Alice Guy-Blaché

"The Consequences of Feminism" short film:

Alice Guy-Blaché is the director of one of the most influential films that challenged the norms of men and women’s roles in society. In the comedic short film “The Consequences of Feminism,” the roles of men and women are reversed to stress the impact gender has on how we perceive certain wrong-doings that have been normalized. There are three main points that stood out the most:

• Make sure you clean up well

In the film, the men prepare to look sophisticated before appearing outside because not looking polished is unacceptable. Your appearance reflects on your reputation, your partner’s, and your family’s. Women during this time were expected to look their best and enter the social pool until they did. This is an unrealistic standard that women face more than men. If women don’t look perfectly presentable, it seems as if their lives aren’t put together. However, if men are dressed casually it means that they are off the clock. The standards each gender is expected to meet is inappropriate because it is reasoned by gender and the way we perceive those who abide by the subconsciously accepted expectations or don’t.

• Come to my rescue

The film depicted a woman initially sitting outside and enjoying a drink. Moments after, a man was harassed by the woman who seemed to think it was acceptable to do so. In this scenario, another woman was walking by and picked a fight with the harasser to come to his rescue. Because the man was stood up for, the woman expected the man to thank her with more than words. They made their way to a bench in the park and, unexpectedly, the woman who rescued the man was harassing him just after saving him from a similar incident. Only this time, two men were strolling by and became bystanders to such harassment by acknowledging it and still walking away.

In society today, this still happens all too often. Women are harassed day to day, saved from such harassment, and repeated by the so-called ‘savior’ once again. It is a helpless feeling when you feel like you have no choice but to repay the person who saved you in whatever way they please. It’s easier said than done to ‘say no.’ It is even more of a helpless feeling when other people are bystanders to these incidents and choose not to help or say anything. They do so because it is normalized for men to harass women with no consequences.

What you can do about this is SPEAK UP. If you are a witness to harassment, say something, do something, and support these victims. It is not tolerable to harass without facing consequences. The more action that is taken to prevent and/or address these kinds of situations, the more society will accept that harassment is not okay, and being a bystander is just as unacceptable.

• Stay in your lane! … Wait, what about the children?

The woman in the film is smoking and sitting while two men do household chores such as iron, sew clothes, and tidy up the house. It seems as if the women are allowed to do what they please, such as smoke, while the men attend to the children and do chores.

This norm is still present today. While we do have many working women, including wives and mothers, many husbands/fathers still expect their wives to attend to household chores and the children as if that is all they are capable of. However, there is always a balance. You can be a good mother and a good wife while being a good employee. You can do it all. Being a housewife should be by choice, not expected of a husband and not because ‘it is the way things are.’

A particular scene in the film shows the many husbands bringing children to an event, then the wives are furious and kick them out expecting the husband to take care of the children. While there are many employed married and unmarried women with children, still today, partners expect women to be good mothers and be solely mothers. However, men can work and attend to the same responsibilities as women. Gender should not be the determining factor of what aspects of life people attend, their abilities should. For example, if the wife is working late one night, the husband can get the kids to bed. If a husband has an emergent business meeting, the wife can tend to the children by making them dinner. With this, gender is not the determining factor of who primarily takes care of the children, but rather the circumstances do.

So, by analyzing the different roles each gender plays in society and their reversal it is clear that women are expected to attend to household chores, take care of the children, and endure the harassment by men. These are the societal norms that were set during the time this film was made (1906). While there have been some improvements, some ideals have not changed. Women still tolerate the harassment, catcalling, and disrespect many men inflict. By having awareness of these norms and recognizing that they are distasteful, we can be one step closer to a more equal and equitable society.

Written by Aayna Bhatheja