Originally Posted on Refinery 29
You can learn a lot from watching movies. Never underestimate a woman just because she wears heels (Legally Blonde). Don’t let fear run your life (Frozen). Meryl Streep is the best (every movie she’s made).
However, films don’t always get it right. There have only been nine female presidents portrayed on the big screen. Nine. Maybe it’s the lack of gender diversity in Hollywood, but, during a crisis, the U.S. always seems to have a male president who isn’t afraid to let his language get salty when standing up for American values. As my colleague at Presidential Gender Watch, Rutgers University professor Kelly Dittmar, has written, the position of commander-in-chief is laced with gender expectations. Whether aliens are attacking (Independence Day) or terrorists are taking over (Air Force One), Hollywood’s most popular presidents are men who curse when they mean business.