Thoughts on whether Ripley a feminist icon in the film Aliens? 

• Often in pseudo-feminist films the female protagonist will change her identity, her attributes, in order to succeed. An example of this is in the Garry Marshall film Pretty Woman where Vivian (Julie Roberts) is only treated with respect from Men when she acts ‘ladylike’. She adopts attributes that don’t come naturally to her in order to impress men. In Aliens this isn’t the case, Ellen (Sigourney Weaver) doesn’t alter who she is in order to succeed-she simply succeeds. She is independent, courageous, cool under pressure and resourceful, unlike her male subordinates who are inept and at times cowardly (Burke is an example of this). Ripley’s identity at the end of the film is the same as it was at the start.
• Aliens doesn’t abide by the ‘Final Girl’ horror trope: It is a convention of Horror and Slasher films for the surviving character to be the least sexually promiscuous female. The character is often a virgin. Ripley isn’t innocent, she is very much grounded in reality and doesn’t shy away from sexual activity-the film depicts a blossoming relationship between her and Hicks.
• Ripley saves Newt in order to reconcile her feelings of loss. It was a maternal drive that led to her risking her life several times for Newt; She was making up for lost time because she had slept through her daughters entire life.
• The Alien Queen also has a maternal drive-it fights to protect its eggs.
• Some classmates believe that the film isn’t feminist because Ripley dons male attributes instead of embracing her own female identity. It was as if the writers (I think this is actually true) wrote a male character and simply casted a female in the role. It may have been a stronger feminist text if Ripley had displayed more traditional feminine traits, instead of only succeeding because she behaved like a man.
• A similar thing can be said about Vasquez (Jeanette Goldstein). She was the best fighter and the second most competent person on the mission second to Ripley yet she displayed quintessentially male attributes-she even had the build of a male.
• However, it can be said that the males in the film certainly learnt from Ripley. Before the attack they dismissed her, they believed what she was saying was a load of hyperbole. They quickly realised this wasn’t the case and began depending on her for their survival. This is a subversion of traditional Hollywood gender roles.