The Altar of Pussy - or when the equal rights movement goes wrong

Everyone who follows me and my blog will by now know I am not a hardcore feminist, I am most definitely not one of those women who hate men, I am not rabid about either men or women. Frankly, I think we're all just as screwed up. You know, some good ones, some bad ones, we're different, but not better than one another simply by sex.
So I'm not a crazy feminist, but I can't help but feel baffled at the behavior I see in many women out there.
The other week, I met with a friend and since we both needed a break - her from exams, me from writing - we figured we'd go see a movie, you know, some mindless fun. And we settled on the latest Hollywood offering - Ocean Eight, starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and other such "big names".

You might be thinking that it sounds a bit familiar. Well yes, you're probably remembering the Ocean saga of movies that ran about 10 years ago, starring George Clooney. Now don't get all excited that they made another movie (although I don't see why you would since those were quite crap themselves), because it's not that.

No, it's simply an all female version of the films George Clooney used to do 10 years ago. Same story basically, same dynamics, same characters...but with chicks.
And I can't help but wonder...why? Why would you, as a woman who claims to care about other women, do such a shit movie?
What's the message here, that women can do it too? Seriously? Is that what we should be striving for? To do some crap film that some men did 10 years ago? Why? It's old news and it's boring. It's like George Clooney went in first to test the waters, did the movie, then told the women to try it too 'cause it was safe. It's pathetic.
And it's not the first time. They did an all female version of Ghostbusters recently, which I thankfully managed to avoid. What are these women trying to prove? That they can play a part that a man has already played? That they're as good as men?
Well, wow, that's good to know. While watching the movie, I kept thinking of something George Carlin once said, referring to women acting like men at work:

Is this the noblest thing women can think of?

'Cause it's pretty lame if so.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. These Hollywood chicks aren't trying to fight the good fight, they're not trying to help the feminist cause. Nah, they're just using this whole feminist movement to cash in some easy money. Why bother doing a new movie that requires a moderately thought-through script and different acting? Why bother creating when you can recycle aaand come out as a warrior woman to boot?

It even plays nicely on the whole #MeToo movement, because obviously the real bad guy here is a MAN, some dude who screws the main chick over. And we're supposed to hate him. Not because of what he does, 'cause it's pretty much what the chicks are doing, but because he's a man doing it.

Fact-checking this movie on Google, I keep finding the words 'all-women cast' and it strikes me over and over that this is not equality. Sure, it's just a stupid little movie that doesn't matter in the big scheme of things, but it's promoting a very wrong image. That of "all-women". And it's strange, because I don't remember that being there before - it used to be equal rights, it used to be women getting equal rights with men and for good reason. But now it's not us together anymore, it's us vs them. And they don't seem interested in sending the message that we're all just as good or just as bad, but that women are better than men. It's the image that every oppressed group seems to be promoting - all-gay, all-black, all-women etc.
And that's not equality, that's segregation - the thing we're supposed to be moving away from.

But, maybe I'm seeing too much into it.

Ocean's Eight is just another crappy movie meant to idle your brains, so that you have something to stare at for two hours and chuckle at and feel that you've accomplished something.
You haven't. And I know that, but my excuse is well, I spend so much time filling my head and doing smart stuff that I can afford to waste a couple hours on this crap to relax. And that's partly true. I still can, but not for long, because as you age, chances are that those smart things will lessen and you'll grow accustomed to this kind of movie. It's what you've been watching all your life and you stop seeing it as crap. Or at least, you'll know it's crap, but in a self-indulgent sort of way. And you'll make the crucial mistake of thinking you still afford it.
You don't. I don't.
And what really sucks is that you'll stop seeing these Hollywood idiots for the liars they are. You'll look at such women and think 'my, what a feminist movie, this is such a good step for women all over'. Why?
Because if you were to see them as liars, you'd have to see the lie you're living and no one wants to do that.

PS: Oooh, did I mention the movie features an appearance by Kim Kardashian? (or one of those women anyway...) All my heroes in one!! #proudtobeawoman

Thank you for reading,