13 Things That Action Movies Get Wrong About Women

The Trope: Women can easily run and fight in high heels.

Why Is It Inaccurate? High heels are stylish, but for most women, they're not an everyday accessory. If a woman knows she's going to get involved in some physical activity, she will keep the heels at home and choose something more fitting. Running in high heels will leave someone unbalanced, and it could even damage their feet, knees, and spine. Not to mention that heels are not cheap, so no one would want to ruin their fancy shoes on a dangerous adventure.

Odds are, many films use heels for the sexy silhouette it gives women. It gives some illusion that wearing heels is what makes someone a woman, which is far from the truth. Men in action movies don't have footwear that could break their ankle, so why should women?

The only reasonable times to wear heels in combat is if the character is in disguise or just leaving a formal party. But as soon as she knows it's time to fight or take off running, removing the heels is the smartest choice. If someone fought in heels in real life, they'd be at a huge disadvantage. 

Notable Offenders: Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, Suicide Squad, In Time

The Trope: There's no need to tie back long hair while fighting.

Why Is It Inaccurate? Long hair is a pain and always getting in the way. No matter what form of exercise you're doing, pulling back hair can certainly make things easier. But if hair is better out of sight and out of mind, then why don't female superheroes ever pull their hair back? 

Women in movies will keep on fighting without messing up their beachy waves at all. In real life, half of that hair would be in their eyes by the time the fight is finished. Rather than a practical hairstyle, most women in action films have long, flowing hair because it looks beautiful. But realistically, if these powerful women had a hair tie accessible to them, they would've used it. It doesn't matter how great your hair looks if you can't see through it. 

Notable Offenders: Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man 2, Captain Marvel

The Trope: Showing skin during battle won't put you in danger.

Why Is It Inaccurate? You're likely to work up a sweat while battling, but that doesn't mean you should lose layers of clothes. Armor and bulletproof vests are the best ways to keep someone safe from weapons flying their way. But when it comes to women in Hollywood films, it seems as if less clothing is somehow more protective. Of course, that logic doesn't actually fly.

In action films, women seem to wear the bare minimum. Exposed shoulders and legs are incredibly common, and lots of cleavage is expected, too. The characters won't even settle for jeans and a hoodie because they're never seen without a miniskirt or skimpy top. Of course, small clothing items can be cute and stylish, but they're not safe for someone planning to fight.

One knife swipe or bullet to exposed skin could cost someone their life in extreme cases. Depending on the weather, these clothes could also make women freeze to death. It seems movie producers are so worried about keeping the characters attractive that they don't worry about the dangerous cutouts in the women's clothing.

Notable Offenders: Catwoman, Daredevil, Resident Evil, Suicide Squad

The Trope: Full makeup is great for battles, and it looks flawless the whole time. 

Why Is It Inaccurate? Most actors need to wear some makeup to make their faces pop on screen. But why overdo it with the female characters in action movies? If you're heading out into battle, it's unlikely that you'll touch up your makeup beforehand. In fact, many women won't even wear makeup if they plan to do any form of intense exercise.

But let's say the characters are already wearing makeup when a fight breaks out. That makes a lot more sense. However, even after a fight, women still seem to have flawless makeup. Even the best mascara can smear and come off in extreme weather or due to excess sweat. These makeup-heavy looks give off a false idea that a women's makeup will always be perfect - an absurd assumption, of course. Even if a movie shows a little lipstick smear, it portrays it in a way that still seems sexy and put-together.  Makeup is not easy to maintain, so it's time for movies to stop pretending like it is.

Notable Offenders: Suicide Squad, Transformers, Jupiter Ascending, The Avengers

The Trope: Large boob armor is a necessary form of protection.

Why Is It Inaccurate? Of course, a woman's breasts need some protection in a fight, but the way films handle it is far from realistic. Anyone who actually wears a bra knows that when you're exercising, it's best to use a sports bra to strap your breasts down. The more a woman's breasts move around, the more uncomfortable they'll be. 

So, while making boob armor unnaturally round or pointed might look attractive, it's not fully effective. Instead of keeping the breasts safe and secure, boob armor leaves more space for them to move around, making them more vulnerable in battle. And even if they're properly supported underneath the armor, the curves and points are still unnecessary and don't need to be that dramatic. If anything, those enlarged parts of the armor will only get in the way.

Historically, women's armor was flat like any other armor. If a woman were to fall onto her chest with the curvy armor from action movies, the part separating the two breasts could sink into her chest and even end her life. Yet films often choose to make the armor sexy rather than practical. 

Notable Offenders: Ant-Man and the Wasp, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Wonder Woman

The Trope: A platinum blond wig is a reasonable disguise when hiding your identity. 

Why Is It Inaccurate? As a spy, you need multiple disguises to hide your true identity. But there's another important purpose for these disguises: to not draw attention to yourself! A platinum blond wig might look stylish, but it also draws an unnecessary amount of attention to the person wearing it. 

Many of the heroes wearing these wigs are already considered beautiful, so their disguise is sure to get them noticed and turn some heads, which is the opposite of the goal. They might as well dye their hair pink or blue if they think platinum blond is subtle.

Notable Offenders: Avengers: Infinity War, Atomic Blonde, Salt, Red Sparrow