Novelist Sandra Miralles Critiques Sci-Fi's Failure to Imagine Free Women
At Encamp library, Miralles argues science fiction lags in depicting women's full equality, citing Barbarella, Poor Things, and Bechdel test.
Key Points
- Sci-fi struggles to imagine worlds of true female freedom despite utopian themes.
- Praises Barbarella's independence and The Bride of Frankenstein's feminist rejection.
- Critiques Wonder Woman films for diluting Amazonian heroine's edge and Bechdel test failures.
- Calls for deeper changes as real life mirrors sci-fi dystopias.
Sandra Miralles, the novelist known for titles like *Turbolover de Neobarna*, will discuss the portrayal of women in science fiction at 11am this Saturday in Encamp's municipal library.
Miralles argues that science fiction has yet to fully capture a world where women enjoy complete freedom and equal rights with men. "We are not even capable of imagining a world where women are truly free," she said, pointing out the genre's limitations despite its utopian themes.
She highlights a few characters that come close to an ideal. Barbarella from the 1968 film explores space independently, engaging in relationships freely. The recent *Poor Things* touches on sexual liberation but overlooks broader freedoms, Miralles notes. She praises *The Bride of Frankenstein* (1935), directed by James Whale, as unexpectedly feminist: the bride rejects her monstrous intended mate, defying her creators' purpose. Whale, an openly gay director, crafted this amid reductive pop culture imagery, such as Valentine's Day cards featuring the monsters.
Progress remains uneven. Coralie Fargeat's *The Substance* offers a fresh female perspective, while recent *Wonder Woman* films transform the comic's independent, Amazonian heroine—hinted as lesbian with sadomasochistic elements—into a heterosexual pamphlet. The series *The Power*, where women gain electricity-generating abilities and spark a global revolution, lasted only one season, which Miralles sees as telling.
Her reflections stem partly from *Back to the Future Part II* (1989), where Michael J. Fox's character remains unchanged, but the female lead is swapped out and sidelined for much of the film.
Miralles invokes the Bechdel test, which requires at least two named female characters discussing something other than men. "It's incredible how many films fail this basic standard," she said.
Deeper change is essential, she urges, especially as real life echoes science fiction's dystopias. "We need profound shifts, and not just in this area."
Original Sources
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