Female Trouble: Criticized Beauty

Courtney Woodring

Professor Wisniewski

ENGL 280

October 30th, 2020

“Female Trouble” directed by John Waters is in a category of its own. The main character Dawn Davenport is a ridiculed female who by the end of the film becomes victim to the crime of beauty. Between the memorable characters and shoves at beauty standards, this film delves into many odd subjects. 

The film begins with fat shaming and bullying within a high school setting and I feel like it really sets the tone to who Dawn is as a character. Being harassed at such a fragile age can cause one to second guess their look without realizing it. Getting pregnant soon after leaving high school also does not help. Dawn was susceptible to corrupt beauty from the first moment she was criticized for her weight. The word “beautiful” became a foreign word, until she let it define who she was as a mother and as a person. 

The film definitely mocked both American culture, especially in regards to fame and beauty. Dawn was constantly being told that she was absolutely beautiful and she became dependent on those compliments. But by the end of the film, Dawn was so focused on her beauty that she let it influence her judgment. This can be mocking American culture in a sense that many celebrities are first consumed by the media's words in regard to their appearance and some let it affect who they are as a person. American culture values beauty as much, if not more than intelligence. The scene where Dawn was in the hospital after getting attacked with acid and with gauze wrapped around her face was one that really stood out to me. Everyone of her friends was telling her how beautiful she looked and how much she should be grateful for what happened.But yet they still felt the need to put makeup on her as soon as possible. If that says anything about American Culture it is that beauty is held to a high standard, but how you achieve it is not important as long as you are considered beautiful. Also the fact that Dawn in my opinion got more and more “ugly” as the film progressed really shows how American culture can be ruthless. Once you no longer meet the accepted standards, you are disregarded and as your beauty fades, so does your fame.

This film was definitely an eye opener for many reasons. One being the blatant criticism towards American beauty standards and another being the outright revealing nature of the film. I was taken aback by the obnoxious love scenes and the inappropriate parenting by Dawn. I would not say that this movie was one of my favorites but it was definitely very interesting. I have never watched something so aggressive and honestly I am not sure that I ever want to again.