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Do female empowerment and feminism exist in the recent thriller Don't Worry Darling, or is it only a
product of such ideologies?

Abstract
Feminism has been a prevalent topic in media for decades. However, nowadays female empowerment
and gender discourse have been popularized due to the political and social changes in society. This
paper will analyse the latest psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling and will conduct a qualitative
analysis of the text itself and its promotional press. Narrative analysis was employed, as particular
attention was given to experiences, involving female characters. In order to identify the promotional
practices of Don’t Worry Darling, 5 interviews in total have been inspected. The objective is to
understand how gender representation is constructed in the movie and explain if and how it encourages
female empowerment as a movie that attempts to brand itself as a feminist icon

Keywords: Feminism, Empowerment, Femvertising, Gender, Stereotypes, Advertising, Promotional

Culture, Intersectionality, Narrative analysis.

Introduction

“Don’t Worry Darling”, directed by Olivia Wilde is a psychological thriller that premiered in September

2022. It tells a story of a happy traditional couple of the 50s, as the protagonist is Alice Chambers,

played by the British actress Florence Pugh. The movie is said to be inspired by the book “Feminist

mystique", which itself is a text that has attracted controversy over the years (Mehrtens, 2022). Don’t

Worry Darling displays the stereotypical housewife and working husband, living in a safe environment,

surrounded by luxury and extravaganza. The intention of that narrative structure is to explain how society

conforms to a system that benefits them, even if it’s built on prejudices and inequality. The plot largely

revolves around gender and gender roles and revealing who is determined enough to confront a system

that provides the ideal life. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Don’t Worry Darling

represents gender and feminism and question whether it contributes to the overall feminist discourse in

cinema or is it only an attempt to sell female empowerment without practicing it.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In times of a politically progressive generation, feminism is an increasingly prevalent topic both as a

socio-cultural element and an advertising technique in media and film. There exists a considerable

amount of literature, discussing the rise of femvertising as more and more advertisers acknowledge the
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consumer power of women and thus, produce empowering female representation (Hsu, 2018 ).

According to Sternadori (2019), femvertising is now a popular marketing strategy that intends to “tap into

what the audiences already know”. Similarly, commenting on gender portrayal in advertising, Aydınlıoğlu

(2021) argues: ‘Modern women have more economic and political power than those in previous

decades, so advertising has adjusted its messaging to resonate with this changing demographic. The

term ‘femvertising’ was initially invented and used by the digital media company “SheKnowsMedia” in

Dove’s real beauty campaign (Akestam, 2017). It has been suggested that contemporary brands

perceive it as an efficient tactic for attracting female consumers. However, it has also been used as a

promotional tool in the entertainment industry and film. To analyse how feminism and femvertising have

been applied in film, this paper explores O’Reilly’s (2011) paper on understanding film brands. This

study is of relevance because it demonstrates cinema plays an important role in the creative and cultural

industries and provides platforms for the top international businesses to place and promote their

products. Additionally, the author enables a better explanation of how film's creators—producers,

directors, and actors—can be seen as brands independently. Overall, since films have a strong narrative

framework, they offer a wide range of opportunities for brand narratives and could employ various

marketing strategies.

In order to better understand femvertising within film culture, I have focused on research concerning the

recent thriller Don't Worry Darling (2022) directed by Olivia Wilde and thus, have explored what function

feminism and women empowerment play in its promotional practices. The collected data is rather

controversial and although there is no general agreement regarding the thriller's feminism-centered

advertisement, the movie receives mostly criticism. The main concern of the media and the press is the

evident discrepancy between the promotional narrative and the actual product. Even before it was

released, Don't worry Darling (2022) was marketed as a film about feminism and 'female pleasure'.

However, after its official debut, audiences reacted to it rather negatively (The Guardian, 2022).

Mehrtens - a media production coordinator for Smithsonian Enterprises - offers a detailed explanation

for the inspiration behind the thriller. It is stated that the movie is based on the book ‘The Feminist

Mystique’ (1963), which has drawn criticism since its release. Alongside structural parallels, journalists

and writers compare how the book and the movie both explore women's roles in the patriarchy, but they

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fail to acknowledge the racial and societal challenges that lower-class and women of colour face

(Smithsonian, 2022)

In comparison, Yang (2022) claims that Don’t Worry Darling “doesn’t contribute to the discussion of

feminism but rather passjudgement on the woman who doesn’t mold to a toxic feminist narrative.” Other

recent articles discuss how the film misrepresents feminism rather than highlight it and while that was the

initial aim, it has not been achieved (Cascione, 2022). All-inclusive, the psychological mystery is branded

by the media as a product of "white empty feminism," which has committed to its earliest promises.

Collectively, these studies provide important insights into Don’t worry Darling and its attempts to

establish itself as a feminist movie, regardless of what has been actually executed in the visual.

Furthermore, this section discusses the culmination of feminist ideologies in contemporary cinema, as

well as outlining the cultural impact of femvertising and selling feminism through film. This is important in

this study paper in order to develop a deeper understanding of the gendered discourse in Don’t Worry

Darling and its effects on a modern society, as a movie set in a time of hegemonic masculinity and

patriarchy.

METHODOLOGY

To examine the effects of feminism and femvertising in Don’t Worry Darling, this paper will undertake a

qualitative textual analysis of the visual content [See Appendix A], observing both the promotional

narrative surrounding the movie and the actual material. I will analyse the content by concentrating on

the narrative, characters, and language to identify the hierarchical and hegemonic portrayal of gender in

the thriller. To validate this approach, I will deconstruct the text to its conveyed ideologies, affects, and,

emotions, and genre structures. The term ‘ideology’ - first used by Destutt (1796) - is defined as the

power relation between rulers and the ruled, something that legitimises the authority of what is accepted

as a dominant group in society. The idea of ideology is supported by ‘structuralism’ which according to

O’Sullivan (1993) is what “makes meaning possible in any activity.” On the other side, other scholars

claim that meanings are conveyed by language and semiotics (Hall, 1997). To develop a profound

comprehension of the text and its constructed messages, I decided to combine both theories and

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connect them to gender representation, which is a focal point in this study. Therefore, I will explore

narratives and discourses revolving around female characters, as particular attention will be paid to Alice

Chambers, the female lead.

Characters are an essential part of this approach, as they are the main sources of representational

codes, such as language, affects, and emotions. Media texts use different techniques to convey those

codes; for instance through camera techniques, appearance, and sound effects. By identifying those

signifiers, I will demonstrate how Don’t Worry Darling emphasises particular emotions to provoke a

stronger reaction in audiences and in what ways those emotions manipulate viewers. Additionally, this

will be used to show what stereotypes and etiquettes women are labelled with and how that affects the

overall representation of women in the movie.

In addition to considering the narrative, genre, and ideological aspects of the text, I will also pay attention

to advertisements about the text, which might contain stories that could indicate how the film differs from

what it claims to be. It could be stated that all content analysis conducted in this paper fits the definition

of feminist criticism, which indicates how gender concepts are produced in meanings (Frey, 1999).

Employing a complex combination of textual methodological approaches enabled me to acquire data to

identify the feminist perspectives of Don’t Worry Darling and understand how the thriller exploits said

perspectives to build a reputable name in Hollywood. Although textual analysis plays a key role

when analysing a media text, there is no certainty that content interpretation will be accurate, as codes

and meanings might be perceived differently by different individuals.

DISCUSSION

Narrative: Gender and portrayal

The opening scene of Don’t Worry Darling features the female protagonist, Alice Chambers in a setting

of a luxury house party, surrounded by friends and her husband – Jack Chambers. The representation of

gender in the thriller is constructed by two key themes – hegemonic masculinity opposed to femininity.

There is a clear social hierarchy that implies male dominance. Hegemonic masculinity, as defined by

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Connell (1983), is a societal framework that justifies inequality between men and women and even

among masculinities. By analysing data, collected through qualitative primary research, it can be stated

that Don’t Worry Darling is introducing gender representation and gendered stereotypes as its two main

discourses. Both of those are structured by dominant masculinity and emphasised femininity.

For the purpose of deconstructing the gender portrayal in this text, I conducted a narrative analysis, with

a focus on female characters. Long and Wall (2012) define ‘narrative’ as a ‘complex of textual elements

constructed by space, time and perspective’, thus I will be discussing the setting, environment, and

stories, revolving around gender, masculinity, and femininity. It is important to mention that Don’t Worry

Darling places its characters in two different universes –past and present, as the past is the virtual world

set in the 1950s, while the present is the reality. The majority of the film centers around a simulation,

displaying the 50s life and portrays Alice as a housewife, who spends her days cleaning, cooking, and

gossiping with neighbors, while her husband is away at work. Here, gender representation is exemplified

in a stereotypical societal construction, in which women are positioned in a private setting, as what might

be described as a nurturing role model, meanwhile men are placed in the public sphere as powerful

providers (Anderson, 2015). In contrast, the modern world reveals the reality where Alice is actually the

one who has a job, while her partner is unemployed. By comparing both, it can be observed that female

representation is expressed differently according to the time and environment. Taking all this into

account, it can be concluded that Don’t Worry Darling aims to indicate the changes in feminism

throughout the decades by ridiculing hegemonic masculinity through stereotyped narratives.

However, is the attempt to be a feminist proverb successful? While there are definitely acts of female

power throughout the movie, expressed through concepts such as female rage, intelligence, and

stability, it is definite that gender prejudices play an essential role in the gendered discourse. Applying

the theories of Gardner (1983) and Wells (2013) introducing the ‘Fichtean Curve’ [ see Figure 1] and the

‘Seven-point structure’ [see Figure 2], I have concluded that the thriller had an opportunity to intensify the

moments of female empowerment during the pinch points and several plot twists to balance the

predomination portrayal of hegemonic masculinity. In spite of that, there is one clear feminist stark,

during the climax of the movie when Alice discovers the truth about being trapped in a simulation by her

husband and fights to get her real life back.

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- “ It was my life! My life! You don’t get to take that away from me!” [Appendix 1]

Besides that, it appears that there is a lack of emphasis on women's empowerment. The thriller's

feminist message is further undermined by the open ending, which implies that since Alice's escape was

not facilitated by the collective female power, therefore feminism cannot really ensure equality or

freedom (Bower, 2022).

In conclusion, Don’t Worry Darling bases gender representation on preconceptions, but instead intends

to utilise them to highlight the similarities and distinctions between how modern and traditional society

perceives feminism Nevertheless, given that the majority of the film relies on hegemonic ideologies, it

seems as though the stereotypical narratives stand out more than storylines that centre on sexism and

female empowerment.

Advertising: Selling female empowerment

The survey's following component fixated on the promotional strategies employed to publicise Don't

Worry Darling. The thriller seeks to position itself as a feminist empowering work, as has been indicated

in the literature review. To identify whether that attempt is successful, magazine and broadcast

interviews have been examined. The spotlight of the promotion, both within and outside the framework of

the film, was on the courage and strength of character of women.

- “It’s all about what it really takes to be revolutionary and who is brave enough to question a

system that serves” [Appendix 2]

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However, Don't Worry Darling was constantly surrounded by rumours and off-screen drama. (Cooper,

2022). By reviewing promotional materials, it can be established that the media and Internet insinuate

that the thriller and its director Olivia Wilde exploit the drama to their advantage. After extensive

research, I came to the conclusion that Don't Worry Darling uses a complex of marketing techniques.

In this study, the focal point is feminism as a dominating practice to sell a product. During press

conferences and interviews, Wilde describes her movie as a “movie that tries to fight the ideology of

fascism.” [Appendix 3] Interviews do acknowledge concepts explored in the actual material. For

example, a crucial topic is the idea of challenging a system that is trying to oppress a minority and that is

what the director and actors reflect on when advertising. The main question is where the discrepancy

between the text and its promotional practices arises from. By inspecting the press interviews, it was

possible to discover that the inconsistency is due to Wilde's characterization of her film as an act of

"female pleasure" [Appendix 4], even though a crucial aspect of the narrative involves women being

trapped in a simulation. As a result, spectators and the media criticise the Don't Worry Darling cast for

promoting non-consensual sex. Moreover, the cinematography presents the traditional "passive man and

aggressive woman" dynamic throughout the sexual scenes, with an emphasis on the female characters.

That is a phenomenon known as the ‘male gaze’ where the camera accentuates parts of the female

body associated with male desire (Mulvey, 1989).

Another issue the psychological thriller is associated with is the lack of intersectionality representation.

While both the text and its advertisement address issues surrounding the female lead (played by

Florence Pugh) stories and narratives surrounding the women of colour in the movie remain unexplored.

Their characters lack complexity and a real narrative context. The decision to involve persons of colour

in this initiative thus seems to have been made purely for the purpose of establishing its reputation as a

diverse initiative.

As a whole, feminism and women's empowerment are central to Don’t Worry Darling's marketing plan.

There are similarities between what has been advertised and what it actually is, but it nonetheless

attracts a great deal of criticism for basing a lot of its feminist advertising on sexual pleasure and failing

to further the intersectional discourse.

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Conclusion

Returning to the question posed at the beginning of this study, it is now possible to state that Don’t Worry

Darling is an attempt at feminism and female power. It addresses the changes the gender system has

gone through by splitting the movie into two realities – a simulation set in the American 50s and the

contemporary world. Stereotypes are a key aspect of gendered discourses. Gender roles are explained

through two fundamental elements – hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity. The objective of

the psychological thriller is to indicate how society is predicated on an idea of conformity and thus

expand on how female determination can lead to freedom. On the other side, this study has indicated

that a dominating theme in the movie is the hegemonic gendered ideologies, which in combination with

the open ending implies that feminism cannot provide true equality (Bower, 2022).

The most obvious conclusion from this research is that despite Don't Worry Darling's efforts to empower

women, it encounters criticism because of the discrepancy between what has been produced and

marketed. The film has been branded as "yet another white feminist movie" due to its promotion's

reluctance to highlight the non-consensual sex between the main characters as well as the complexity

and challenges of women of colour. However, more research on this topic needs to be undertaken

before the association between Don’t Worry Darling and female empowerment is more clearly

understood.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1 – Scene from Don’t Worry Darling

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Appendix 2 – Interview with director Olivia Wilde

Appendix 3 – Interview with director Olivia Wilde

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Appendix 4 – Transcribed Interview with director Olivia Wilde

“Female pleasure, the best versions of it that you see nowadays, are in queer films,” Wilde observed in a recent profile with Variety. “Why

are we more comfortable with female pleasure when it’s two women on film? In hetero sex scenes in film, the focus on men as the

recipients of pleasure is almost ubiquitous.”

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the Guardian. (2022). The empty feminism of Don’t Worry Darling. [online] Available at:
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