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with
Molly
ultimately, where identifying with men would make them uncomfortable.
MacDonald:
I think that kind of reaction has to do with the way you expose the men's sexuality, which is ironic since it's so ''normal" in film to expose female sexuality. Men feel hated if they're exposed.
Borden:
Maybe men feel hated if there's not a strong, wonderful male character in a film. There are some likable male characters in
Working Girls:
Elliot, her last client, maybe, and Neil, the sweet guy who just wants to talk. And it's clear that Molly doesn't hate men.
MacDonald: Working Girls
is one of the few films I've seen where the men who are genuinely liked by the women are the opposite of the men who are theoretically attractive in more conventional films. They're sort of gentle, sweet people, and they have a better time than the more macho guys.
Borden:
Yeah. Exactly.
There's also a myth about prostitutes hating men. What I found interesting and informative was that a lot of women who had been through prostitution for a short period of time ended up liking men more, not less. They felt less threatened by men, less in fear, and more able afterward to articulate their own sexual desires. Because they could see and be more skillful in providing what men wanted, they themselves could make sexual demands from their boyfriends or husbands.
By the way, I didn't mean to suggest that the "man-hating" charge is the only reaction the film gets. I've had a wide range of responses. In England, we did an audience survey at one point: young women and older men liked it. Older women didn't like it, and a lot of younger men said it turned them off. Of course, I don't want people to like the film necessarily; I want them to walk out
thinking
about prostitution.