noun, plural: femmes fa·tales [fem fuh-tal]
James Tissot, Jezebel Advises Ahab, c. 1896-1902
Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct, 1992
The Femme Fatale is the sub-archetype of The Wild Woman that embodies the centuries’ long vilification and fear of female sexuality, especially from the patriarchal perspective, as this trope is defined by the threat and danger she poses with her ability to seduce men, which often leads to their doom and detriment (as they are written as helpless in the face of it). The earliest examples of The Femme Fatale can be found in mythical beings such as sirens or nymphs, who in the form of beautiful women seduced sailors with their mystical songs and then drowned them.1 More specific examples can be found in women from the Bible such as Eve or Jezebel, one tempting Adam into eating the forbidden fruit that in turn made God banish them from Eden,2 and the other blamed to be the cause of Israel’s apostasy due to her ‘whorish’ ways.3
Roberto Ferri, Title Unknown, painting believed to be depicting Lilith, Date Unknown
Nico Leon, cover illustration for Catwoman Vol 1: Dangerous Liasons, first published 2022
With the rise of feminism and the subsequent conversations surrounding the topic as well as
its constant evolution, The Femme Fatale as a trope has undergone significant change and
evolution in contemporary and modern media, as well as how they are viewed under a more critical
lens.1
During the 1960s, the best place to find this sub-archetype on screen was in the James Bond
movies, Bond always running into dangerous but beautiful women who he either seduces or is
seduced by. Characters such as Pussy Galore from the 1964 film Goldfinger may be seen as
empowering to some - she was a rare portrayal of her gender at the time as she was a powerful
woman capable of overpowering Bond in combat, as well as being a female pilot.2 However she
is also just the start of the pattern that all Bond Girls are defined by - being the dangerous,
‘untameable’ woman that James Bond conquers by the end of the film by sleeping with them.3
In this instance, The Femme Fatale, no matter how strong they seem to be, are still seen as
the sexy dangerous object that ironically can only be ‘beaten’ through sex (specifically sex
with a man), meaning as a whole, their identities are defined as embodying and conquering the
straight man’s object of desire.
Of course, there is the other side to both stories - Eve herself was tempted by the snake to eat the apple, and, depending on the audience, Jezebel could be seen as a faithful and devout follower to her pagan god Baal and that she is only seen as degenerate from a one specific religious perspective.4 Despite this, both women have become best known for their part in the downfall of men over other factors, and writers have prescribed their seduction as the main cause. Jezebel in particular is significant as there was no actual evidence that she was, in fact, the unfaithful whore that the writers described her as, however she was branded this way (and has become intrinsically connected to the description) because how else could they justify her husband committing such sins if her sexuality was not the cause of them? (or at least frame him as more sympathetic). By making her a prostitute, she became a scapegoat, as none of the blame falls on her husband - he was just the victim of her seduction.
Alexandre Cabanel, Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners, c.1887
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff (The Black Widow) in Iron Man 2, 2010
“Jezebel’s harlotry has not been identified as mere dolatry. Rather, she has been considered the slut of Samaria, the lecherous wife of a pouting potentate. The 1938 film Jezebel, starring Bette Davis as the destructive temptress who leads a man to his death, is evidence that this ancient judgment against Jezebel has been transmitted to this century. Nevertheless, the Bible never offers evidence that Jezebel is unfaithful to her husband while he is alive or loose in her morals after his death. In fact, she is always shown to be a loyal and helpful spouse, though her brand of assistance is deplored by the Deuteronomist.”5
Nico Robin (Miss All Sunday) in One Piece: Arabasta Arc, 1999-?
Comic books, especially in the superhero genre, are especially guilty in perpetuating The Femme Fatale trope in their female characters. Illustrations and other visual representations of these dangerous and powerful female characters are always extremely hyper-sexualised, the main attraction of the female superhero being her body in skin tight suits that work to highlight every curve with their bodies contorted into physically improbable positions, rather than her actual superpower/skill sets.4 Illustrations of Catwoman (Selina Kyle) from DC comics emphasise this the most, Selina’s body posed in provocative positions that aim to highlight her seductive nature first and her propensity to steal second (male superheroes are of course objectified similarly, however arguably not to the extent of the women).5
“Although a detailed analysis of this timeless figure raises certain doubts about its veracity, what if, instead of representing a fatality typical of women, this stereotype reveals a disastrous conception of men’s desire, their efforts to control women who would not submit to their wills, a reflection of the historical dread that many men have felt at the possibility of women’s liberation?”6
Frank Bernard Dicksee, La belle dame sans merci, Oil on Canvas, c.1901
Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in James Bond: Goldfinger, 1964
noun [mon-ster] adjective
Peter Paul Rubens, The Head of Medusa, c.1617-1618
Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein in The Bride of Frankenstein, 1935
The Monster is the sub-archetype of The Wild Woman that defines female supernatural creatures
whose femininity or biologically female sex is highlighted as an important or defining
features of their otherworldly powers or nature. An example includes sirens and
nymphs, and how they are written as women specifically as their female bodies and female
voices is what is used to entrap (straight) men so these creatures could drown and kill them.1
Some famous creatures do not fit this criteria at surface level. Medusa from Greek myth without
contextual knowledge would just be a woman who happens to be a Gorgon (a woman
with snakes for hair that can turn people into stone at a glance)2 - her sex and monstrous nature
are unrelated at first glance. However, when it is known that she used to be extremely beautiful,
and Athena cursed her to look this way because Medusa was raped by Poseidon in
Athena’s temple,3 then it is revealed that her supernatural characteristics are
intrinsically linked to her femininity as it is a form that was forced onto her because she was a woman,
who through no fault of her own, was tragically raped by a man who desired her female form.4
Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn, 1996
Female monsters in modern / contemporary literature and media have undergone several explorations
since historical times, often depicted as the stereotypical versions of parodied / satirised
supernatural beings, or used as metaphoric devices in horror films that
symbolise women’s plights such as female coming of age and the horrors of puberty.
The 1936 film The Bride of Frankenstein for example showcases, through body horror and
religious imagery, the pressure women felt in 20th century America to maintain an
ideal standard of female beauty, and furthermore the pressure men felt to obtain this beauty
through marriage/sex/etc.1 Through the construction of Frankenstein’s Monster’s ‘mate’
- how she was built as a mirror image to an already living, beautiful, human woman
without her consent, and how even a ‘monster’ built similarly to Frankenstein’s Monster
still looks at him in horror - shows the detrimental effects pursuing the ideal standard
of beauty can be to both genders, manifested in body horror and low self-esteem in both sexes.2
Utagawa Sadakage,Tamamo No Mae Transforming Into A Fox, Color Woodblock Print, c.1830
Sissy Spacek as Carrie White in Carrie, 1976
“She [Medusa], it's said, was violated in Minerva's [Athena's] shrine by the Lord of the Sea (Rector Pelagi) [Poseidon]. Jove's [Zeus'] daughter turned away and covered with her shield her virgin's eyes. And then for fitting punishment transformed the Gorgo's lovely hair to loathsome snakes. Minerva [Athena] still, to strike her foes with dread, upon her breastplate wears the snakes she made."5
Movies that have gone on to become cult-classics such as 1976’s Carrie
Ginger Snaps is another film that explores the female coming-of-age experience, but through one
high school girl outcast transforming into a werewolf while her sister watches and fails to get
her under control.7 Ginger Fitzgerald’s transformation into a wolf is particularly emphasised
in the movie, filmed as something slow and painful, reflecting the teenage experience of going
through puberty - sluggish, awkward and arduous8 - through this type of body horror.
Albert Joseph Pénot, La Femme Chauve-Souris, Oil on Canvas, c. 1890
Juliet Landau (left) and James Marsters (right) as Drusilla and Spike in Buffy the Vampire
Female characters from folklore of this archetype therefore reflect and perhaps provided the foundational ideas to The Femme Fatale, as they provide albeit a more straight-forward and gruesome way in which how (straight) men felt compelled by the creature’s use of the female form to orchestrate their own demise. This is reflected in the aforementioned examples in Greek myth,6 but also in tales from Asia, Africa and South America. The Nine Tailed Fox Demon is North-Eastern Asia’s8 most notorious example of this trope, a fox demon disguised as a beautiful woman entrapping and eating men from China, Korea and Japan. Going by Daji,7 Gumiho8 and Tamamo no Mae9 respectively, this was a female monster that was so well-known her presence was felt in three different countries, meaning the fear of female sexuality and so-called 'weakness' men had towards it was very much universally felt.
Caroline Young, Empress Wu Matted Print, Date Unknown
Movie Poster for Umma, featuring Sandra Oh, directed by Sam Raimi, 2022
“Not only are women portrayed as bodies that expel a ‘polluting substance,’ but this natural and unavoidable act of ‘pollution’ is used to signify a pre-pubescent’s inescapable transformation into womanhood and monstrosity. Kate Maher writes, ‘Menstruation is one of the few aspects of femininity that has remained taboo within cinema...where menstruating women become horrific bleeding monsters.’”9
A Queen Xenomorph from the Alien franchise, first appearance in Aliens, 1986
noun [tom-boi]
Francois Boucher, Jupiter in the Guise of Diana with Callisto, 1796
Vi (Violet) from Arcane, the animated show based on thhe game League of Legends, 2021-?
The Tomboy is a sub-archetype of The Wild Woman that is defined by her inclination toward the
masculine in her physical or personal traits. This could mean a woman that engages in typically
male-dominated activities centred around the physical (warfare, sports, etc),1 a woman that
presents herself in a more stereotypically masculine way or a woman who tends to have what is
considered to be more traditionally masculine personality traits (louder, more assertive, even
vulgar)2 in their respective cultures.
In Ancient Greek Myth, Athena and Artemis embody
The Tomboy particularly well as both fulfil one
or more of the defined criteria above: both reside and are skilled in traditionally
male-dominated things, such as warfare, hunting and archery.3 They are revered for their more
masculine aspects, and when compared to Aphrodite, are seen as pure because they have no
interest in things that remind men that they are feminine beings - romance, the carnal, etc.4
Natasha Lyonne (left) and Clea DuVall (right) as Megan and Graham in But I’m a Cheerleader, 1999
Since so many Tomboy characters are well-loved because of their more ‘masculine’ traits, and
people like how they are ‘not-like-other-girls,’ the trope has been criticised for
perpetuating misogynistic thinking,1 as it implies that women who are traditionally feminine
and enjoy feminine things are to be viewed with scorn, especially by women who wish to embody
the trope in real life.2
This thinking is best seen in Amy Dunne in the 2014 film Gone Girl. Amy
is the self described ‘cool’ girl who is not like the ‘typical’ girlfriend / wife: she is laid-back,
low maintenance, likes to drink beer and is ‘one of the boys.’ This personality however is in fact entirely
fake and she has kept up the charade from when she first met her husband so she could be
viewed as this ideal fantasy he has of her. When Amy finds out that her husband has cheated
on her, she feels enraged as she had essentially created a whole new personality for him
by suppressing her original one, which leads her to staging her own kidnapping and even
committing some murders to teach him a lesson.3 This movie explores how the traditionally
feminine have become unpopular and unliked in society, and how some women feel the
need / or pressure to embrace more masculine sides traits for all the wrong reasons- to appeal
to men or to generally be seen as ‘better,’ than other girls.4
Unknown, Statue of Hatshepsut on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Date Unknown
Poster depicting Ryuko Matoi in anime Kill La Kill, 2013-2014
Because of her propensity to flirt with the masculine in her own self-expression in historical times, The Tomboy is a sub-archetype that has definitely had more freedom to express queerness, gender non-conformity and gendered self-expression. For example, one of Artemis’s followers, Callisto, was devout, following in her footsteps in reflecting the characteristics of The Tomboy trope. However, another significant aspect of her story is that she sleeps with Zeus, who only managed to do so as he disguised himself as Artemis and seduced Callisto in her form.5 Although Zeus slept with Callisto under coercion and manipulation, what is important to focus on is the willingness and desire Callisto had to sleep with Artemis, a female goddess. It would be inaccurate to take the message that women who sleep with women all lean on the side of masculine, that because (straight) men desire women, women who are inclined the same way then have to emulate that. The message here is more so that in archaic times there was a small fraction of women who disrupted rigid gender constructs, opening up for queer representations (no matter how misconstrued) in folkloric and religious stories.6
Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, 2014
“It is rumoured that Ching Shih demanded equal control of the pirate fleet as a condition of her marriage to Cheng I in 1801. “Where business acumen starts to display itself is in the way she became the overall head of the entire confederation,” says Murray. Female pirate leaders were a rare phenomenon, and Murray is only aware of one other woman commander, a Mrs. Hon-cho-lo, who was active in Hong Kong in the first half of the 20th century.”7
Unknown, A sketch depicting Ching Shih (right) in battle, c. 1800s
Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015
“The implication that only masculine girls can be inspirational and independent female heroes reinforces traditional gender stereotypes regarding masculinity and strength. Reinforcing the idea that their strength comes from their masculinity, thus playing into the age old stereotypes of masculinity and strength and femininity and weakness.”5
Of course, there have been many Tomboy characters throughout the years that embrace their more masculine sides without it being rooted by the patriarchal influence - these characters chose to express themselves in this way as they genuinely are considered to be traditionally masculine in their self-expression and personalities, and they choose to express themselves in this way for their own validation and peace of mind. Masculinity and femininity are not fighting with one another - rather, they are seen as social constructs on a binary scale that these characters feel comfortable exploring.
Characters that express themselves this way have become very empowering figures to the queer community, as they similarly reflect what many in the community are going through in figuring out their sexuality and gender expression. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus from the popular 90s anime Sailor Moon showed how queer women are free to express themselves like Sailor Uranus - very masculine - or Sailor Neptune - very traditionally feminine - or even neither.6 As long you are comfortable and happy in your own skin, people shopuld be free to to express themselves however they want no matter their biological sex.
Sailor Neptune (left) and Sailor Uranus (right) in Sailor Moon, 1994-1997
noun [wawr-ee-er]
Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, The Battle of the Amazons, Oil on Wood, c.1615
Danai Gurira as Michonne in The Walking Dead, 2010-2022
The Warrior is the sub-archetype that is made up of women in folklore / religion that are
primarily known for their skills in combat and warfare. They differ from The
Tomboy as, although warfare and battle was viewed as a male-dominated field,1 to be
considered a Tomboy one does not have to be able to fight specifically, and to be a
Warrior a woman does not have to present themselves as traditionally masculine in other
ways (their physical appearance, personalities, etc).
Well-known examples of women in the battlefield in the west can be seen by the all-female
Amazon tribe who were feared and revered by the Ancient Greeks for their ferocity in battle
and the punishment they inflicted on men who trespassed onto their land,2 or the Valkyrie
from the Norse pantheon who were a group of female warriors chosen by Odin who rode winged horses
into battlefields to lead worthy soldiers into Valhalla after they died in battle.3
Kusanagi Motoko in Ghost in the Shell, 1995
In modern and contemporary media, The Warrior is usually found in the genre of fantasy or action. Like their historical counterparts, they are extremely skilled in battle / war and are sometimes even physically enhanced or super-powered - the 1980’s show Xena: Warrior Princess taking direct inspiration from the Amazons and popularising The Warrior as a strong, physically capable character in the minds of many.1 What differentiates them to Tomboy’s are also similar to antiquity, in that many popular warrior characters do not necessarily present as more stereotypically masculine even if they are skilled in a male-dominated profession. Buffy Summers from the 90s supernatural teen- action drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the chosen one, appointed since birth to be the hardened warrior that will kill all vampires. She is athletic and capable of overpowering all her enemies in a fight, however she isn’t much of a Tomboy because she enjoys traditionally feminine things such as going shopping, wearing makeup, fashion, and has an ongoing romance with a brooding male vampire named Angel.2
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, painting of Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, 1854
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1993-2002
Outside of the west, female warriors were similarly revered and feared. In the 1840s, the
West African kingdom of Dahomey had an all-female army of 6000 women so fierce that enemies
spoke of its “prodigious bravery,” known as the Agojie, who raided villages, took captives
and slashed off heads to return to their king as trophies of war.4 In Japan, female samurai
called the Onna-Bugeisha fought alongside men during the feudal era, when different samurai
lords were constantly fighting over land and territory. Kawahara Asako for example was a
woman who fought in the Battle of Aizu that took place during the Boshin War between
1863-1869. She died defending her home against the enemy by joining the men in battle,
and she even killed her mother-in-law and daughter beforehand so that they wouldn’t suffer
a worse fate if captured by the enemy.5
Female warriors are therefore revered and respected all throughout the world, cutting powerful
and rebellious figures as they fought and bested men who were considered physically stronger
than them, as well as better trained in the art of warfare.6
"[King Priamos (Priam) of Troy tells the tale of a battle with the Amazones in his youth :] ‘I looked on the Phrygian men with their swarming horses, so many of them, the people of Otreus and godlike Mygdon, whose camp was spread at that time along the banks of the Sangarios: and I myself, a helper in war, was marshalled among them on that day when the Amazon women came, men's equals.’"7
Unknown, Lithographic print of the Agojie warriors in the West African kingdom of Dahomey, 19th-century
From left: Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore as Alex Munday, Natalie Cook and Dylan Sanders in Charlie’s Angels, 2000
“Xena is chock-full of kinky imagery (enough bondage and whips to make Wonder Woman blush) and queerness—Xena and Gabrielle are cultural icons in queer fandom. Though the cultural conversation around Xena: Warrior Princess usually frames this aspect of the show as coded, subtextual, and implied, it doesn’t take much of an investigative lens to perform a queer reading of the series. From the very first episode, Xena and Gabrielle are inextricable from one another. Sexual innuendo and imagery abound.”3
Therefore, unlike The Tomboy, The Warrior is not constrained to her perceived levels of femininity, but to her physical capabilities and physical prowess. Because of her ability to fight, many characters that fall under this trope are protagonists of their story, taking the main stage in stories in fantasy (see Xena, Buffy, Charlie’s Angels)4 and they often have romantic storylines with male love interests because of this. Her relationship dynamics are unique as she either has a ‘nerdier,’ physically weaker male friend who provides comic relief or the brain to her brawn, or a love interest that has the ability to go toe-to-toe with her in a physical fight. These traits sometimes overlap - the geekier best friend could have a crush on The Warrior which is only resolved at the end of the story or left unrequited (see Kim Possible,5 Buffy), however it is telling that many shows feel the need to insert a romantic subplot in a story with a female protagonist in the first place. Perhaps this will always be a requirement in all media set in teen / school settings (in reference to the examples used) however it seems to take precedent in female-led narratives no matter how irrelevant to the main plot it is.6
Yoshitoshi Taiso, Portrait of Hangaku Gozen, ca. 1885
Fa Mulan in Walt Disney’s Animation’s Mulan, 1998