Mamma Mia and the feminist movements
Phyllia Lloyd’s Mamma Mia (2008) is a 108 minute slice of feminist paradise.
Image: Universal Pictures
In an increasingly hostile global environment, where women's rights are increasingly threatened, Phyllia Lloyd’s Mamma Mia (2008) is a 108 minute slice of feminist paradise. The contagiously zealous motion picture is a film made by women, for women. With producer Judy Craymer, writer Catherine Johnson and editor Lesley Walker, alongside the female dominated cast featuring names such as Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, and Julie Walters, the film is not only a sparkle of Mediterranean magic, but also a textbook of feminist ideologies, stretching from the 1800s until the present day.
Complex Female Characters
The film Mamma Mia is a masterclass in the creation of complex female characters. The female personae in Mamma Mia are fiercely independent, vested with significant agency that allows them to play a central and decisive role in the film. This is in stark contrast to other female filmic tropes such as the damsel in distress. Rather, the characters reflect ideologies central to the early feminist movement, which through texts such as A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft, contested the idea that women are intrinsically weaker than men, instead positing that their oppression is the result of social conditions.
Whilst the trope of a strong female character runs the risk of creating unidimensional strongwomen with little character development or realistic flaws, Mamma Mia skilfully avoids this by creating personae with sophisticated desires. Consequently, the film reflects elements of third wave feminism, which fought against “homogenizing” women, advocating instead for their diverse experiences.
Although these themes are present in all of Mamma Mia’s female characters, Donna in particular epitomises a complex female character. She is an honest, hardworking woman who single-handedly runs a hotel on the fictional island of Kalokairi, and has independently and successfully raised her daughter Sophie. Nonetheless, she additionally harbours real fears and weaknesses, such as that of Sophie growing up, as expressed in the wistful ballad “Slipping through my fingers”.
Sexual Liberation
The feel-good quality of Mamma Mia is additionally spurred by its sexual liberation. This harkens back to the sexal liberation movement of the 60s and 70s. During this era, rather than acting as subordinate sexual agents, present solely for the purpose of procreation or male pleasure, women were encouraged to grasp sex and sexuality with their own two hands as part of a physical and psychological revolution against sexual oppression. In particular, writers such as Germaine Greer argued that this sexual oppression existed as a result of the nuclear family, rendering them “eunuchs” (castrated men). Consequently, sexual liberation was viewed as central to a wider female emancipation. Further spurring this newly empowering promiscuity were medical developments such as the contraceptive pill, which granted women newfound agency and bodily autonomy with their sexual relationships.
Donna’s multiple sexual escapades, resulting in the doubtful paternity of her daughter Sophie, is paradigmatic of this feminist sexual revolution. This link between Donna and second wave feminism is furthered given that her sexual escapades likely occurred during the latter end of the 1970s. Furthermore, contrary to narratives perpetuated by other early 2000s films, Donna is not shamed by this past, and is instead fearlessly empowered by her best friends Rosie and Tanya.
Tanya additionally personifies feminist sexual liberation, inverting the conventional on-screen pairing of an older-man with a younger-woman, by flirting with one of 20 year old Sophie’s friends, Pepper. In doing so, the film transforms ABBA’s condescendingly misogynistic tune “Does Your Mother Know”, which implies that women should not sleep around, into a chant of female empowerment.
Single Mothers
However, as much as Mamma Mia constructs an image of a feminist fantasy land, it also draws attention to very real issues faced by 21st century women. Notably, it highlights how modern women continue to bear the brunt of domestic labour and childcare. Although the modern woman may integrate fairly seamlessly into the workforce, at home she is still dealt the majority of household labour, a result of the lingering social narratives of women as homemakers and childcarers. Consequently, women are given a double burden of work, curtailing their economic empowerment, given that each minute spent on housework is a minute lost on career progression.
This burden is felt no greater than by single mothers such as Donna, as she struggles to balance her duties with hotel management, her own wellbeing, and raising her daughter Sophie. Consequently, she laments in “Money Money Money”, about how life is easier for men who live without these domestic pressures. Whilst single mothers are left to deal with “this shit”, their previous partners are free to explore, start new families, or devote time to their careers, as exemplified by Bill, Sam and Harry respectively. As Donna says, “the winner takes it all”, and that winner is men.
No Intersectionality?
It is important to address that a lesson on intersectional feminism is significantly lacking in Mamma Mia. Intersectional feminism is often dubbed as the third wave of feminism, which caters for the diverse experiences of trans, people of colour, lesbian, working class, and non-binary people. Judith Butler in particular has spearheaded this movement, ultimately arguing that gender is a performance of social cues which creates the illusion of gender identity. In contrast, Mamma Mia is a film that is predominately straight, white and middle class, with little representation of women that fit outside these social bounds.
Despite these feminist shortcomings, the film ultimately does more good than harm when it comes to feminist narratives. Upon watching, viewers can expect to feel empowered by the film's positive depictions of female sexuality.