Society plays a major factor in women’s part in the entertainment
Women’s evolution in Hollywood from actresses to icons in evident today
By Kate Griendling, contributing writer
Posted on Setpember 18, 2006

Over the last 50 years, Hollywood has transformed actresses into movie stars. The evolution of film correlates with the style change in performances. Hollywood’s glam and glitz reflect a different type of cinema and acting.

It is almost impossible to compare actresses today to those 50 years ago without acknowledging changes in society and the advancement of film.

In the 1950s, the “studio system” reigned. Actors signed with studios agreeing to star in multiple films at the studio’s discretion.

Today, actors can choose individual projects without loyalties to any one studio. This change has empowered actresses to take on juicier roles beyond that of the classic love interest.

But with this independence, actresses sacrifice the training and nurturing that studios once offered. When Judy Garland signed with MGM at age 13, the studio helped her grow from a singing stage performer to one of their most bankable actresses.

While women in entertainment now have the freedom of selection, smaller roles are practically obsolete, as studios cannot afford to develop supporting characters when they must pay movie stars multimillions.

“Movie fan” magazines of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s mirrored the symbiotic relationship between the public press and Hollywood. Studios managed the personas of the actors both on- and off-screen. Most public images were staged.

Hence, the public did not know the alleged womanizer, Rock Hudson, was gay until he was diagnosed with AIDS in the 1960s.

The paparazzi obfuscate the freedoms of press and privacy in order to invade the lives of today’s famous faces — turning actors into iconic objects.

As society embraces sexuality, the movie industry pushes the explicit use of nudity.

While some actresses such as Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman have resisted such expectations, many feel the pressure to strip in order to act. The use of subtleties has altogether exited. There is no need to hint at desire when actors are willing to rip their clothes off.

Fifty years ago, a married couple could not share the same bed on television, yet it’s hard to imagine “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” getting hot and heavy without ever flashing the camera.

The chemistry between Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and the way Clark Gable romanced Claudette Colbert in the award-winning “It Happened One Night” are memorable because of eye glances, body language and dialogue. Overt sexuality has replaced the suggestive banter of Scarlett O’Hara to Rhett Butler in “Gone With the Wind” that has become a classic movie reference.

This loss in actor’s expressions is not the only change that has occurred in movie production. It is the skillful positioning of the camera accompanied by pop songs that convey messages of lust and warning.

 “Movies rely less on actors expressing emotion and more on music to create the mood,” said senior Angel Roubin.

The most notable difference in actresses today and 50 years ago is their physique.

“Actresses 50 years ago were not concentrated on being unnecessarily thin, but they were still viewed as beauties and role models,” said junior Katelyn Carluzzo.

Actresses in 1950 were shapely women with big busts and curves. Mae West and Marilyn Monroe were cultural sexpots, yet they look nothing like today’s “perfect” woman.

The emaciated Kate Bosworth and the malnourished Lara Flynn Boyle are shadows of women — half the actress and literally half the woman. Only a handful of actresses resemble the typical movie patron.

 Susan Sarandon, Catherine Zeta Jones and Meryl Streep are among the few full-bodied contemporaries that possess the acting talent comparable to Katharine Hepburn, Vivian Leigh and Bette Davis.

In the 1950s movies were an escape from reality. Today, movies try to reflect real life.

This paradigm shift is neither good nor bad, just worth considering. Movies and culture are inextricably linked. Examining the images of actresses allows for reflection on society.