“She’s Gotta Have It” is a momentous film that captures the dynamics one woman, Nola, encounters in her personal relationships, as she pursues multiple partners. Throughout the movie, Nola has three consistent partners; each possesses a distinctly different personality and manner in which they go about dating Nola.
Nola is a young and successful woman who is unsure of what she wants in romantic relationships, so she seeks out multiple partners. Despite the many manipulations and domineering attitudes displayed by her suitors, Nola maintains an ever-present sense of awareness of her independence. However there are multiple points in which her confidence as a liberated woman wavers due to traumatic experiences, including incessant scorn towards …show more content…
For instance, one of the opening scenes, Mars already comments on Nola’s sexual habits, using the stereotypical concept that he believes they are caused by issues she has with her father. The way in which he communicates with Nola comes off as overtly lecherous and crude, especially when discussing their intimate relationship. Mars appears to be irritatingly needy towards Nola, almost to point where he is begging her to get what he wants. When Nola gives Mars what he wants, he does not offer her an equitable return, making the relationship seem juvenile and one …show more content…
As a woman who is concerned for the rights of women, I feel as though I gave this film a subconscious critical analysis because so many of the themes of abuse portrayed are utterly concerning. Many points in this film made me upset because it was marketed as comical, when in reality it was outright abusive towards Nola. The scene towards the end of the film, where Nola expresses her thoughts about her right to do what she wants to do with her body was particularly empowering. She stated something along the lines of “Who’s going to own my body or mind?” and “I’m not a one man woman,” solidified in my mind, that she was able to recognize that she was a free person, not bound to any of her partners. I think that this film might have affected me differently if I were not a white woman. For women of color who may be going through similar situations or feelings as Nola, this film could make them feel unfairly commercialized because many viewers would see their experiences as something to laugh at. This exploitative behavior directly relates to the common themes in bell hooks’ theories of feminism; by viewers enjoying a film that capitalizes on the mistreatment of a woman by men, they are actively contributing to a society that perpetuates domination, white supremacy, imperialism, capitalism and
Nola is a young and successful woman who is unsure of what she wants in romantic relationships, so she seeks out multiple partners. Despite the many manipulations and domineering attitudes displayed by her suitors, Nola maintains an ever-present sense of awareness of her independence. However there are multiple points in which her confidence as a liberated woman wavers due to traumatic experiences, including incessant scorn towards …show more content…
For instance, one of the opening scenes, Mars already comments on Nola’s sexual habits, using the stereotypical concept that he believes they are caused by issues she has with her father. The way in which he communicates with Nola comes off as overtly lecherous and crude, especially when discussing their intimate relationship. Mars appears to be irritatingly needy towards Nola, almost to point where he is begging her to get what he wants. When Nola gives Mars what he wants, he does not offer her an equitable return, making the relationship seem juvenile and one …show more content…
As a woman who is concerned for the rights of women, I feel as though I gave this film a subconscious critical analysis because so many of the themes of abuse portrayed are utterly concerning. Many points in this film made me upset because it was marketed as comical, when in reality it was outright abusive towards Nola. The scene towards the end of the film, where Nola expresses her thoughts about her right to do what she wants to do with her body was particularly empowering. She stated something along the lines of “Who’s going to own my body or mind?” and “I’m not a one man woman,” solidified in my mind, that she was able to recognize that she was a free person, not bound to any of her partners. I think that this film might have affected me differently if I were not a white woman. For women of color who may be going through similar situations or feelings as Nola, this film could make them feel unfairly commercialized because many viewers would see their experiences as something to laugh at. This exploitative behavior directly relates to the common themes in bell hooks’ theories of feminism; by viewers enjoying a film that capitalizes on the mistreatment of a woman by men, they are actively contributing to a society that perpetuates domination, white supremacy, imperialism, capitalism and