Hollywood has been the hot spot for films all around the world for decades. Some of the most famous films come from the studios stationed there. It has become a place of incredible storytelling and magic. However, like most industries, it is a male-dominated space. Many have had to fight for proper recognition and respect in the workplace. This includes women. However, several women have been able to fight through the bigotry and create a safe space for women in Hollywood.
The start
When the film industry first started in Hollywood, the directors would hire stage actors because the art and reputation of screen acting hadn’t been developed yet. This left room to pave the way for the new type of acting, and Mary Pickford was up to the task. She started out doing stage shows in her youth before her first film in 1909. She quickly rose through the ranks with each film she did. People adored her for many reasons, but most for her dedication to acting and care she put into each role. Mary helped to create the United Artists Corporation with Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks. The UAC was a film studio that created films like West Side Story and The Gold Rush. Mary was in over 200 films and was given an honorary Oscar in 1976.
The Hays era
In the early 1930s, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) put in place the Hays codes. These codes put in place moral regulations on the films coming out of Hollywood. However, these codes also promoted bigotry typical to the time period. The codes weren’t fully implemented into the whole of Hollywood until 1934, so any films before then are considered ‘pre-code films’. These pre-code films made huge unintentional strides in representation before the censorship set in. Josephine Baker was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, Zouzou (1934). She became the most successful American entertainer in France, where she moved because of segregation laws in America. Marlene Dietrich, dressed in men’s clothing, had the first lgbtq kiss on film in Morocco (1930). This representation, led by women, would have been the standard without the Hays code’s censorship.
That didn’t stop the women of Hollywood from seeking out that representation. The 1940s saw the rise of women in plots that had nothing to do with romance or marriage. Hattie McDaniel became the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Gone with the Wind in 1940. Bette Davis became the first woman president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1941. Olivia de Havilland won a lawsuit against Warner Bros on an unfair labor loophole that traps actors in unfairly long contracts in 1944. Pauline Frederick became the first full-time TV newswoman correspondent, and Mary Kay and Johnny featured the first pregnant woman on TV in 1948. The 40s were a strong time for creating that representation for women despite the hays codes.
Real women in fictional characters
The 1950s and 60s embraced a world of realism on the screen. All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard addressed ageism in Hollywood and I Love Lucy is the first time a couple is seen sleeping in the same bed in 1951. That Girl (1966) is about an independent woman in New York City. Julia (1968) was a sitcom about a single, widowed mom and was incredible at avoiding most stereotypes about Black single moms. Which doesn’t seem like much, but with the strict standards and stereotypes of the 50s, these were huge influences on breaking those standards.
It Girls
The late 20th century was a shining point for iconic women in pop culture. While it’s not her first role, Marilyn Monroe stars in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953 and becomes one of the biggest icons of the 20th century. Dorothy Dandridge, in Carmen Jones, is the first black woman to be nominated for best actress in 1955. Nichelle Nichols plays Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek in 1966 and is one of the first Black female characters on TV to not be a maid. Also, Nichelle and William Shatner shared the first interracial kiss on TV. Rita Moreno, starring in West Side Story, is the first Latino woman to win an Oscar in 1962. Gail Fisher is the first black woman to win a primetime Emmy in 1970. Finally, in 1972, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the first show to have a character openly on birth control.
Woman at the forefront
The latter 20th century opened up stories and discussions of women in the workplace. From real-world change like Congress passing the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, and the Directors Guild of America suing Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures over discrimination for female directors. To representation on the silver screen like 9 to 5 (1980), Joan Rivers’s late-night talk show (1986), Princess Leia (1978), and Ripley (1979). This time was also a time of firsts when it came to controversial topics such as menstruation and sexuality. Courteney Cox was the first person to say the word “period” on TV in 1985. Heartbeat on ABC stars Marilyn McGrath as TV’s first lesbian main character in a long-term relationship in 1988, and 21 Jump Street had the first lesbian kiss on TV in 1990. Finally, But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), by Jamie Babbit, explores the complexity of sexuality and a happy ending.
Because of the efforts of women all throughout the 20th century, the 21st century has looked incredibly promising. Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win Best Actress in 2002. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker in 2010, and Patty Jenkins became the highest-paid woman director in 2017. Today, 26% of directors in Hollywood are women.
Hollywood is a place where you reach for the stars. Women have every right to those stars as men, so start with a film on your phone and then the big screen.
