Salma Hayek On Sexism In Hollywood: ‘The Industry Has Neglected Women’
Salma Hayek has called out sexism in Hollywood, joining the growing ranks of women who see something wrong. While some might consider Michael Bay and Adam Sandler the biggest problems with the industry, Salma is hoping to change the film industry in a different way.
Michael Bay has simply used the same formula for success for over a decade, and thanks to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, we finally caught on. Adam Sandler has done the same thing, and he seems to have been recycling the same formula as well. The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore appear to be part of a long-gone era when the critics still considered him funny. Now critics instantly hate anything Bay and Sandler get involved with.
This may be part of the problem, as many major directors seem to be indulging in a trend that such notables as Emma Watson (Perks of Being a Wallflower), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), and Salma Hayek call sexism in Hollywood.
Watson, also the spokesperson for the feminist movement known as HeForShe, pointed out the misogyny in Hollywood, as previously reported by the Inquisitr. She has told the press that a majority of the people in charge of film making are men, and fellow actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) agreed.
As also reported by the Inquisitr, Anne Hathaway pointed out how the roles she can get are dwindling, being given instead to women in their 20s. This could easily come down to simply having men in charge, as older women such as Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, and Sandra Bullock still land roles in blockbuster films, though not as many.
Salma Hayek is facing the same issues with sexism, claiming that actresses in their 30s are getting ignored. She took a moment to attend the Variety Power of Women 2015 conference and speak out against the predominance of men in the industry. “We are the generation that said, ‘We’re not going away at 30.’ They cannot ignore us anymore,” the actress stated.
The problem might not be the people in charge, though Salma Hayek’s sexism accusations definitely have a point. Hollywood is noticeably giving women more lead roles lately, though the public seems opposed to the idea. The Ghostbusters reboot is a perfect example, starring women in the lead roles. Unfortunately, the Paul Feig formula of putting Melissa McCarthy in everything is getting a lot of backlash.
The Ronda Rousey reboot of Road House is another example of the public not being happy with the remaking of older films with female leads.
Joss Whedon’s attempt to give Black Widow a backstory in Avengers: Age of Ultron also received backlash for its allegedly misogynistic theme. The backstory stated that she couldn’t get pregnant as a major reveal, upsetting women everywhere.
On the other side of the debate, films such as Mad Max: Fury Road have proven that heavy feminist influence and putting women in lead roles can actually make a popular film.
@ChimeforChange co-founder @salmahayek will be featured in Variety’s “Women of Power” issue. Congrats! —http://t.co/ICcbc2L9b5
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) October 6, 2015
Sadly, the age problem has left Salma Hayek wondering about sexism in recent films, “These romantic comedies are not working anymore. Why? We changed! I think that this is the true part of equality.”
Speaking for Chime for Change, a movement similar to Emma Watson’s HeForShe, Salma joined co-founder Beyonce and fellow member Jada Pinkett Smith to reveal the general inequality in the film industry. According to the Daily Mail, Hayek stated that women are “66 percent of the workforce, but only earn 10 percent of the income.”
Salma Hayek’s views on sexism in Hollywood are not only factually backed, but definitely point out what’s wrong with the industry. Only time will tell if the feminist movements will gain traction and change the industry for the sake of equality.
[Feature image via Jason Merritt / Getty Images]
