"Cheating" and Different Roles in the Movie "10"

I think that "cheating" is relative to both men and women.
Back in the day, for a man to have a mistress on the side
it wasn't as much of a 'disgrace' as was having an unfaithful
wife. Yet isn't this cheating? It is 'understood' that men
have strong lustful urges and it seems more 'acceptable'
when they act on them. If women followed their desires like
this they would just be considered sluts. The movie "10"
portrays a sexually open woman who definately isn't scared
to speak her mind. The problem everyone had was that she was
“cheating” on her husband and she didn't seem to care because
she was able to distinguish between the physical and emotional
and remain detached. To her sex seemed like it was almost a
'need', like it was once thought of for men. I think that even
today if a woman isn't cheating, but is just sexually open,
society might still label her a slut. Yet I think that there is
a difference between a sexually free woman and a slut. I think
its the way they carry and promote themselves. When I think of
a slut I picture a girl dressed in ‘hoochie’ clothes, hanging
on guys, and giving off that “I’m easy" vibe. There is some
tactic that goes into being a sexually free woman so that men
wont assume anything upon meeting and the woman would maintain
respect.
In Barker's chapter 9, Diana Meehan gives examples of stereotypes
that many women in movies are portrayed as and I saw a few in Julie
Andrews character. I thought she could be considered: the imp
because she was rebellious against societal norms, the harpy, because
she was aggressive and not only went after, but got what she wanted,
the siren, because she was sexually alluring to men although it did not
show that either man really had a bad ending, and then last but not
least, the bitch, because she was seen by many as a sneak, a cheat,
and being manipulative of her faithful husbands love.


Works Cited

Barker, Chris. "Cultural Studies Theory & Practice". 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage
Publications. 2008.
"10". Dir. Blake Edwards. Prod. Tony Adams & Blake Edwards. Dist. Orion Pictures Corporation & Warner Bros. 1979.