Trouble in the Spotlight

Hollywood’s newest A Star is Born starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is currently a popular and adored film right now - and  it is easy to see why. The film is heart wrenching with amazing performances from both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Despite the amazing directing and performances, the messages and social mores of the story line are a bit troubling and regressive.  

A troubling issue for me throughout the film was the lack of consent. Throughout the film when Ally says no, she is forced to do something she initially didn’t agree to. To name a few examples, when Ally comes home from a night out and directly goes to her bed to sleep, her father asks her to come greet his friends and she initially says no, but then he lies telling her it is a friend’s birthday and so she goes downstairs only to wind up cleaning the kitchen. To name a few more, when Jackson asks Ally to come join him on the stage she says no several times only to be dragged out without actually agreeing to anything.

With the alarming amount of lack of consent throughout the film, the narrative directly contributes to rape culture.

This film is an example of the hegemonic and heteropatriarchal system that dominates the media, music industry, and society. For example, the entire narrative is based off the idea that a woman’s success is inherently tied to a man’s tragedy. Jackson’s character, being the one who discovered Ally, and led her to stardom, is a toxic message to viewers that women can only succeed at the hands of men. Ally was only recognized as a star by others, especially other men, once Jackson brought her into the spotlight. This blatant sexism is an example of heteropatriarchy in the media.