Question: why does 40s style seem so empowering these days? Answer: film noir and the femme fatale.
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive character archetype in classic and modern culture. Originating in ancient cultures (greek, chines mythologies and biblical contexts), today’s image of the femme fatale flourished during 1940s and 1950s film-noir era. The classic femme fatale resorts to murder to free herself from an unbearable relationship with a man who would try to possess and control her, as if she were a piece of property or a pet. Very manipulative and ordinarily hard-to-get, she uses her sexuality to get what she wants. The most famous and iconic femme fatales in 40s cinema are considered to be:
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| The Killers poster (1946) |
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| Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins in the Killers (1946) |
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| Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson in the Double Indemnity (1944) |
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| Gene Thiery as Ellen Berent in the Leave her to Heaven (1945) |
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| Rita Hayworth as Gilda in Gilda (1946) |
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| Gilda (1946) poster |
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| Lizabeth Scott as Jane Palmer in Too Late for Tears (1949) |
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| Mary Astroma as Brigid O’Shaughnessy in the Maltese Falcon (1941) |
The image of these characters was contrived carefully. The femme fatale had to be sexy and glamorous but in no way vulgar. Make up and outfits were selected to create a sense of elegance and sophistication - long cocktail dresses, not a lot of naked body seen, clean red lips and seductive hair.
In the late 90s till today, the concept of the femme fatale and her sexual appeal as an inspiration for style, fashion or even lifestyle became popular and important as never before because of its relation to concepts of Third-Wave Feminism and Post-Feminism. Woman as strong and independent, embracing her femininity and sexuality: the 40s image of the femme fatale had it all, and received huge symbolic following. The 1940s is cemented in modern fashion and culture today, owing to the memorable and complex characters of American cinema.
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