Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of sexual violence, domestic abuse, brutality and murder. App State Wellness and Prevention Services provides free mental health resources for students and can be reached at 828 262-3148. OASIS provides services and support to victims of domestic and sexual violence and can be reached at 828 262-5035.
“Thelma & Louise” was released in theaters on May 24, 1991. As the 35th anniversary approaches, it’s clear that this gender-swapped Western was ahead of its time. The film tells the story of two women who flee to Mexico after killing a man who attempts to rape one of them. Encountering many obstacles along the way, Thelma Dickinson and Louise Sawyer represent female friendship and solidarity in times of life and death.
The movie is credited with portraying the injustices that women face living in a world built for men’s success. The film resonates with women who feel trapped in a patriarchal society by depicting the realities of what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world.
While the film was initially met with mostly positive reviews, having won an Oscar in 1992, it faced significant backlash for challenging gender norms, its negative portrayal of men and subjecting women to a role in which they seek revenge through violent and sadistic acts.
Some critics argued that Thelma and Louise behaved too much like men — after all, women are supposed to be seen as non-violent and non-threatening. Both women spend the better part of the film committing acts of brutality like manslaughter and armed robbery, primarily inflicted on men.
The masculine characteristics they take on are prominent in traditional Westerns starring male leads, yet no one is ever criticizing the men who commit acts of violence because it is not only expected of them, it’s glorified.
The film highlights men’s bad behavior as something that should not be normalized by writing the men as characters who, frankly, get what they deserve.
Thelma and Louise should be praised for rejecting traditional gender roles as they finally gain control over their own lives and subsequently reject the bounds of a patriarchal world. They are not crazy, blood-thirsty individuals but rather women who are fueled by feminine rage and are driven to extreme ends by male oppression.
Despite the film receiving criticism for its negative portrayal of men, both Thelma and Louise have meaningful relationships with men. Thelma has an affair with J.D., and Louise has a longtime boyfriend, Jimmy Lennox. They are trustworthy of men to some extent, especially Thelma, and neither woman seems to display contempt for men.
What they do acknowledge is that the world will not take a woman’s word when it is put up against a man’s. In the aftermath of the inciting attempted rape and subsequent murder, Thelma suggests going to the police. However, Louise knows that if they turn themselves in, even though the murder was committed in self defense, they will not be believed. She tells Thelma, “We don’t live in that kind of world.”
One of the most important aspects of the film is Thelma’s character development. In the beginning, she is trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage while also seeking male approval. In fact, she is too trusting of men, as she leaves J.D. alone in a motel with the money they needed to escape and start a new life.
It’s easy to be frustrated with Thelma. She trusts J.D. wholeheartedly without knowing anything about him, and her naivety ends with not only being robbed but her entire plan with Louise being tarnished.
However, Thelma isn’t always a damsel in distress, and the film wouldn’t have the same effect without her character growth. For the first half of the film, Louise is the one in control of their plan to Mexico and makes most of their decisions.
We slowly start to see Thelma become more confident and assertive, breaking free from what society expects of her as she realizes that being confined to the role of a housewife isn’t the only option for her. Her road trip with Louise is likely the first time she is able to be away from her husband, and once she had a taste of freedom, she wanted more of it.
The clothing the women wear also symbolizes their liberation and reclamation of power. At the start of the film, both wear traditionally feminine attire. Towards the end of the movie, however, Thelma and Louise adopt an androgynous western-inspired style.
Louise sells her jewelry in exchange for a cowboy hat, and the two abandon any form of makeup. This shift in aesthetics represents a rejection of the need for men’s approval, signifying the importance of women empowerment and autonomy.
While many movie-goers deemed “Thelma & Louise” as anti-feminist due to its acts of revenge and mayhem, the film teaches women to assert agency over their lives and reclaim power that men have taken from them. The characters of Thelma and Louise deliberately take on traditional male roles to call attention to the double standard — when people don’t think anything of men’s bad behavior, but women are deeply criticized and reprimanded for the same behavior.
If men don’t need to be perfect, why do women need to be? Contrary to others’ opinions, “Thelma & Louise” is a feminist film because of its depictions of independence, dominance and refusal to adhere to societal expectations.
The criticism surrounding “Thelma & Louise” did not stop it from becoming a blockbuster hit. Created with a budget of $16.5 million, the film generated a worldwide gross of $45 million by 1993. This movie remains influential in film history today and continues to spark conversations about feminism and gendered structures in our world.
