“Easy A” is actually complicated

Do I think that the film Easy A is trying to be feminist? Yes I do, but from what I have seen in the trailer, I think it fails miserably.

This is the plot description from IMDB:
“After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in “The Scarlet Letter,” which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.”

I have mixed feelings about this movie as there are many issues involved.

First, Olive’s actions, although filled with good intentions, are actually very detrimental. Her feigning a heterosexual relationship with her gay friend is perpetuating heteronormativity. Since her friend is constantly bullied for being gay, it makes sense to conform to what everyone else thinks is normal. Once she fakes having sex with him, all the guys cheer him on because he is now accepted as a misogynist male.  If she wanted to help her friend, couldn’t she help him in another way?

Second, why put her reputation albeit non existent in jeopardy to help men? Women are constantly under constant scrutiny anyway. You don’t see anyone calling him derogatory names – actually, they laud him. This statement from the trailer irritated me: “Whether I liked it or not, I was open for business.” Really? How did helping her one friend from being mistreated for being gay become something that she MUST do for everyone else?

Also she says, “I am not proud of this” regarding her wearing a scarlet “A” on her clothing like Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Really? But I do understand that she is taking what they say and using it against them.

Honestly, Olive has her own agency and if she chooses to behave this way, then that is her prerogative. It is her body and her choice. She is actually toying with the  names that people call her. I guess this is the only thing that I like about this movie – she does what she wants and she doesn’t care what people think. Should she hide for seemingly being all the names that people call her?

Still, this is solely the trailer and not the actual movie. Who knows, maybe it’s not as bad as I make it seem. But I highly doubt it.

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