Should We Retire the Idea of the ‘Chick Flick’?

This weekend, the astonishing commercial success of “It Ends with Us,” featuring Blake Lively in a complex romantic drama, sends out a powerful message to the movie industry: it’s time to diversify. The success of this film, amid a summer cluttered with escapist fantasies, signals a demand for varied storylines and genres. However, Hollywood remains shackled by outdated perceptions, particularly the term “chick flick,” which undersells the broad appeal of these films.

For years, the term “chick flick” carried an ironic feminist undertone, a subtle reclaiming of a once-patronizing phrase in a bid to assert cultural identity. This term became popular during the rise of “Pretty Woman” and “Sex and the City,” reflective of a new wave of self-aware feminism. Back then, chick flicks were seen as romantic comedies or emotional dramas that catered primarily to women, echoing the old “women’s picture” category from classic studio systems.

Women began to embrace these films, recognizing them as some of the rare cinematic offerings specifically aimed at a female audience. By adopting the term “chick flick,” they weren’t blind to the sometimes-shlocky nature of these movies. Instead, it became a point of pride, a celebration of wide-eyed, romantic fairy tales even if they were a bit cheesy.

Many might argue that the term “chick flick” is out-of-date and in need of a modern replacement. But the real concern isn’t just the phrase itself. It’s the concept that these movies belong in a narrow category defined largely by gender-specific clichés. This kind of categorization is not just outdated but misleading.

Certainly, some movies may appeal more to certain demographics. But these audiences are not monolithic; tastes are more diverse than typically acknowledged. In the ’90s, for example, horror and action genres were considered male-dominated, yet women began attending these films in increasing numbers, making the demographic assumptions outdated. Nowadays, horror audiences are diverse, offering a clear example of changing tastes.

To break down the audience for chick flicks, consider the hypothetical scenario of tallying everyone who watched such a movie in the theater during the ’90s and 2000s. While it’s likely that over half would be women, what about the men? Were they merely companions to their female counterparts, disinterested in the films? Did they not enjoy the romantic comedies? Men, too, might appreciate a good cry at the end of a touching story.

Our society increasingly resists stereotypes and embraces diverse identities in gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Yet, somehow, when it comes to understanding moviegoer preferences, we remain tethered to outdated notions from the mid-20th century. This outdated thinking restricts the variety of movies produced, limiting creative expression.

We must recognize that this isn’t the 1950s, nor is it the ’80s or ’90s. If the box office success of “It Ends with Us” draws comments like, “Of course, it’s based on a popular women’s novel,” or “Women drove its success,” then we’re undermining the film’s broader cultural impact. This movie, whether labeled as a chick flick or a women’s picture, is fundamentally a human drama. It’s the kind of engaging mainstream film we need more of. If women lead the way to this kind of diverse storytelling, then the industry should follow without boxing their tastes into limiting categories.

Source: Particle News