumps a whole lot of blood to your legs, if it is split and left to bleed, you could die within minutes. So why would you expose such a weak spot?

Oh yeah...sex appeal.

Continuing on. Why is Baby Doll wearing a short skirt that resembles such of a school-girl fantasy? Wouldn't that just be difficult to keep in place while twirling through the air, kneeling on shrapnel, and doing a roundhouse kick to some guy's face? Come on. I'm sure if skirts were such a benefit to fighting a duel, men would have worn skirts to war a long time ago.... sorry Braveheart.

But I guess what it comes down to is that Sucker Punch is an action movie with a lot of violence that most girls don't want to see, and since the main protagonists are female there has to be some sense of appeal to men. So how do we attract female audiences? Female Protagonist. How do we attract the males? Violence and Sex. So I guess I should say "thanks..." because at least now there is a movie of girls kicking ass with the help of their fellow XX, but follow up with a "try again" for the costumer and director hoping to get more attention from their future female audience.

So I leave with this simple request: Can't we just have one female action hero that kicks ass without the help of a spandex/ latex/ fantasy girl outfit? Is that possible? I think it's a simple request... right?