Week 2 Entry: THE PROPOSAL

Movie: THE PROPOSAL (Release Date in Singapore: 20 August 2009)

Movie Trailer site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPgZcW8MCaA&feature=fvst

A comic romance is ultimately the perfect way for a person to get that tingly feeling all over. When I first saw the movie trailer for “The Proposal”, I found that something very much stood out or deviated from a common traditional norm: The boss (a WOMAN) proposing to her secretary (a MAN). It seems like the woman (Sandra Bullock) took on the role of the usual male authority figure. This twist, indeed, indicates that the glass ceiling has been raised to a considerable height for women in the world of business. Apart from that, the movie shows very well, the interchanging “power play” between the two main characters.

Well it’s really tempting, but I’m not all out to go and ruin the movie for all those who haven’t yet watched the show, so don’t worry. =)

Now, what made Hollywood decide to film a movie that totally puts men in that rather humiliating position? The show does raise some issues, and brings to light that women today hold more power. But proposing to men? (Wow she’s got some guts.) The 21st Century Singaporean woman is often seen or perceived as one who intimidates men. I had a guy friend who said once that he would rather look for a wife from a foreign country. When I asked him why, he just said: “Singaporean girls are scary!” Certainly, the empowerment through education and various media influences have definitely helped to push women’s standing in society, to what it is today.

Besides the fact that our female population is highly educated, the culture of the media, which plays on our psychological perspective, has somewhat contributed to our wanting to be more than just the lady that stays home to look after the kids and cook for their husbands. (We’ve got ambitions too, you hear!) This form of linear interaction (linear model) through the television, radio, newspapers and magazines, has helped to influence the characteristic of being very competitive high-achievers. While movies depict more women in positions of power in the workforce, magazines that mainly cater to women encourage them to be confident and mature in society. At the same time, the radio screams: “IF MEN GOT PREGNANT, WOMEN WOULD TAKE OVER THE WORLD!” Note: We’ve got women’s rights movements because most societies have been dominantly patriarchal all along.

But seriously, are we THAT intimidating? Perhaps the male perceptions are slightly flawed. Because if that’s the case, why are we still fighting so hard against male chauvinism and discrimination?