While scanning the endless options on Netflix, my husband and I came across a classic movie, "A League of Their Own." Surprisingly, my husband had never seen it. As we watched, feminist issues stuck out to me more than the ever had before. In one of my classes earlier this week, we were learning about feminism and the different types of feminism. Things from that lecture came to mind as we watched.
The movie takes place in the early 1940's during WWII. The Major League Baseball industry was suffering as most the ball players were being sent off to war. As a way to make money, they decided to create a women's baseball league. The story follows a team of women and their experiences playing in the first women's baseball league, hence why it is called "A League of Their Own."
I found it interesting that although they would be playing baseball, they were expected to wear short dresses as their uniform (which often left them injured when they'd slide into home). Not only were they supposed to play baseball like a man, they were expected to dress and walk like a lady.
When sales started decreasing, the girls started using their feminine side as a way to increase ticket sales. They would do the splits as they caught the ball, give kisses to anyone that got a foul ball, etc. At one point, one of the team owners said that the war was going to be over soon which would bring the ballplayers back and they wouldn't need the women anymore. In that moment, it wasn't about these women's dream to play baseball, but the profits they were bringing to the league.
As women were treated differently, the feminist side of me (which isn't very big, I might add) came out and I understood better some of the feminist issues that women used to face. It is a great movie, I would definitely recommend it.
