Subjects:
While it appears to be an open-minded exploration into the complexities of sexuality and gender, Chasing Amy is in actuality little more than a cover-up for the set of myths that encompass the plot. In this article, I will first uncover these myths, then reveal the truths that expose them. On its face, the film is about two young comic book artists who fall in love. The subtext of the movie, though, is about something far more political, and far more disturbing.
Lesbian: Disgruntled Straight Woman
Myth: Any lesbian can be “straightened out” if only she were to meet the right guy. Women’s sexuality should be subject to male desires; what women really need, especially those stubborn lesbians, is some serious male domination.
Banky: “What’d I tell you - she just needs the right guy. All every woman really wants - be it mother, senator, nun - is some serious deep-dicking.”
Myth: Every woman can love either men or women; there is no common ground. When Holden proclaims his love for Alyssa, she screams about how difficult it would be for her to make the switch:
Holden: “But that’s every relationship! There’s always going to be a period of adjustment.”
. . .
Hooper poses as a radical black activist to push his comic book sales, but away from his fans he is a flaming homosexual. Would the audience still buy the ‘Black Rage’ angle if they found out the book was written by a. When Alyssa tells her lesbian friends that she has made the switch to a man, they sneer, proclaiming, “Another one bites the dust. This lie is played into affect throughout the film by the silenced sexualization of the other lesbians. Not only this, but they all take on the “butch” image. Not only that, but lesbians are more likely to have better communication within the relationship, as well as a more honesty leading to the implausibility of an affair. (Lorde 3)”
While offering up old, familiar stereotypes, Chasing Amy makes us believe we are seeing something progressive. She calls for unity within difference to fight all oppression. ” Later in this scene we are given Alyssa’s definition of “fuck,” which further plays into the idea that she doesn’t actually have feelings for her lovers: “For me it describes any sex when it’s not totally about love. “She is a masculine woman, she is like a man, she adopts an active sexual role, and she desires femmes. (Jackson 115)”
“One cannot allow any one part to be oppressed over the other. And at one point, Alyssa turns to her and makes a remark about wanting “to fuck you.
Hooper: “I need to sell the image to sell the book. And don’t call her a dyke, alright? She’s a lesbian.
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