It's Hard Out Here for a Smith
In designing a speculative cyberpunk film poster, I focused on women's issues and male privilege as they relate to The Matrix and Blade Runner, I chose to speculate on the possibility of differences in story to further highlight the objectification of women. While the subject could be considered more subtle in the films’ current forms, what if the objectification was absolutely central to the films, creating a motivation to drive the male characters? With this in mind, I came up with It’s Hard Out Here for a Smith. The title is a play on the song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” bringing to mind the position of Agent Smith as a pimp with dominance over women, but struggling with attracting said women (as it is “hard out here.)
The poster takes a sarcastic approach, looking at men who feel entitled to sex with women due to the fact that they are “nice guys.” Nearly every female character in the two films is powerful, but they are still paired up with a male love-interest counterpart and dressed in skimpy, tight outfits. Each woman having a man, but not every man having a woman, places women in a position of being owned, and therefore dominated. For this reason, the females are portrayed in the background, emphasizing the importance of Smith and the females' lack thereof. The silhouettes, including near-naked women in heels flaunting their curves, are masked, so that female characters from the films are visible beneath in sensual outfits and poses. They symbolize that which Smith wants to eradicate, including female dominance over men symbolized by Priss choking out Deckard between her legs (or, more literally analyzed, her femininity).
Agent Smith stands in a position of power, with a strong stance and dressy suit. He seems to be dominant, although his emotions are hidden by his dark glasses. I rendered a teardrop on his left cheek, to show some vulnerability in him. Humorously, it may also evoke sympathy for Smith and his problems with women, justifying his plan to kill them. Due to the central character existing in The Matrix, I put a dark background with the Matrix symbols drifting in from above, so as to familiarize the poster’s environment with audiences. In the poster’s description I make mention of Blade Runner characters so as to tie the two stories together and reference the similar ideologies. Considering the nature of Smith as a ruthless killer and cookie-cutter white male appearance, I felt his role in the Matrix made him a more central character, and therefore more important to the poster. An image of Bryant was not included so as to balance the poster’s symmetry.
Some see women wearing skimpy clothing as “asking for rape,” when this is in fact not the case as emphasized by women participating in SlutWalks around the world. “Thousands of women — and men — are demonstrating to fight the idea that what women wear, what they drink or how they behave can make them a target for rape” [1]. SlutWalks work to counteract a male dominant culture that shames women for behavior that may be considered normal for men. The name is vulgar, and while angry tactics used by participants may be unnecessary, the message remains.
In my hypothetical film, Smith and Bryant are put in the position of supposed power and entitlement. They want to destroy the same characters as they do in their respective films, but for a different reason- if we can’t “have” these women ('having' them bringing up a whole new issue of dominance) then no one can! While my original intention with this work was comedic, it eerily mirrors a frightening reality. The concept reminded me of the events last year in Santa Barbara, in which a Elliot Rodger killed 7 people because no girls wanted to sleep with him. The video he left behind is haunting, and reminds us of the reality to these issues. He was connected to what is referred to as the “manosphere, “that corner of the Internet where boys will be boys, girls will be objects, and critics will be ‘feminists,’ ‘misandrists’ or ‘enemies’” [2]. This is a frightening concept- many, including myself, may feel something as absurd as male superiority is an outdated concept. But incidents such as this are a scary reminder that full equality has not been reached, and for many men who choose to solely express their hateful opinions explicitly on the internet, it may never be. This can, however, relate back to the positivity that occurs in the world. While events such as SlutWalk may be offensive to some due to the terminology used, equal treatment of men and women should continually be supported.
Sources Cited
[1] Valenti, Jessica. "SlutWalks and the Future of Feminism." Washington Post. 3 June 2011.<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/slutwalks-and-the-future-of-feminism/2011/06/01/AGjB9LIH_story.html>.
[2] Dewey, Caitlin. "Inside the ‘manosphere’ That Inspired Santa Barbara Shooter Elliot Rodger." Washington Post. 27 May 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/05/27/inside-the-manosphere-that-inspired-santa-barbara-shooter-elliot-rodger/>.
Images
Agent-Smith. Retrieved from: http://www.energyenhancement.org/ENERGY-ENHANCEMENT-ENERGY-CONNECTIONS-IMPLANTS-AND-THE-MATRIX.htm
Trinity. Retrieved from: http://hotactressimageandwallpapers.blogspot.com/2011/12/carrie-anne-moss-wallpapers.html
Zhora. Retrieved from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/33495590950444468/
Priss. Retrieved from: http://news.moviefone.com/2013/12/17/sexiest-robots-computers/
Priss 2. Retrieved from: http://hilobrow.com/2012/01/06/shocking-blocking-28/
Matrix. Retrieved from: http://walluminati.com/matrix-background-best-movie-movie-wallpapers.html
silhouette 1. Retrieved from: http://www.vector-eps.com/girl-silhouette-vectors/
silhouette 2. Retrieved from: http://www.ikonent.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/dancers.png
