It makes it hard to tell whether the movie is misogynistic when the “hero” is mysogynistic, but also isn’t really a hero.

Pepper’s pretty solidly written except that she’s got the super-cliched attachment to her boss. Unfortunately that is straight from the original comics, which could have done a lot better.

Frankly, this is a movie which tries to have it both ways. It attracts people who like Tony’s nasty character, while pointing out to the more sophisticated audience that he is a nasty piece of work. I think they get away with it, but I have mixed feelings about it. It’s sort of like Xena — strong female characters, but they’re also half-naked all the time….

I don’t recall the “taking out the trash” scene perfectly, but I don’t think the reporter was too heartbroken. She seemed to me to be using him as much as he was using her [to be honest, I would understand it if a young woman took her chance to sleep with, say, one of the founders of Google (assume they're single), or Steve Jobs (again, assume he's single)]. Pepper’s “taking out the trash” seemed to me to be a reply to the reporter’s pretty patronizing comment on her still working for Stark. Maybe the tension itself is misogynistic – catfighting and whatnot. I agree that it was definitely unnecessary.

Tony could only be shown using women “for something personal”, but he did forget the SHIELD agent and his appointment with him. He seemed to me to disregard pretty much everyone but Obadiah, Pepper, and Rhodes.

Also, Tony’s company was in the doldrums and he was being forced to step down. This seems to be pretty convincing evidence of an about face. So while I find the “I believed you” part a bit melodramatic, I don’t think it suggests she’s stupid.

Totally looking forward to the Yet Another Post on Spiderman. I found this blog through Feministing and it’s gone directly to my RSS reader.

Was I the only one who was pleased when Tony gave her those insane instructions on how to blow up the building using that generator, and she knew exactly what the fuck he was talking about? And was completely prepared to do it?

Re Indiana Jones–omg, I saw that when I was really little, the first one, and I didn’t even know what sexism WAS and I totally hated it because of that.

I think I have to concede re the Spiderman movies–for one thing, I only saw 2 1/2 of them–I saw parts of the third one on a plane to Finland–and for the other, I haven’t seen the first two in a really, really long time so I can’t defend them with the specificity that I use with “Iron Man.” Actually this thread is inspiring me to re-watch them, I am totally gonna do that this weekend. Beware, though, this may spawn Yet Another Post.

I also agree that Tony was portrayed as charming EVERYONE regardless of gender (and also except for Stane). However, he wasn’t shown using for something quite personal and then contemptuously forgetting everyone regardless of gender–only women.

Re the female reporter–he didn’t make the faintest effort to be charming towards her. He used a tired and sorry collection of lines that every woman gets in any bar and/or contemptuous dismissal of everything she had to say–there is absolutely no reason at all she would ever have wanted to sleep with him, beautiful, young, rich and hobnobbing with celebrities as she did and was, unless she was also dumb as a stump and/or was willing to sleep with anyone rich and famous (probably why she had that job in the first place, along with the whole who-you-know dynamic). And the scene where she goes, “I believed you and it was all crap!” (paraphrased, can’t remember her exact words) and shows him the picture of his weapons–believed him based on WHAT EXACTLY?? Only a dumbass would’ve believed his about-face based on that one press conference he gave and given her personal experience with him.

1. Tony is shown as being really good at schmoozing people and getting his way, regardless of gender throughout the movie.

- He gets a pissed off and relkuctant Rhodes to drink sake and loosen up on the plane, right after another of Tony’s lame, friendship destrying fuck-ups.
- He he stages a kick ass PR session with the generals when he shows the Jericho off, complete with travelling scifi bar.
- He wins over the whole Humvee of troops (yes including the womena soldier) even though this is exactly the kind of mission that would make hardened troops pissed off (“I have to escort around some rich achoholic schmuck through Afganistan, for real?”) and then actively distracts them from their mission. The troops whoi are supposed to be looking out for trouble are instead taking goofy “I met Tony Stark” pictures.
- When he holds the quick press conference he tells a huge crowd of reporters to sit on the floor Cumbaya-style they all instantly comply.

2. Fame, not money the great equalizer
I think most of the wide-eyed reaction and compliance he gets is actually from his fame and his charismatic personality. The VF reporter wasn’t getting a pile of cash from him or anything and she’s a reporter for VANITY FAIR. She can get perks pretty much at will from fancy stores and restaurants just by mentioning that. She slept with him because he’s supposed to be a disarming, charming party boy who insinuates himself by being REALLY famous and REALLY fun.

Pre-Afgan Tony is a totally narcissistic sleaze, but he still hasn’t got a trophy wife or any of the trappings of someone willing to trade money for sex. He has flings. I don’t think that makes the women who sleep with him morons. I think he charms them, and or they do it for the story value. I think you could say exactly the same thing about the men who do things for him or go way beyond their professional boundaries for him. He smooth talked them. They can tell their buddies they went partying with Tony Stark.

I guess I would argue that the movie doesn’t depict the women as dumb sluts. I think it depicts everyone as charmed by Tony to a greater or lesser extent. Like the woman soldier, I thinklike everyone in the Humvee, she was starstruck. I can totally see her later on thinking “wait, he said what now?” Just like the guys in the Humvee proably said to themselves, I can’t believe I stopped looking out for trouble to take a picture of that guy.”

And I agree with Marc about how the VF reporter didn’t give him any free passes because they slept together, she kept right on target with her critique of his war-mongering ways.

So essentially I’m saying women (and men) were both charmed and starstruck, not dumb and slutty.