James Bond is the greatest secret agent that the United Kingdom has. He’s defeated the bad guy and saved the girl in twenty-five movies and countless novels. Although the plot lines and gadgets change in each movie, there is one key element to all the films that makes them memorable: the Bond Girls. The opening musical numbers always have the silhouette of a nude, dancing woman and they always fall for Bond’s - ahem - talents. However, not all Bond Girls have been written equally and it’s only recently that the 007 franchise has started to treat women with more respect. Six different men have played this super spy and now that Daniel Craig is stepping down from the 007 mantle, there is a great deal of debate on who the seventh James Bond will be. Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are two crowd favorites and are both adored by their fans. However, Gillian Anderson (of the X-Files) has thrown her hat into the ring with the hopes of playing the next James (Jane) Bond. Historically, in both the James Bond franchise and the James Bond universe, there has been a great deal of misogyny present. The Bond Girls are sex toys that are sometimes useful and the female Bond villains are all ice cold women who melt in the face of 007’s love. The actresses are chosen on their looks almost entirely, making them little more than eye candy in these films. Only recently have we seen stronger women (Eve Moneypenny) emerging from the depths of this aging franchise. This is an examination on how the franchise treats their women and why a woman won’t be playing James Bond anytime soon.
About the presenterAeron Pennington
Hello! My name is Aeron Pennington and I’m living in Arizona and attending Arizona State University for a bachelors of science. However, I have a great love for discussing and analyzing pop culture.