Frances Farmer Thesis

Frances Farmer gained notoriety early on through her unconventional ways; from writing a high school award-winning paper revealing her atheist beliefs to traveling to the Communist Soviet Union in thick political tension, she was a beautiful intellectual put on the map. Farmer quickly became a talented movie star and Hollywood began to groom both her outside and inside appearance into something she was not. Farmer’s same unconventional ways that brought her into the spotlight pulled her tumbling down. Her outspoken manner on set “for a woman” nd her defiance for authority challenged the Hollywood studios. She began to lose parts of her identity as she gave in to Hollywood, society, and her overbearing mother. Farmer was soon swept into alcohol,

The justice system and her overbearing mother stepped in and institutionalized Farmer. She was stripped of her legal rights and trapped into a cycle of mental institutions, where she was wrongfully diagnosed as mentally ill and mistreated. Throughout Farmer’s life there were outside forces that contributed to her tragic story. One being, that she was an eccentric woman forced to conform to society’s norms to survive in the spotlight. During Frances’ time in the film industry, women were to be represented as sexual objects, there for the pleasure of a man’s eye. Therefore, the Farmer was belittled and objectified by the Hollywood studios. She learned that for her career to survive she must give in to the conventional ways of beauty and behavior of a woman. Naturally, this type of resolution rendered a loss of self-identity. Additionally, it deeply bothered Farmer that she was not being portrayed realistically in movies, she wanted to truly act the part rather than being a feminine prop. Her primitive nature favored creativity, non-conformity, and strong curiosity, all which society frowned upon for women. Furthermore, the intrusion of her personal life was an additional force

Most of the factors that fueled Farmer’s problems were contextualized to her time. Today, Farmer’s eccentric nature coupled with the evolution of social freedom would have allowed her to self-actualize rather than be forced to conform to norms. The media and society have evolved to value gender equality. Today in Hollywood women are being casted in complex roles and challenging stereotypes, such as characters like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games and Wonder Women. Farmer would be able to portray herself realistically in movies because of the increasingly, diverse array of women identities today. Also, her artistic voice that was ignored during her time due to sexism would now be valued for its creativity. Moreover, in regards to the intrusion of her personal life Farmer would possess legal rights that would inhibit her from being trapped in a cycle of mental institutions beyond her will. Today psychiatric patients have explicit rights such as to refuse treatment. Unfortunately, she would still experience intrusion with the press and media, even more so due to the rise of advanced technology. American culture idolizes celebrities because they feel a connection to them through witnessing their career and legacy grow. However, it is that same connection that renders an expectation and obligation to be intrude on the private aspects of a celebrity’s life. Additionally, there are