As a representative for all women, Amy is constantly forced to conform to everyone’s expectations in the film. From birth, Amy’s parents have the highest expectations as they create a best-selling picture book series with a character called “Amazing Amy.” Amazing Amy is based off Amy herself, except for the fact that Amazing Amy is entirely perfect and succeeds in everything she does. As a result, Amy grows up with a constant hatred for the character and the pressures her parents put on her to be Amazing Amy. Of course, Amy is never able to match up to the perfection of the character. Amy stands for all women as she symbolizes the constant pressure put on women to obtain perfection.
Viewers might label Nick Dunne as a “nice guy”, but Nick’s character is the epitome of a misogynist. Nick also pressures Amy to conform to his expectations of the ideal female. Once married, Nick forces Amy to move away from her happy life in New York (to a small town in Missouri), he takes her money, and when he grows unhappy he thinks “I can’t divorce her, she has the money.” Thus, Nick treats his wife poorly and cheats on her. Nick is a spineless character and Amy was absolutely justified in breaking away. As the man in the relationship, Nick Dunne possessed the society-given power to force Amy to become the “cool girl.” Amy is oppressed by Nick Dunne's power, which is also a critique on the institution of marriage. Amy responds to the oppression she feels when she says:
“Men always say that as the defining compliment, don’t they? She’s a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes and anal sex, and jams hot dogs and hamburgers into her mouth like she’s hosting the world’s biggest culinary gang bang while somehow maintaining a size 2, because Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl.”
In this speech, the film targets men who see women as extensions of themselves. It targets men who fantasize about attractive women, who they can dominate, who will fulfill their desires and not have independent wants or needs of their own. Amy is pressured to fit this stereotype and through her backlash she reveals it is a myth, women are not submissive, sexual objects. Rather, she reveals that women are strong and independent people, rather submissive accessories, or an always smiling counterpart who will cheer a man up after a long day at work. The speech is not meant to insult women who do like these things, but rather to display an image of a women who will form herself to fit a man’s desires. Amy Dunne pretends to fit this role for so long, but as Nick mistreats her more and more she decides to rebel.
Furthermore, Amy is even boxed up and stereotyped by the media. However, Amy manipulates this to her advantage. As Amy frames her husband for her “death”, the media claims Amy is such a sweet, beautiful, all American girl. The American media uses these stereotypes to create an image of Amy that is all too predictable, and none of it is even close to the real Amy. Amy is loved by America and everyone is so upset that such a sweet, delicate woman was killed by her husband. This portrayal of the American media is an obvious, feminist critique that images are so caught up with stereotypes that women and men are entirely misrepresented.
Many viewers may claim that Gone Girl is misogynistic because it makes Amy look like a crazy, conniving bitch. It is simply not. It is the misogyny within American culture that leads people to believe this. One look at a female villain or even a strong female puts the word “bitch” in society’s mindset. Amy is not a sweet, lovable girl, and that is exactly what makes the film feminist. Amy is a revolutionary female protagonist. She is not the victim; she is the villain. And she is not just a crazy bitch, in fact she is a Grade A psychopath. Amy is a complex, broken women who has been beaten down by society. She is left with no sense of self and is forced to shape herself based on her victim. Therefore, when Amy creates a convoluted scheme which criminalizes her husband, as she claims she is raped, and even kills one of her victims she is not just a “crazy bitch” who “cries rape.” Despite claims of misogyny, Amy is not supposed to perpetuate the idea that women falsely claim rape, but rather Amy is chooses to fight back against the men who mistreat her. She destroys those around her as a symbol for all women who are oppressed by society.
There is much more to analyze in this film, but overall I think it is extremely feminist and progressive. Amy is the symbol of reclaiming power for women. She is finally a female character who fights back against all the expectations and stereotypes involving gender. Her psychopathic nature satirically displays the dramatic extent women would have to go to reclaim the power which is ripped away by society. Amy is a revolutionary character; she is a female villain!!! and she is not hypersexualized!!! Amy is awesome.
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