In the 2019 film, What Men Want is about a sports agent named Ali Davis who faces obstacles at work with her male colleagues. For example, she was passed up for a well-deserved promotion and was told by her boss “just stay in your lane” instead of listening to her and giving her a chance. In the film, she visits a psychic who ends up giving her the ability to read men’s thoughts. Throughout the movie, she uses this new ability to her advantage at work as she tries to climb up the latter. The audience gains a good understanding on what it’s like for a woman to work in a male-dominated career field. She is excluded from certain social gatherings at work because of her gender, is often overlooked to handle big responsibilities, and overall isn’t taken as seriously as her male counterparts. For example, there is a regular scheduled poker game with the employees at the agency and have never once invited Ali to attend. She found out about the secret poker game with her new ability and surprised everyone at the gathering. At the table, one of the men asks Ali, “Little lady, what are you doing at the big boys table huh?” This film tests gender stereotypes and showcases how an ambitious woman may be treated in a male dominated industry.
Ali is treated as the “Other” whereas all her other male counterparts are seen as the “One.” She is considered unfavorable in the workplace by both her colleagues and clients. These obstacles push her to fight the gender stereotypes in the workplace specifically. The Othering concept is prevalent throughout the film. In the end, she succeeds and can be considered the “One.” However, it took a lot of perseverance and determination to get to that point. The movie also touches on the idea of the subaltern which is someone who is not heard from while experiencing oppression or discrimination. Generally speaking, some women in careers may be seen as subalterns as they face inequality in the workforce.
It was interesting to note that the film is categorized as a comedy, so serious topics such as gender inequality in the workplace were demonstrated in a lighthearted way. The main character is a smart, independent, ambitious career driven woman. This isn’t seen as common in the media and the creator highlights these characterizations for women. It’s empowering to see this as there have been many instances of injustices with gender. The creator wants to break the stereotypes towards women in media, and in the workplace so they can be seen as equals with their male colleagues which the film does a good job in emphasizing.
