A Letter to J.J.

Dear J. J. Abrams,

I have been very impressed with the quality of films and series that you have written, directed, and produced over the past twelve years. I became an avid watcher of Alias when it first came out and loved the action and the story development that was included in the show. I feel that Alias was unique in many areas, but the most important being that the protagonist was a woman. She was highly intelligent, took power into her own hands, and led groups to complete missions etc. I feel like she was a great role model for women and that on very few occasions was she objectified as most women are on television and in the movies. 

I particularly was disappointed in the episode that followed the super bowl of 2004 where Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner) was highly objectified and sexualized for, what I felt, attracting new viewers from the super bowl. This unfortunately is a huge problem with most media today, of which I am sure you are aware. Women are seen as a means to an end in most media, for example the latest Bond movie, Skyfall. The “Bond girl” as they are frequently called, is shot with no remorse and no mention of her after her death. Her role was to get Bond to the antagonist and then she was killed. If women are the lead role, the usually have many men backing them up. As seen in most of the Alias episodes, Sydney’s dad, handler, friend, co-worker, and boss are all male characters that give her advice and direction. Very few women are positive role models to Sydney in the show. Another perpetuation in one of your films was in the first installment of Star Trek that you directed and produced. Zoe Saldana did not seem to think for herself and although she was intelligent, it took Pine’s character or Quinto’s character to piece all the necessary parts together to make the difference in the film.

As I stated above, the majority of your work has done well to either overcome the problem, or at the very least, not perpetuate the problem. Alias, Lost, and Mission Impossible III have all aided the image of women and helped viewers see women as intelligent and successful people instead of sexy, helpless, side characters. 

My hope is that you continue to make quality films and series with women playing more important roles and potentially the main characters as Jennifer Garner did in Alias, to help women aspire to be more than the beautiful, helpless sidekick. You have great influence as a director, writer, and producer. Thank you for your talent in this field and I anxiously wait for your future work.