"Tootsie" was thoroughly enjoyable as a comedy and thought-provoking as a film that raises some underlying gender stereotypes common in society.
I noticed that the film did draw some parallels with some of the key points mentioned in those articles we have been reading. For instance, that there was an obvious disparity between the genders, as depicted in how actor John Van Horn was allowed the freedom to read his lines off the screen. None of the women in the cast felt they had the right or authority to stand up to him when it was painfully obvious that he was doing a horrid job at acting.
In fact, the women in the show were portrayed as subdued and tender beings while the men were the ones who exacted dominance. The show's director, Ron Carlisle, as well as John Van Horn had the power to date and hook up with various female members of the cast and yet there was no sign of rejection from the women until John tried to kiss Dorothy.
Dustin Hoffman's character as Dorothy embodied the notions and behaviour of the new-age female, one able to stand up for herself and for her fellow females. We can see how gender stereotypes are already deeply enforced from how everyone in the studio reacted when Dorothy first changed the lines of the script to suit how she really felt. Everyone was shocked because they had not expected a woman to speak up against the director, who was male and was obviously treated with respect and importance.
Overall, I felt the film was really a good one and it left plenty of room for discussion !
