Critics tend to attack the repetitive plots and stock characters in these movies while feminists condemn the microaggressive way they portray women and their values. While these criticisms are valid, discrediting the entire genre might mean missing out on some of the only mainstream representations of feminist thought in film.
Films made for women didn’t become popular until the early-'90s, especially after the commercial success of Thelma and Louise. The popularity of this movie signaled to studios that there was an untapped market to be found in a female audience. The focus on female friendships is a theme that carried over into many other chick flicks such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the TV series "Sex and the City". Both of these projects are about groups of friends who help each other overcome challenges. By highlighting the way these women depend on each other as a support system, chick flicks are actually portraying a key tenant of feminism and dismantling the patriarchal notion that women are overly dependent on men.
Unlike Thelma and Louise, though, themes of romance and consumerism quickly became the norm as chick flicks solidified into a concrete genre. However, the romantic aspects of these movies are oftentimes more rooted in the protagonist’s independence than one might expect. In A Cinderella Story, Sam tells Austin that she isn’t going to wait around for him to change. Just Like Heaven is a remake of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, but instead of waiting for her prince to wake her up, the protagonist’s spirit detaches from her body to find him. In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods proves to the audience that her success isn’t attached to anyone outside of herself.
More so than the themes of independence or sisterhood, a lot of these movies tackle aspects of being a woman that are very real for a genre criticized for its fairy tale narratives. Released over twenty years ago, Legally Blonde remains one of the most influential feminist films of the 21st century. Elle Woods is everything an average movie-goer might expect from a stereotypical blonde: she loves fashion, the color pink, and shopping. As the movie progresses, however, Elle surprises the audience with her kindness and intelligence. Despite not being taken seriously by the students and professors at Harvard, Elle never sacrifices her femininity. This movie flips every script that women are taught to buy into, proving that being feminine is a gift that often goes unrecognized in a world built by patriarchal expectations.
So then why are these movies looked down upon? As stated earlier, a lot of these movies follow the same set of narrative tropes and can be quite predictable. But the same can be said for many other genres that aren’t discredited half as much as chick flicks are. The truth is that it’s a genre associated with women and features things that mainstream society thinks are important to women, such as fashion and romance. Because our brains have been programmed to devalue anything remotely feminine, the label "chick flick" immediately brings to mind negative connotations.
Additionally, chick flicks tend to feature a particular facet of femininity that doesn’t even come close to encompassing all the various ways there are to exist as a woman. Many feminists argue that the way chick flicks portray women is reductive and harmful, reinforcing stereotypes that many have fought for decades to erase. But modern femininity is all about choice. Maybe chick flicks should feature more different types of women, but that doesn’t mean that the Elle Woodses of the world should be denigrated for being themselves and liking what they like.
Just like with every genre, there are twice the amount of bad chick flicks compared to the good ones. But to disparage the genre as a whole isn’t helpful, especially when considering them under a feminist lens. Chick flicks certainly leave a lot to be desired, but they also have a lot to say when approached with an open mind.
