How 10 Things I Hate About You Reflects Expectations of Women’s Desirability

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) is a late 1990s romantic-comedy movie, following
two different relationships and four different characters. For this review, I’d like to focus on the
storyline of just one, Kat Stratford. Her character is essentially a representation of how society
views outspoken, political, feminist women. One of the things I like about her development and
story is that it does not force her to change her views or personality in order to find love.

Kat is a character who is very outspoken about her political beliefs and is constantly
antagonizing for it. She is constantly harassed and bullied because of her unshaked attitude
towards her beliefs. It is a very accurate and realistic portrayal of how women who dare to have
political opinions are treated in reality. Despite realizing in 1999, the interactions and treatment
toward political women, and leftist views, are still similar and relevant today. One of the first
scenes of the movie involves her speaking against the misogynist views that are rampant in the
education system. This is followed by her classmates mocking her and laughing at her
complaints. She is then sent to the principals office for “terrorizing“ the class yet her classmates
that were laughing and causing a ruckus faced no consequence. Part of the story revolves around
the fact that she is labelled and viewed as a “bitch” and a “difficult woman”. This label on her
results in no man wanting to date her, not that it’s an issue to her, nor is it that big of a deal, but
for the sake of the movie this was a pressing issue. Her personality becoming an issue for her
“likability” is something many women today are constantly subjected to.

It’s a reflection of how society constantly policies and attempts to control women, by
treating the opinion of the men around them as a life or death situation. Why would you voice
your own opinions or like alternative hobbies if it made you unlikable to men? It shows how the
society at the time of this movie still prioritized a women’s value in relation to their desirability
to men. I’d like to argue that times have changed, but as someone who is also very outspoken
and finds pieces of myself in Kat, I too, am constantly told that I am too much at times.
However, I believe such strict patriarchal beliefs are definitely going away as many people now
place more importance on their self development over relationships.

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