Stepford wives

The Stepford Wives

The men in The Stepford Wives choose , in a sense , to play God . By re-creating their wives in their own image (or in this case their ideal ' image , they take away the woman 's free-will . As with fundamentalist religion , this need to control takes precedence over morality , fairness and love . The basic interdependency of life is ignored so that separateness and individual gain can be deified writes Bell Hooks in All about Love : New Visions

As quoted in the movie , a man said that , I wanted to know love

but I was afraid to surrender and trust another person . I was afraid to be intimate ' This fear of intimacy is the backbone of the movie . If the men were able to find and nurture real love , they wouldn 't have such unrealistic expectations of their wives . Women , on the other hand , are natural communicators : they love to express their feelings frequently and openly . By becoming robots , women are denied their ability to make decisions , express themselves , be independent , or have free will Subservient , their ability , as well as natural essence , is denied

The movie shows compared to women , men are not as vocal and are likely to bottle up their emotions a great deal than their female equivalent Men , particularly driven by pride issues , don 't communicate the woes of their relationship constantly . As what can be seen in the movie , it is difficult for men to reveal their true selves . It is as if they feel that it is risky to let someone , especially their wives , inside because they will see their true selves . They seem to think that meaningful intimacy comes with a price

According to the movie , Women are romantics and sentimental about love ' This goes to show that women are more comfortable with their emotions , whereas it is more difficult for most men to express themselves . Bell Hooks explains , We do not become fully human until we give ourselves to each other in love ' By creating robots of their wives , the husbands take away their wives very humanness ' not only literally but figuratively . They deny them the chance to express true human love

Typically , a woman 's behavior is considered to be an open window to her emotions . However , most men are not like that . They have a propensity to hide their feelings and emotions . In the movie , it is demonstrated that for men , it is just too threatening to embrace a definition of love This seems to support the philosophy that says that real men (macho men are men of steel and are in control of their emotions . Thus , the popularity of the declaration the `Real men do not cry

Furthermore , it is also illustrated in the movie that the most fundamental field that a wife should succeed in is the home , or her domestic role . This role not merely keeps the wife in line , but it s the husband as well . Nevertheless , another means to keep the husband content and satisfied is to look after and deal with the children . As seen in the movie , it is the wife 's duty to keep the children happy and of course , out of trouble

Hence , in terms of the emotions and conceptions about love , the movie seems to show that a woman demonstrates her love by fulfilling her domestic role by means of providing service to her husband , being resourceful and inventive in her work , enjoying the simple pleasures of life , both sexual and emotional , and keeping her husband and children elated in their daily lives . Moreover , the women of Stepford are greatly encouraged to sacrifice their own views and hobbies so as to their husbands . If this feminine sacrifice is not done , then the wives are ignored , persecuted , or replaced . This is witnessed when analyzing Joanna , Bobbie , and Charmaine . Joanna and Bobbie are regarded as dangerous due to their strong wills , convictions and character Meanwhile , Charmaine is considered as an unfit wife since she is more concerned with playing tennis than pleasing her husband , and she discussed his strange sexual habits

By taking away their wives ' independence and freedom of thought , the men segregate the women . Segregation is a blatant denial of the unity which we have in Christ . It substitutes an `I-it ' relationship for the `I-thou ' relationship , and relegates persons to the status of things . It scars the soul and degrades the personality . It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible ' Brooks says . The men of Stepford caused segregation by turning their wives into things ' rather than humans

Furthermore , the women of Stepford seem to express their love for their husbands by being robotic wives , thus completely pleasing their husbands without resistance . So , it appears that a woman demonstrates her love for her husband by being well-mannered , polite , attractive well-dressed , and having perfect mannerisms at all times . Not merely do the wives hold these qualities , but they also seem to enjoy their new selves , hence keeping their husbands d . The movie imparts the thought that a Stepford wife is constantly subservient to her husband and selfless in service to her children . She is the true picture and epitome of what a perfect woman should be like when she embraces her feminity . It seems that Stepford exists so that men can convert their wives into robots , into being ideal women . A man does this so he could control his wife , destroy her independence and claim his role as the family leader

Moreover , it is said in the movie that the majority of men are more concerned regarding sexual performance and sexual satisfaction compared to their capability in giving and receiving love . In the movie , to demonstrate their love , women changed the way they view sexual relations . Sexual relations involved pleasing the man with no concern for the woman 's needs : emotionally or physically . It looks as if a woman must do everything to their husband sexually

But what is most striking to me is the quote that in true love , we should learn to mix a variety of ingredients - affection , care , respect recognition , trust , commitment , in addition to open and honest communication ' After watching the movie , we will realize that these qualities are the ingredients of true love . This is proven by what happened at the end of the movie that Joanna 's husband realized that he loves the real Joanna

Lastly , we should realize that the differences between the views and behavior of men and women about love and relationships are dictated by culture . As observed in the movie , the Stepford community dictated the role that men and women must play in the community . In the real world this influence of culture also holds true . However , we should realize that both men and women equally need true and unselfish love to be happy and fulfilled in their lives

In All About Love ' Hooks quotes Merton , Life curves upward to a peak of intensity , a high point of value and meaning , at which all its latent creative possibility go into action and the person transcends himself or herself in encounter , repose and communion with another . It is for this that we came into the world - this communion and self transcendence . We do not become fully human until we give ourselves to each other in love ' By the end of the movie , Joanna and her husband did just that : gave themselves to each other in love , thus becoming fully human ...