FILM STUDIES FIGHT CLUB REVISION

THAT LITTLE BITCH MARLA SINGER: A CULTURAL CTIQUE OF SEXISM IN FIGHT CLUB
Some people disagree Marla is a figure of feminism. Within the article That Little Bitch Marla Singer: A Cultural Critique Of
Sexism In Fight Club by Logan Phillips, he quotes the line in which Tyler mentions his mother cooking for him and took this
as a hint of sexism. I however disagree as previous to this, he also mentions his father leaving him and from research into
the book the film is based on, I found that the author (Chuck Palahniuk) interviewed many men during planning its
narrative and fund that boys without fathers had no idea how to be a real man and as David Fincher is known for often
including empowering women in his films (Panic Room, where a woman fights off murders in her home to save her
daughter and ex-husband) and through the type casting of Helena Bonham Cater (a feminist actress who only accepts
women empowering roles), I believe that the female gender is actually empowered through its portrayal in Fight Club.
JACKS FEMINISATION/TYLERS MASCULINITY
Masculinity is far more critically represented in Fight Club.
Throughout the film, Jacks feminised persona and Tylers more
masculine one are contrasted and compared. For example: as the
film starts we first see Jack sat on a chair with Tyler pointing a gun
to his head. This instantly describes the two main representations
of men in the film: the alpha male (Tyler) with the gun and rigged
look and the weaker, feminised male (Jack) who states through he
narration he is more bothered about the cleanliness of the gun in
his mouth than fighting back (cleanliness is typically a female trait).
Jacks feminine representations do not end here, when we are
introduced to his condo (which is perfectly clean and tidy more
stereotypically female) he describes how he asks himself what
furniture defines me. This links to the feminisation of men
directly to consumerism and introduces battling it which becomes
the main narrative message in the film. We even see a yin/yang
table which ironically mocks his over feminised personality as real
men are expected to be violent. Jack also mentions how porn has
been replaced with furniture catalogues which shows how little
manly instincts he has left and familiarises him more with a female
than a man. Real men are meant to be leaders whereas a first,
Jack is bossed around at work and does not challenge this. His suit
is smart, not rugged and dirty as his clothes are when he becomes
a true male at the end of the film. When compared to Marla, he
seems to notice this himself and finally his instincts kick ion as he
begins to create Tyler, the epitome of an ideal male.
ED NORTON AS JACK
Ed Norton is cast perfectly as Jack. He is a small
male with a whiney voice and weedy figure who
represents the average male likely to be watching
the film. This could effectively align them more
with him and target the main male audience to
look at how feminised they are themselves.
TYLERS MASCULINITY/PITT AS TYLER
Tyler is the binary opposite of Jack. He is muscly,
physically and mentally strong, he is a leader (of
project mayhem) and largely independent with no
attachment to people or possessions (all male
stereotypes). In comparison to Jack who we know
no longer even looks at porn, he has intercourse
regularly with Marla throughout the film showing
he still has his primal instincts and with his rugged,
care free image he seems a far wilder ideology of a
man. Casting Brad Pitt as Tyler was an effective an
ironic decision for Fincher, particularly during the
bus scene where Jack and Tyler point at a boxer
advertisement with a muscly man in it, mocking it
saying Is that what a real man is supposed to look
like?. This is ironic and mocks the entire ideology
Jack has created as Brad Pitt does look like hat and
has himself been in a very similar advertisement.
Pitt is the perfect male in the audiences eyes as
he is in Jacks, to them he is their Tyler and this
represents hat men are lead to believe they must
be. I also find it interesting how Tyler becomes
objectified through his topless, masculine portrayal
as normally this sexualisation would stay around a
female (Marla). This further backs up my idea that
Fincher purposely employed Marla as a stronger
character.
MARLA AND JACKS NEUTRAL BALANCE
During the final scene where the buildings collapse, it seems to
work as a metaphor for how destructive Jacks attempts to be a
perfect male were on himself and how now his wish to be an
alpha male has come to an end. I feel that while women are
represented more positively and powerfully, Fight Club seems to
mock the idea of what men are supposed to become. The overall
theme of violence at first seems to be encouraging men to take on
their instincts ad fight but in the end we see Jack regret it all, the
film seems to peruse more the balance of femininity and
masculinity (a link back to Jacks yin/yang table at the start of the
film and a suggestion he was trying to find spiritual balance rather
than masculinity). It is hen both Marla and Jack reach this balance
that they, as two colliding genders, finally get along as they stare
calmly at the buildings crashing around them.
In conclusion, from applying a deeper analysis into
gender representation in Fight Club, I have been
able to look beyond the violent, misogynistic, view
many people have of it and understand its more
empowering take on females whilst it pursues a
more balances male figure, a view far more
positive than I originally thought.

FILM STUDIES FIGHT CLUB REVISION
INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION
- Fox Studios (Major Hollywood film studio and Hollywood
conglomerate) allowed a $63 million budget.
- DVD packaging comment: The film is meant to make you
question. The package, by extension, tries to reflect an experience
that you must experience yourself. The more you look at it, the
more you get out of it.
ERA/CONTEXT
- Released following the Columbine school shootings, the US public
were not wanting to see violent productions which probably had a
negative effect on the films overall ratings.
- Top box office films of 1999 were mostly clear, blockbuster genre
films with specific audiences in mind: (Toy Story, Phantom
Menace, Matrix, Austin Powers). American Beauty was the only
other surprise hit film with similar masculinity in crisis/anti-
consumerism messages but appealing to a safer audience.
AUDIENCE RESPONSE
- Using Brad Pitt suggests a mainstream
audience.
- 15-25 multiplex but there is an art-house cross
over which can cause more problems as an art-
house audience may be put off by Brad Pitt.
- Copycat fight clubs and attacks became a
media focus of concern.
- Fight Club gained cult status and popularity for
the film has grown since the initial release.
Audience demanded for DVD re-release in 2004
and the DVD became one of the largest selling
in the studios history.

CAPITALISM
An economic system in which the means of
production and distribution are privately or
corporately owned and development I
proportionate o the accumulation and
reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.
From looking further into the messages which Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) presents, I have been able to gain an in
depth understanding of its representation of gender.
MARLAS NEGATIVE INITIAL REPRESENTATION
For a first time viewer, their initial reaction is most likely to be
critical of the way the film is debatably misogynistic. This is not a
difficult assumption to make based on the many disrespectful term
which women are referred to with. Jack refers to Marla in the first
scene we meet her as this chick and later, as Tyler influences his
actions more as a little bitch. Marla herself is represented as a
bad character and she is given the blame for the events from the
films start which the audience take on board, aligning themselves
with the negative view the narrator Jack has towards her. Due to
this, her negative aspects become strongly highlighted to a fist
time viewer who see Jack as a reliable narrator. Her stealing,
smoking at a lung cancer support group and blunt attitude
represent Marla in a negative way. When she repetitively sleeps
with Tyler after he continuously treats her badly, she also seems to
become a desperate character and an overall bad representation
of women.
MARLA AS A FEMINIST
However, after the ending is revealed and we
think back and re-watch the events, we begin to
understand her actions are reactions to dealing
with Jacks bipolar personality. In this new light,
an audience is able to sympathise for her and
this in return begins to present Marla as a figure
of feminism. Most representations of women in
films show the clich, blonde, pretty girl whos
only aim is to find love. Marla challenged this
completely: her hair is messy as are her clothes
and her personality is based around her pride in
her madness, not her looks. Despite her aims
being unclear, we understand love is not her
goal when Jack apologises for how he has
treated her (despite not being able to fully
remember it) and she tells him straight that she
does not want to see him again. Overall, her
character is a lot stronger than a typical
Hollywood representation of women. She is not
afraid to h=shout and at one point she even
walks into a busy road of traffic making them
stop for her.
MARLAS MASCULINITY
Marla also shows many masculine traits: she is more of a leader
than Jack when they first meet, allowing him to run around to find
her to arrange what nights they will each attend support groups.
She becomes an ironic example of a ballsy woman when she visits
the mans testicular cancer support group even though it is clear
that she does not/has not had testicular cancer, none of the men
(expect for Jack although for different reasons) dare to tell her to
leave. Marlas masculinised traits inevitably highlight Jacks
feminised traits which is what leads to his further vivid visions of
Tyler on his journey to regaining his masculinity, making Marla a
protagonist and in 2013s top 100 films only 15% of protagonists
were female. I believe that Marla represents women very
positively she is a woman who represents womens freedom to
be as crazy as they want but, despite her masculine traits,
she does not conform to masculinity and the way men
act shown by her dresses and fur coat throughout the
film. As the only main female character, she takes on
the whole representation of the gender and, as she is
the most innocent character by the end of the film,
shows woman as strong and independent.