Women In The Sequel: The Unchanging History Of A Stepford Wife

The Stepford Wives:

Argument: Views of an independent, working woman have changed, but the stereotype surrounding what the “ideal” wife should be have stayed the same.

1975 Stepford Wives was made during the second wave of feminism when women were making gains in the working world. This film reflects the struggles of working class women who were still somewhat tied down to the housewife stereotype that was prominent in the 50s.

2004 Stepford Wives takes this same approach, though, due to this film being made in the third wave of feminism, the leading character, Joanna, is a much more extreme version of the working woman seen in the first movie.

 1975 vs 2004

-       They are both viewed by society as free willed and independent, though their jobs are completely different. 1975 Joanna is a self-claimed “Hopeful, would-be semi-professional photographer”, but 2004 Joanna is president of a prominent television network. This difference shows that 1975 Joanna was viewed as independent because she was working (period) – but 2004 Joanna needed a major bread-winning and leading job to come across as the employment centered woman that her character was supposed to portray; the freelance photography, in today’s society, would not be enough for people to consider Joanna an anti-housewife feminist.

-       Role of the wife compared to her husband: 1975 Joanna is still incredibly submissive in contrast to 2004 Joanna. For example, when Walter is at the gentlemen’s club, 1975 Joanna is frustrated, though still waits for him to come to bed. In contrast, 2004 Walter is submissive to Joanna; Joanna is extremely independent and doesn’t need him. We see this when he quits his job and says, “I was only Vice President, and I couldn’t work there without you”. The most we see from 1975 Walter is when he helps Joanna with the dishes.

-       Stepford Wives unchanging: ALL wear dresses. Does this pose the question that you cannot be a “real” woman if you wear pants? Women are expected to look pretty all the time, bake, cook, look after the kids. Wives in the 1975 AND 2004 movie are the exact same stereotype; the only changes in the film’s characters are the family unit and the non-Stepford Wives. 

-       What it means to be a Stepford in each society: 1975 and 2004 both have the idea that a woman’s entire life should be based around what her husband wants. 2004 “Stepford – the American way of Love” implies that the only way to love and be loved is to be subservient of your husband.

-       Race and Religion: 1975 references briefly that an African American family is moving to Stepford. 2004 pokes fun at Bobby being Jewish. This essentially shows that unless you are a white Christian, you can never truly be considered a Stepford Wife.

www.stepfordwife.com This site is dedicated to the reinforcement of Stepford Wife ideals. I have yet to decide how I will include this in my essay, but I just find it SO entertaining.

“Big Picture” – the stereotype of the “ideal” woman will never change – even though an independent woman is becoming more attractive to the majority of men. What men wanted in a woman historically, and what men want now is completely different, so why does the “Stepford Wife” stereotype of an “ideal” woman remain today? In addition to this, the media – who have so much influence on an audience – still in the 2000s portray the “ideal” woman this way.