The more I'm pushed in a position of leadership and I know I have to be the mouthpiece for so many other people who can't speak for themselves, the more confidence I'm gaining.
Viola DavisRead
So many women characters are extensions of male fantasy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how female characters in media often serve to fulfill male fantasies rather than being fully developed individuals.
Viola Davis's quote critiques the portrayal of women in literature and film, suggesting that many female characters are created primarily to satisfy male desires and expectations. This perspective highlights the need for more authentic and complex representations of women that go beyond the limitations of male-centric narratives, advocating for stories that empower and develop female characters as multi-dimensional beings with their own agency.
Themes
Female RepresentationMediaFantasyNarrativeEmpowerment
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on gender representation in film, this quote can be used to highlight the lack of depth in many female roles.
More from Viola Davis
All quotes →What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting.
Viola DavisRead
I don't care if someone is new to acting or experienced in acting: you always learn something from them. It's just like people in life - whether they're young or middle-aged or old, you always learn something from someone.
Viola DavisRead
I don't see a lot of narratives written where a woman who looks like me gets to be beautiful and sexualized and upwardly mobile, middle-class, funny, quirky. They're very seldom written.
Viola DavisRead
And that's what people want to see when they go to the theater. I believe at the end of the day, they want to see themselves - parts of their lives they can recognize. And I feel if I can achieve that, it's pretty spectacular.
Viola DavisRead
There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born worthy, and I think that's a message a lot of women need to hear.
Viola DavisRead
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