The “issue” of Alice Eve’s gratuitous T & A in Star Trek is a complicated one for me, because on the one hand, I’d really like to see better developed female characters in movies (better developed characters in general, really), but on the other, I quite enjoy seeing Alice Eve in her panties. It’s also hard to draw a line between not “exploiting” while simultaneously wanting people to lighten up about skin in general and accept the fact that deep down we’re just dumb animals that are engineered to want to rub genitals with each other, and part of that process is naturally objectifying. Is it really so much more enlightened to want to screw someone because they like the same crap as you and dress cool than it is because they have a hot bod? I’m not totally convinced. We all objectify each other a thousand times a day, just try to be polite about it.
Anyway, Damon Lindelof has, perhaps rightly, has been getting a lot of crap for Alice Eve’s character (though I’m not sure why the backlash has been so focused on Lindelof when there were two other writers and a director), a character who didn’t seem to have much to do besides strip down to her undies on a flimsy justification. (“Cor bloimey, guvna, oy rickin me shirt’s going to interfeah wiv da warp droives or somefin!”). Also, how is she British when her dad’s American? DASS RAYCESS. I digress, but it probably would’ve been more okay if her character had had more to do. I mean, we like to see Alice Eve in her underwear the same way we like to see spaceships explode and Chris Pine’s dreamy blue eyes, and half of the movie is a wish-fulfillment fantasy, but at least those are desires we try to justify in the story. As it was, it seemed like she was only there to take her shirt off. Which understandably makes people angry, because it makes it seems like that’s the only role women can play. That is a totally justified criticism. For the record, Damon Lindelof has conceded the point.
Via his Twitter:
- I copped to the fact that we should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress.
- We also had Kirk shirtless in underpants in both movies. Do not want to make light of something that some construe as mysogenistic.
- What I’m saying is I hear you, I take responsibility and will be more mindful in the future.
- Also, I need to learn how to spell “misogynistic.”
Good for Lindelof for admitting “okay, my bad,” instead of just ignoring it or changing the subject. (Orci was probably too busy ranting about false flags and building seven to comment).
Me, I’m just glad this whole sexism thing is finally behind us. (*cracks beer, puts hand down pants*)
