Am I less of a feminist for liking James Bond?
With the premier of Spectre this week and Daniel Craig in recent interview blasting the character as a ‘a very lonely, sexist misogynist’, Lucy Thompson asks what the implications of this are for feminist fans.
As the classic title sequence rolled of the hotly anticipated film Spectre and James Bond became adorned in naked silhouetted women writhing in octopus tentacles, I wondered whether I was guilty of hypocrisy.
I am an ardent feminist who is quick to call out sexism but like the millions who bought tickets to Spectre this week I am enchanted by the franchise - the villains, the gadgets, the action-packed chases and the charisma of Bond.
The sexism is ingrained in Bond’s very essence as constructed in Ian Fleming’s novels. Having strong female parts definitely has improved the almost comically sexist portrayals of women in the earlier Bond films but anyone who attempts to suggest the new Bond films are a large improvement are kidding themselves.
He is deeply flawed and not just emotionally detached from the women who often die under his wing, but also every man in his pathThis can be seen in the way Bond carelessly tosses aside women time and time again before they can develop into actual human beings. This is seen most recently in Spectre with the vulnerable widow played by Monia Bellucci who has a brief affair with Bond and then vanishes, despite the over-hyped media frenzy over her being the oldest bond ‘girl’.
Is this disrespectful attitude towards women what we expect from the character of James Bond? He is deeply flawed and not just emotionally detached from the women who often die under his wing, but also every man in his path.
He obviously views women as objects but he also uses men in order to get what he wants. When was the last time he showed any man any degree of respect unless he had an ulterior motive?
His job requires detachment meaning he can’t form substantial relationships. Vesper in Casino Royale summed this up well, berating Bond for his attitude towards women, saying ‘you think of women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits’.
Do we expect him to take the Bond girls out for coffee dates in between car chases and fighting villains? We are attracted to the character as Daniel Craig put it recently because ‘he embodies a certain kind of danger’ in the way he ruthlessly detaches from both men and women, taking what he wants.
Some of the glamour and fantasy becomes lost as we become embroiled in a moral mazeDoes Bond really need a conscience? If we are to look at this fun action film from an ethical perspective then the film has far more problems than just its treatment of women, one being the lavish spending of money and obsession with high class society.
However, if we over-analyse films like this, some of the glamour and fantasy becomes lost as we become embroiled in a moral maze which was really just supposed to be a gripping Friday night watch. Rather than seeing Bond’s chat up lines as cruelly sexist are they just not a little cheesy and playful?
When we watch Shakespeare do we allow his attitudes towards women cloud the beautiful language and drama of his plays? At the end of the day we are captivated by his flawed, fantastical character and the glamour of his adventures and shouldn’t feel guilty indulging a franchise that is far more than just a discussion of gender roles.
Featured Image: Flickr/ TNS Sofres
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