A woman was the president of the United States in the groundbreaking silent film “The Last Man on Earth” from 1924. Future representations of female presidents in films and television series were influenced by this ground-breaking movie.
The comedy “The Last Man on Earth” was directed by JG Blystone and starred Earle Foxe. Elmer, portrayed by Foxe, is the sole male survivor of an illness that kills all other men. Two ladies battle for the opportunity to wed him after the government pays $10 million to purchase him. The way society views powerful women is reflected in this ridiculous assumption.
According to specialist Erika Cornelius Smith, “Women boxing! Women in politics! Viewers were aware that it was ludicrous and would never occur. There weren’t many female US presidents on screen for decades. Olive Oyl and Betty Boop appeared briefly in 1932 and 1948. The majority of filmmakers stayed with stereotypically male presidents.
According to Karrin Vasby Anderson, the US presidency exemplifies heteronormative family values and traditional masculinity. That is reversed by a female president. Female presidents were frequently portrayed as tragic or unreliable individuals. They were rarely elected to office; instead, they came to power as a result of crises or the passing of male predecessors.
Recent instances include of:
- Mackenzie Allen, played by Geena Davis in “Commander in Chief” (2005)
- Caroline Reynolds, played by Patricia Wettig in “Prison Break” (2005–2017)
- Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Veep” (2012-2019)
- Claire Hale Underwood, played by Robin Wright in “House of Cards” (2013-2018)
Tropes are evolving. There have been more fictitious female presidents in the twenty-first century than in the twentieth. Depictions were impacted by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Molds are broken by Alfre Woodard’s Constance Payton in “State of Affairs” (2014–2015) and Meryl Streep’s Janie Orlean in “Don’t Look Up” (2021). “The more women in politics, the more in fiction,” observes expert Smith. In turn, the way they develop those qualities influences our perceptions of people in positions of authority.
In “Kisses for My President” (1964), Polly Bergen played the role of president. Despite being progressive, the president’s resignation because of her pregnancy ultimately served to reinforce stereotypes.
The portrayal of female US presidents on cinema has advanced significantly. We can anticipate more complex representations as fiction and reality converge. Future generations of women in politics will benefit from the change in representation, which also represents cultural advancement.
This change in how the media is represented:
Encourages young women to seek leadership positions; questions established gender norms; and raises the profile of women in politics.
Normalizes women in leadership roles
In order to capture the depth and diversity of women’s experiences in politics and beyond, it is imperative that we keep pushing for diverse representation in the media as we look to the future.
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