Last week, while doing research for another class, I decided to look up the "femme fatale." The idea of the femme fatale - which means "dangerous woman" in French - has always fascinated me because it is a stereotype that is often utilized in movies and tv shows and books. According to Wikipedia, a femme fatale is "a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations." She is, basically, evil, and that is how she is typically portrayed in pop culture: as the villain. The femme fatale "tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm and sexual allure," often to the detriment of her lover. In fact, the American term for a femme fatale is "vamp," short for vampire, because the femme fatale would suck the life out of her lover/victim until all he could think about was her.
Why is is that a woman who uses her sexuality to her advantage dangerous? Why can she not just be clever or smart? In my eyes, someone who uses her looks in combination with the social notion that because she is sexy she is not smart to achieve her goals is being smart. Maybe her intentions are not honorable, but the way society assumes she always has evil intentions is wrong. The femme fatale is branded as evil - not just by men, but by women too (at least in a public environment, I believe) - when she could just be intelligent and self-aware.
What do you think? Is the femme fatale actually dangerous? Should she be condemned for using her "feminine wiles"? Or is she being smart, and the combination of being smart and sexy for some reason scares men, resulting in this stereotype that inherently is a warning? What is the counterpart of the femme fatale? Is he condemned in the same way?
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