Is It Okay to Have 'Women Only' Movie Screenings?

A message from a female member: "Well, yeah, duh."

Dear disgruntled male moviegoers.

Your comments about the “inequality” of ‘women only’ movie screenings—for a female empowerment movie, no less—have been duly noted.

Thanks for sharing your displeasure at such a concept; it’s always relatively entertaining to understand how some people perceive equality!

The importance of female-led movies, especially in superhero movies and similar genres, can never be understated. Growing up with strong female influences should be as easy as it is to grow up with strong male influences. So, why has there never been such a big budget female superhero movie before Wonder Woman?

Gal Gadot’s solo movie, with (shock horror!) Chris Pine as a “damsel in distress” (or close enough) is something I’ve desperately wanted to see on the big screen. I (and probably lots of other women out there) want to see a fellow female kicking ass and saving the world, because we really haven’t seen enough of it yet.

It’s a movie that I believe will empower women and show girls who are growing up in a world full of male influences that women don’t have to just play smaller heroes, or background characters, or vulnerable victims. This is a movie that revolves around a female superhero. It’s not really that difficult a concept to grasp. Why can’t we have 'women only' screenings, at least for an important movie we want to celebrate together?

Not to say that male moviegoers won’t absolutely enjoy it. But really, you’ve had so many movies led by heroes of your gender already. Can’t we have this victory?

So, is it okay to have 'women only' movie screenings? Well, yeah, duh. This is a movie of significance and, as such, we surely have a right to enjoy it with other females if we want to. This is a milestone to be celebrated and I, for one, would love to celebrate it with other women in my cinema.

While I have nothing against watching it with males as well, hopefully you’d be able to understand why we’d like to watch it, just once, without you. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that this is kinda important to us. And any guys being offended by ‘women only’ screenings are kinda hilarious.

Congratulations to Michelle for winning this week's writing challenge: Is It Okay to Have 'Women Only' Movie Screenings? Michelle wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: Warner Bros