Film empathizing with Suffragettes, before the movement ever came to be.

To really feel the impact of today's lack of female representation in film, both on or behind the camera, it's important to notice where we've been. Not just in the film business, but the respect of women all together!

Speaking in technical terms, the Women's Suffrage movement started in 1850, in a small town in New York. While this was a start to greater things to come, the movement didn't become nation wide until the late 1910s, that lead to women receiving the right to vote until 1920. There were many attributes that helped spread the word, but evidence shows that Filmmaking made a huge impact to people and their way of thinking.


While films in these times usually were based around a tough, intellectual man with a great mission to embark on, with a lady on his arm to tend to his household and give him the "good lovin'" when he gets home, in the1910s, the story's context began to alter.

For example, a film that came out in 1912 was a film titled Petticoat Camp. This story was about 7 couples going out for a camping trip, that quickly turned into a divisive disaster.
The story's point of view was with the women in the camp. While all the men got to go out, fish and swim, then come back to the camp and leisurely eat their food, all the women were forced to stay in the camp, keep the camp and the clothes clean, and cook food for the fellas. You can see from their faces and body language that all the women were getting fed up! So all the women decided enough was enough!
The whole film's basis is not only about the lack of respect women receive from men, even their husband, but it also depicts how lost men are without their wives, or better call them, care takers.
With the help of a little embellishment, the film strives to make a point that women are just as needed and useful as the men, which in turn means that they deserve just as much respect.

 It's these type of films that became very controversial, but also began to create a dialogue! And I have no problem believing films such as this one made an impact and spread the movement's message rapidly.
It's evident that movies and their message reflect and effect society in a big way. Much like this film, the movies we create affect the audience and how they think. As filmmakers, it's our job to contribute enlightening messages to our audience, and hopefully make a difference.

The film Petticoat Camp (1912) can be seen below.