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In 2025, women directed only nine of the year’s 100 highest grossing films; a seven-year low according to the Hollywood Reporter. This concerning indicator shows how little Hollywood has progressed, and it leaves me wondering what kinds of stories are — or aren’t — being told. In a culture where media created by and for women is dismissed as too feminine, or “unserious,” for male audiences to consume, I believe studios are refraining from hiring women into directing roles to cater to a wider audience, leaving many women’s stories untold.
In short, men aren’t consuming women’s media. Women, after all, are encouraged to appreciate men’s work. Everyone watches movies made by and centered around men as the default. But turn the tables and appreciating something “girly” is considered embarrassing. This double standard so pervades our culture that entire articles are dedicated to listing rom-coms your boyfriend won’t hate, and men make guilt-ridden internet confessions of enjoying a good “rom-com.” As if!
This double standard even colors our language around media created by women. For example, the term “chick flick” is used to trivialize romance genre films predominately written and directed by women. Celine Song, a screenwriter and director whose 2025 film “Materialists” was among the aforementioned statistic, expressed her frustration with the phrase in an interview with the Southampton Playhouse.
“That's often said as if it's not a serious movie,” Song said. “You're saying chicks are not serious people. Secondly, it's not the concern of serious people to think about love and dating.”
She makes a valid point. Why is it that “chicks,” who comprise half of the world’s population, can have their work grouped under one dismissing label? Especially when the range of what is considered a “chick flick” includes films covering serious topics. “Materialists,” for instance, delves into the dangers of online dating. Women-centric films that aren’t even true romances find themselves grouped into the genre, like Sophia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides,” or Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha.”
The trivialization of women’s work extends beyond film. While researching for this column, I learned the phrase “chick-lit,” which refers to women’s literature. From “Little Women,” to “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” anything and everything written by or about women is dismissed as a “girl thing.” Meanwhile, men are allowed to create without such labels hindering their chances of reaching a wider audience.
And when companies want as many eyeballs as possible on their content, they opt for male creators. As a result, theatrical releases for romantic comedies have declined in recent years, with women-centered stories becoming a trait of low-budget indie films. This trend is noted by writer-director Susanna Fogel, co-creator of Peacock’s female-led spy thriller series, “Ponies," while speaking with The Ankler’s Richard Rushfield.
“Do I think that getting the men of the globe to watch movies about women is a thing that we can necessarily achieve?” Fogel said. "Will I live to see it? Probably not.”
Of course, this doesn’t make the outlook for women in the arts sound very promising. However, it can also be read as a call to action: start showing an interest now! While I may not be able to convince major Hollywood studios to hire more women into directing roles, I can encourage you, as a reader, to show your support for women’s work. Add a rom-com to your watchlist, put some female artists on your playlist, or search for more female authors. Seek out women’s stories in any media you consume, because women’s stories need to be told.
Emma Howard is a sophomore studying Cinematic Arts.
