The Unfortunate Status
Since the earliest days of motion pictures, from the robot Maria in Metropolis to the artificial female drones in The Stepford Wives, more than a few movie storylines have focused upon the idea of building a robot in the image of a human woman. Throughout the history of film, though the number of male and female movie stars is probably equal, the majority of filmmakers--the directors, screenwriters and producers--have been men. As a result, it is no surprise that the movies containing female robots strongly promote patriarchical values. Many of the films that fall into this category are blaringly and self-consciously misogynistic, often re-presenting cultural myths and stereotypes that blame women for various evils in the universe. Unlike the gambling process of human reproduction, the sexualization of an artificial being is entirely under the control of the creator. It is true that modern genetic techniques allow increasingly accurate predictability as to the outcome of fertilization; but, this is not the same choice owned by the scientist who wants to make a robot.
The Inquisition
Below is a compiled list of films containing female robots. This short study is separated into different categories based upon the role of the android in the society within the movie.
In examining the subsequent topics, many questions
can be asked, such as:
---Are these movies merely the projection of male fantasies onto the
screen or the result of a more deep-set anxiety?
---If social roles had been reversed and directors had been mainly
women instead of men, would female directors have made movies about
male robots?
---Thus, is the presence of female automatons in film attributable to
nothing more than evolutionary competition between the sexes?
Sex-Bots
The most prevalent function of female androids in film is as sexual objects. Often of questionable intelligence, these robots are designed to be the playthings of their male creators. Even if the mechanical woman does have another purpose, such as to store information or to spy, she still operates to fulfill the sexual fantasies of her master.
Domestic Bliss and Social Integration:
i.e. "Let's Mechanize Mom"
The robots that fit under this heading were designed under the philosophy: "out of kindness to housewives, inventors made the vacuum-cleaner and the electric stove." In a way, this same idea inspires creators to want to build a robot to complete the family unit. For if one can't have a child, why not just build one? Though a robot kid is not necessarily a sexual object, the process of its creation arguably could be seen as being inspired by the jealousy of men over the woman's reproductive role in carrying and nurturing a child within her womb.
The Annihilator
Strong, powerful, yet female. Any fem-robot with characteristics of the Terminator surely would upset the social balance. She would be a universal threat...to patriarchy. Consider Joan of Arc--she claimed she had visions, wielded authority, brought an army to Orléans and was burned at the stake as a witch. In Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the robot Maria receives the same fate. But, unlike sanctification of Joan, the robot Maria is not martyred. Instead she represents a warning of the dangers and evil of women, especially those who possess power and authority. Also, the Annihilator type of female robot is a sexual object in the same capacity of the above-defined Sex-Bots because their creators teach them to be sirens, using sexuality to gain advantage and influence.
Their Worst Nightmare: She's the Perfect Companion
More frightening than a power-usurping Annihilator, more efficacious than any domesticated robot, and more seductive than the most alluring Sex-Bot is the ro-woman who is equal to a man intellectually, capable of being powerful and aggressive, but also sexually female. This type of robot is exemplified by the replicant Rachael in "Bladerunner" (1982).
*** The perspective expressed here does not intend to represent or reflect the personal beliefs of the creators of this website.
