Pop culture's mixed messages to women

The cast of 'Ghostbusters' reboot
Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig and Kate McKinnon star in the 2016 all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot.
Courtesy of Sony

Audiences want to see female leads in action movies, according to a Fandango poll and the recent acclaim of Warner Bro's/DC's "Wonder Woman."

So why were only 29 percent of 2016 protagonists female? And why do female actresses of color hold such a small percent of roles?

Carina Chocano is the author of "You Play the Girl," a collection of essays that examines the kind of messages about women portrayed by popular media.

Chocano said Hollywood's executives feel this narrow view of women — white, young, not in lead or action roles — is what will rack in cash.

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"We find [that way of thinking] anywhere there's money and power," she told MPR's Kerri Miller.

In her essay, "Girls Love Math. We Never Stop Doing It" Chocano points out that women beyond their thirties are often not portrayed in popular television.

This not only frustrates the older women who don't see themselves on the screen, but it's concerning for younger women.

"I think it's also important for younger women not to be told from the moment that they're children that they're going to disappear from the landscape by the age of 40," said Chocano.

Bucking that trend was the latest Ghostbusters reboot, staring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. The movie received a lot of pushback for not being an instant hit.

"It should be OK for a movie staring women to be a pretty successful movie and not have to carry the weight of all success of all female movies," said Chocano, who pointed out that mediocre movies are made by and about men all the time.

Chocano liked "Ghostbusters" as well as "Wonder Woman" and was happy to say that her daughter enjoyed them as well.

To hear more about Chocano's thoughts pop culture representations of women, use the audio player above.