"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes."
"Behind every great woman is a substantial amount of coffee."
Okay, the real quote doesn't really go that way, but I saw this on twitter a while back and like it so much better.
I recently had the opportunity to help out a friend for a short video - still have lots of shooting to do - but anyway, I was supposed to play a mom. A good mom. The doting, loving, patient, Mrs. Weasley-motherly kind of mom.
To those of you who know me well enough: please stop laughing.
Thinking of even portraying this character was a challenge. It was just so OOC for me! But I love challenges, and it was time to put all my theoretical tools(I read/watch way too many interviews and behind the scenes kind of thing. But my absolute favourites are when the actors talk about their character and how they become the character. Wardrobe is majorly important!!!) to practical usage.
I'd like to clarify right up that my character is just a secondary/supporting cast for this video, but still, I love immersing myself and giving it my best shot, no matter how small or large the role was.
As a writer, details and character development came easily enough to me. In fact, I think trying to wrap my head around this character really honed my brain to grasp on to the "show, don't tell" aspect of it all.
I didn't have a lot of lines for yesterday's scene(thank goodness for that, actually. I had to ad lib at one point and i basically told my "son" to "go make nice friends.... and... stuff." Motherly i am not.), so it all came down to the minute actions and details.
Smoothing his shirt, fixing his hair, lingering touches, and basically a lot of "wistful looking" at my son and/or husband.
Which brings me to today's blog post.
What's with all the wistfully looking about?
I'd like to think that I'm a modern, liberal, independent young woman. I don't take crap from most people, and when I'm forced to take said crap, it's normally tied to reasons relating to tradition, or the chinese culture, or respect.
But then why did I automatically become this supporting-in-a-submissive-way character the moment I tried to play this "motherly mom" character?
Why must our society mould us all into thinking that good mothers are the quiet, in-the-backgroud wistfully looking about type of mothers? No one forced me to do it, but that was just the way all our minds thought. It was subtle, but we all still have this typical-family concept in our head that makes my inner feminist jump up and down inrage frustration.
Why are men allowed to pursue careers and other opportunities, earn the title of being "successful", and then start a family if they want to. Sure, there are a number of men who start their family and then pursue further advancements, bearing the responsibility of being the breadwinner and ensuring no one went hungry under their roof. Yadda yadda yadda.
Try reversing the gender in that situation.
No matter how high a woman has climbed in the career/social ladder, in the back of everyone's mind, she's not really successful, because she doesn't have a family. Sure, she's had amazing achievements under her belt, but she can't really be happy, or she can't really be considered spectacular because she doesn't have a husband and/or children.
Women are "obligated" to put family before career. Yes, we have a biological body clock that no one is to be blamed for, and that doesn't really help our situation.
When women graduate, sure, we're expected to go get a job, and pursue our careers, but then you hit a certain age where everyone expects you to begin settling down, get married, or start having children. Stay home, put your career on pause, or just be happy with where you are in your job - let your husband focus on pursuing his career - you should be the good little wife and take care of the family, just do your basic 9-5 job.
What more could you want out of life? You have a beautiful little family with your white picket fence and the 2.5children - you should be satisfied with life. Be happy. Take care of your family, work a little, and go fix your husband a sandwich.
Going back to the quotes (and here's the barb you feminists are waiting for), a great man needs/can have a woman by his side/behind him/waiting on the other side of the doors. But a great woman needs no one else. Only coffee. ;p But it's also because if said woman actually had a man by her side, she wouldn't be great. People would just automatically assume that she's just riding on his tailcoats. Women have to do it all by themselves or else the credits go to their not-so-fair counterparts.
Now, I know some people aren't bound by the "norms" I have stated above, but from what I can see, this picture is the one most of us are looking at. I'm not trying to convince everyone that this is what it's like in the real world, but it is my personal opinion. Please keep in mind that I'm not trying to force this opinion upon anyone.
"Behind every great woman is a substantial amount of coffee."
Okay, the real quote doesn't really go that way, but I saw this on twitter a while back and like it so much better.
I recently had the opportunity to help out a friend for a short video - still have lots of shooting to do - but anyway, I was supposed to play a mom. A good mom. The doting, loving, patient, Mrs. Weasley-motherly kind of mom.
To those of you who know me well enough: please stop laughing.
Thinking of even portraying this character was a challenge. It was just so OOC for me! But I love challenges, and it was time to put all my theoretical tools(I read/watch way too many interviews and behind the scenes kind of thing. But my absolute favourites are when the actors talk about their character and how they become the character. Wardrobe is majorly important!!!) to practical usage.
I'd like to clarify right up that my character is just a secondary/supporting cast for this video, but still, I love immersing myself and giving it my best shot, no matter how small or large the role was.
As a writer, details and character development came easily enough to me. In fact, I think trying to wrap my head around this character really honed my brain to grasp on to the "show, don't tell" aspect of it all.
I didn't have a lot of lines for yesterday's scene(thank goodness for that, actually. I had to ad lib at one point and i basically told my "son" to "go make nice friends.... and... stuff." Motherly i am not.), so it all came down to the minute actions and details.
Smoothing his shirt, fixing his hair, lingering touches, and basically a lot of "wistful looking" at my son and/or husband.
Which brings me to today's blog post.
What's with all the wistfully looking about?
I'd like to think that I'm a modern, liberal, independent young woman. I don't take crap from most people, and when I'm forced to take said crap, it's normally tied to reasons relating to tradition, or the chinese culture, or respect.
But then why did I automatically become this supporting-in-a-submissive-way character the moment I tried to play this "motherly mom" character?
Why must our society mould us all into thinking that good mothers are the quiet, in-the-backgroud wistfully looking about type of mothers? No one forced me to do it, but that was just the way all our minds thought. It was subtle, but we all still have this typical-family concept in our head that makes my inner feminist jump up and down in
Why are men allowed to pursue careers and other opportunities, earn the title of being "successful", and then start a family if they want to. Sure, there are a number of men who start their family and then pursue further advancements, bearing the responsibility of being the breadwinner and ensuring no one went hungry under their roof. Yadda yadda yadda.
Try reversing the gender in that situation.
No matter how high a woman has climbed in the career/social ladder, in the back of everyone's mind, she's not really successful, because she doesn't have a family. Sure, she's had amazing achievements under her belt, but she can't really be happy, or she can't really be considered spectacular because she doesn't have a husband and/or children.
Women are "obligated" to put family before career. Yes, we have a biological body clock that no one is to be blamed for, and that doesn't really help our situation.
When women graduate, sure, we're expected to go get a job, and pursue our careers, but then you hit a certain age where everyone expects you to begin settling down, get married, or start having children. Stay home, put your career on pause, or just be happy with where you are in your job - let your husband focus on pursuing his career - you should be the good little wife and take care of the family, just do your basic 9-5 job.
What more could you want out of life? You have a beautiful little family with your white picket fence and the 2.5children - you should be satisfied with life. Be happy. Take care of your family, work a little, and go fix your husband a sandwich.
Going back to the quotes (and here's the barb you feminists are waiting for), a great man needs/can have a woman by his side/behind him/waiting on the other side of the doors. But a great woman needs no one else. Only coffee. ;p But it's also because if said woman actually had a man by her side, she wouldn't be great. People would just automatically assume that she's just riding on his tailcoats. Women have to do it all by themselves or else the credits go to their not-so-fair counterparts.
Now, I know some people aren't bound by the "norms" I have stated above, but from what I can see, this picture is the one most of us are looking at. I'm not trying to convince everyone that this is what it's like in the real world, but it is my personal opinion. Please keep in mind that I'm not trying to force this opinion upon anyone.
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