Gender Expression in Pride + Prejudice + Zombies
In Britain, it took until the 1950s for women to be allowed jobs. The movie Pride + Prejudice + Zombies shows that people are human and have characteristics of both genders. People can be who they like and don't have to fit into society's expectations of what a traditional woman or man has to be.
The film both reinforces patriarchal gender standards and disrupts them. It reinforces the standards by society's views that women need to get married and remain feminine. An example of this is when Darcy first sees Lizzie he states that "her arms are surprisingly muscular, but not unfeminine." Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. The author explains this by Lizzie and her sisters knowing how to sword fight and do martial arts but are still being expected to get married. Fighting, specifically sword fighting is usually seen as a man's job and a extremely masculine thing to do. Girls in the movie disrupt this standard and are as equally trained as the men are. It is also shown as Mr. Collins is frightened when Penny McGregor in the carriage reveals herself as a zombie. Gender standards would demand that he fight, but when Penny comes closer, Mr. Collins hid behind Lizzie and her sisters instead and tells them to "do something about the zombie."; something a woman would be expected to do. Lizzie is the one to shoot the zombie and keep the group safe from her. Pride + Prejudice + Zombies.
Characters who do not conform to gender standards are rewarded. One example of this is when Lizzie saves Darcy, who was about to be murdered by Mr. Wickham. It is usually the man saving the woman, not the other way around. Another example of this is when she refuses to marry Mr. Collins, saying, "I will not marry a man I do not love, and I will not give up fighting." Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. She does not agree to the marriage even as her mother tries to persuade her otherwise. Lizzie is rewarded after she confesses her love for Darcy and he proposes to her again.
Consequently, traditional gender roles influence how women are treated even with their fighting ability. When Mr. Collins had a meal with the Bennets, he assumed that the food was made by the daughters and states that "Your daughters are good cooks." Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. It shows that women are to do traditionally feminine things along with the masculine. Even though they are trained to fight, the Bennet sisters are expected to conform to most of the gender norms, such as getting married before a certain age. Charlotte mentions to Elizabeth that she is marrying Mr. Collins because she feels that "She is 25 and he is the best she will ever get at that age." Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. This supports the standard that women have to get married at a certain age before they become undesirable. However, Charlotte defies the gender roles when she decided not to marry Mr. Collins.
The characters in Pride + Prejudice + Zombies do not conform to gender standards. This is proved when Mr. Collins does not fight, by Lizzie saving Darcy, and when Charlotte refuses to marry Mr. Collins. Although people usually thinking of women when talking about gender standards, the standards are being broken by both women and men.
Works Cited
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. Director Burr Steels. Lionsgate, Screen Gems, 2016.
