Jalieca L.

Gadong Agrarian Law and Social Legislation

2C October 22, 2019

Reflection: Support the Girls

Support the Girls is one of the most realistic and timely movies I have seen
so far. The movie was able to show relevant issues concerning social justice and
protection of women.

First in the list is the objectification of women. The bar Double Whammies,
which was the workplace of the main characters, boasts of ‘brews, big screens
and boobs’ as one of the actors described it. Customers flock the bar not really
because of the cuisine or drinks but because of the women who wear suggestive
and overly revealing clothes. The main selling point of the bar is the visual
satisfaction that the males get from looking and interacting with the waitresses.
This is very disappointing because the women are very susceptible to
discrimination and disrespect, making it a very unsafe place for them. Every
workplace should be a conducive environment for personal growth and
development, not the other way around.

Secondly is violence against women. Lisa, the main protagonist, initiated a

fund-raising event for one of the waitresses who was physically assaulted by her
boyfriend. Every day, more and more women become victims of all types of
violence and many times these are experienced in the hands of their own lovers,
which is ironic because these men should be their protectors. These men should
have made sure that their girlfriends and wives are away from harm and danger,
being the superior gender in terms of physical strength.

Third is unfair and abusive employers. The boss of Lisa was taking
advantage of her dedication for her role as manager to the point that he has put
all the pressure of running the bar and settling issues such as attempted robbery,
emergence of a big competitor, and organizing an event for their customers. And
then after all the hardwork and commitment of Lisa, he still fired her. Lisa is the
type of employee who should have been valued since she always goes the extra
mile. She was willing to give her time and effort to make sure everything is
organized and attended to. But she received a very ‘unfair management
decision’. This is something that happens to many workers in the country. After
giving their all to their jobs, they are still subjected to unjust management
prerogatives such as demotions and layoffs, and of course including the hot issue
of contractualization.

In summary, the movie has indeed shown a great deal of modern-day

struggles of everyone, with a special highlight on the experiences of women. I
hope these movies get more attention and inspire the lawmakers to make more
effective legislation to protect the subjects of these issues.