Easy A: Analysis Of The Various Gender Standards And Discrimination Essay Examples

The movie by Will Gluck, Easy A, shares the story about the expectations and identity standards that society places on high school students. The film attempts to illustrate the various problems and issues that high school students face, how the issues may be different now, the possibility that the previous problems may not be applicable in today's setting, and how society places a double standard when it comes to male and female sexuality. With a strong cast of characters, Easy A provides a clear explanation about perceptions on virginity, gender standards, and discrimination issues experienced by high school students today, and portrays the problems as true and as raw as it can get.
Easy A is about Olive Penderghast (played by Emma Stone), the main protagonist, a typical high school student who can be described as nice, intelligent, and witty. She refused to join her friend Rhiannon Abernathy's (played by Aly Michalka) invitation to join her in a camping activity with her parents by saying she has a date that weekend with a college guy. When the weekend was over, Rhi kept pestering Olive about the date saying it never happened and thus, Olive was "forced" to lie about it to the point of saying that she lost her virginity to the college student. Supposedly, this college guy is a friend of her brother in college. Soon after, rumors about Olive losing her virginity spreads like wildfire as Marianne (played by Amanda Bynes), the main antagonist, overhears both Olive and Rhi talking in the ladies' restroom.
One day, Olive is sent to detention after calling Nina, Marianne's best friend, a rude name. There, she sees her friend Brandon and tells him the truth that all the rumors were lies. Brandon, in turn, tells her about the bullying he suffers because of his being gay. Olive attempts to convince Brandon to act straight in the hopes of stopping the bullying. Later on, Brandon asks Olive out and to pretend that they had sex at a party, sealing her reputation as the high school slut. Shortly, every other guy who has had girl problems and could not have a date with any girl approaches her and offers her gifts and money in exchange for popularity. She, in turn, further strengthens her false reputation as the campus harlot.
Based on the film, high school sex is such a big deal especially for boys. However, for girls, blatantly admitting that one is no longer a virgin is tantamount to saying that she is an easy-to-get girl. For boys, not having sex is an embarrassment, while for girls, having sex and admitting it, is an embarrassment. This double standard is very much evident on what happened to Olive as she was branded a slut, while the boys in high school who paid Olive in exchange for stories saying they (the boys) are no longer virgins and could be the future lotharios, basked in their newfound popularity.
Furthermore, gender bias is very apparent in the way the Olive character was treated in the movie as Olive earned the wrath of other girls, as she became a threat to them and their boyfriends. Boys, however, gained popularity upon sharing their "stories" about their escapade with Olive. Until now, this is very much applicable in the current setting in high school. Girls who wear skimpy outfits like the ones Olive wore such as tank tops, corsets underneath vests, and skinny jeans, use vulgar language, smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, and who can hold themselves up in the presence of boys are often branded as too forward, slutty, or a tramp. However, on the other side of the sphere are the boys, who engage in sex, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, act rowdy, and kiss-and-tell about their escapades, and yet, their reputation remains intact. In fact, actually engaging in such actions increases their appeal instead of ruining it. On the other hand, boys who attempt to uphold a squeaky-clean image face the risk of being branded as gay and queer, which happened to Olive's friend, Brandon, who was constantly bullied because of his sexuality.
The above scenarios are very much similar to how it was in my high school, where students, consciously or unconsciously, played the "roles" assigned to their gender. Thus, students defined themselves based on the image they do not want to be. For instance, because the boys did not want to be ostracized and identified as "virgins", the more they would let word out that they lost their virginity at a certain age. It is like an acceptable fact for boys so they can prove their masculinity. Relating it to the movie, it is no wonder that the boys who never had success in their pursuit of girls sought Olive out when they learned about what she does. As a reward, they had their share of popularity and actual chances of doing it with girls who would otherwise ignore them. Consequently, when Olive needed to clear her name, it is not surprising that some boys refused to retract their claim, as it would mean going back to square one.
If boys were allowed to engage in sex in high school and actually telling people about it help their image more, in the case of girls, it is the exact opposite. Being perceived as slutty can actually hurt girls' image and they risk being judged and snubbed not only by the opposite sex, but by fellow girls as well. As an example, in the classroom scene where the teacher was discussing about Hester Prynne and adultery and Nina described her as a "skank", not a victim, Nina was obviously making a tirade against Olive, as she labeled her an "abominable tramp", prompting Olive to call Nina an "abominable twat".
The question now is, "Why does this gender bias exist between boys and girls?" The reason is that boys and girls are wired differently. Boys are visual, girls are emotional. When boys see scantily clothed girls, a part of their brain lights up which makes them imagine vivid scenarios about girls. On the other hand, to get a girl's approval, boys must appeal to their emotions. Thus, when fellow girls see other girls wear provocative outfits, they become jealous and threatened, especially when they do not adhere to the same standards. However, it is not to say that only boys are visual because some girls are also visual. In the case of Olive, it came to a point when she resorted to wearing clothes that were two sizes smaller than her actual size or instances when she would wear camisoles and corsets in school to attract attention. It is just that in this society, there are certain norms of conduct that separates boys from girls.
For instance, Olive is depicted as somewhat of a shy and unsure kind of girl at the beginning of the movie. However, as the movie progresses, her real personality shows up. It appears that in reality, she is open-minded and opinionated – someone that girls can relate to. She is well-spoken and has a wide vocabulary, with tendencies to intimidate boys with her well-thought out ideas and reasoning. She can also be humorous, if needed, as has been depicted in some of the scenes where she was arguing with other people. Far from the unpopular girl that was in the beginning of the movie, she soon developed a more confident persona as she began wearing trendy clothes and sexy jeans.
Olive's traits are desirable considering that it gives an idea that she does not only possess beauty, but can be outspoken and witty as well. As it is, boys like girls who have a mind of their own and can decide for themselves. Confidence is what sets her apart from the other girls in school.
The main antagonist, Marianne, is depicted as a religious-loving student whose goal is to get rid of all those students in school who, according to her standards, are not thinking and acting like how a child of God should. She also had a hand on the decision why the school board changed the school mascot as she deemed the mascot inappropriate and anti-God. Thus, it is no wonder that she was aghast at how Olive changed and with her growing reputation. Marianne typifies some other personalities in school who think that they are the messiahs of the world and through them, they can change the world based on what they think is righteous or not. However, this does not require any gender assignments because in reality, both girls and boys can do the role of Marianne. Therefore, it is understood that Marianne and her group will do everything to prune the school based on their beliefs.
More than anything, the movie successfully makes the viewers aware that the problems of growing up are still the same up to this day. The issues about gender standards and discrimination are still here and are most likely to remain. However, what makes it different from the previous years is that the problems are more pronounced now and with the aid of information technology, students are forced to face them right in front of the whole world to witness.