Women in Hollywood

By Keyla Carvalho

In 2016, women comprised just 7 percent of all directors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. No, not even 20 or 10 percent. Only 7. Considering that we're half of the population, it's impossible not to feel disappointed, even outraged with such a low number. I mean, we just want to live in a world where female characters are properly written and have more to show than their support for the male lead ... Is that too much to ask?

But 2017 has definitely been a year for women in cinema – one that might give us hope after all. In May, the world saw the first female-led superhero film in more than a decade, Wonder Woman. The movie, directed by Patty Jenkins and critically acclaimed for its refreshing story and charismatic main character, now tops Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 50 best superhero movies of all time. As if that wasn't enough to stop (false) claims that female superhero movies aren't worth the shot, it also quickly became the highest-grossing superhero origin film ever, earning $412.5 million in North America and over $820 million at the worldwide box-office. Princess Diana of Themyscira can surely break many things with her superhuman strength, but I bet she had no idea that records would be some of them, with great help from a female director who treats her as she deserves.

If that wasn't enough, Lady Bird, the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig, was another delightful surprise. In November, the coming-of-age story broke a record that previously belonged to Toy Story 2 and became the movie with the most consecutive positive reviews and zero negative reviews against it – which means that it had a perfect 100 percent score from nearly 200 critics until some guy gave it a B- score, lowering it to 99. It has so far won many important awards, such as Best Film by the New York Film Critics Circle, and received four Golden Globes nominations. At this rate, Lady Bird now flies toward some Oscar nominations, pun completely intended.

Our stories, either fictional or real, are being told. On Jan. 7, actresses will be wearing black at the Golden Globes to protest against any form of abuse in Hollywood. From speaking out about sexual harassment to directing critically acclaimed movies, women have made a big impact by refusing to give in to a sexist industry and showing what we can do. The fact that these two female-led and female-directed films have woman and lady in their names might be a coincidence, but it's also a message: We can tell our own stories, Hollywood, and they will be more interesting and successful than you think.