The Emergent Femininity

Divergent gave us Tris and the Hunger games Katnis and now the Star Wars galaxy, up to now entirely dominated by masculine Jedi and Sith, gives us Rey, an intuitive, invincible, natural and effortless female Jedi. Each is more noble, selfless, powerful, intelligent and brave than anyone in their respective universes. Each is a “perfect creature.” I am enamored, delighted, captivated! I would like my granddaughters to emulate them… I think. But there are problems. Big problems for us men especially! What is the place and purpose of us men in a world that gives birth to such feminine/masculine perfection in a single woman? Such a woman does not need a man. She is a perfect creature (Is such possible?) And by comparison, all the men in these films are weak and insignificant…at best. Unhappily, our cinema is reflecting the emergent ethos of our age: women are surpassing men in the important arenas (which do NOT include salary) and masculinity is in decline. Men, particularly young men, are discouraged, indecisive, and bereft of confidence and purpose. A second problem with this model of femininity is that it is unrealistic. In real life, excluding some supernatural intervention (St. Joan of Arc), the decision in favor martial fierceness almost certainly will harm or diminish the distinctive virtues that constitute real feminine strength: sensitivity, compassion, receptivity, humility. Let’s face it: for real flesh-and-blood women it is virtually if not absolutely impossible to combine the ferocity with the tenderness of a Tris, a Katnis or a Rey. Consider real life warriors like Hilary Clinton or Carly Fiorino: they equal men in assertiveness but they lose something mysterious and indescribable in the deal. Lastly, and most significantly, there is a most profound ontological problem with such womanly perfection: such a heroine is independently strong and good; she does not need a man but she doesn’t really even need God. Let us contrast this emergent model with the one creature who was perfect, perfectly feminine, which is to say perfectly strong in her humility, receptivity, gratitude, dependency, compassion, trust, vulnerability and generosity. Mary depended entirely, not on herself, but on her heavenly Father. She needed a man, Joseph, to protect and provide. She subordinated herself to a man: her Son. Her real strength was in relationship! This gives us a key to a new and refreshing model of femininity and masculinity: relationship! We men are desperately in need of a new vision of masculinity as we cannot return to the imitation of John Wayne! We are made for each other…to serve each other…to receive from each other. Even before sin we were created, male and female, to need each other, to equally give and receive, to own our particular strengths and weaknesses, and to be in relationship! And, so we can enjoy Katnis, Rey and Tris as harmless, entertaining fantasy, but this model is as empty as male fantasies like James Bond or Jason Bourne. The reality is that we are made, male and female, to be in a relationship of dependency, vulnerability, generosity and receptivity…with each other and with God….just like our Blessed Mother.