Putting Her On Display: How ACMI’s Latest Exhibit Highlights The Strength Of Women In Media

24 August, 2023

ACMI’s latest exhibit of influential feminine figures displays how far women have come in the world of stage and screen and illuminates the way forward.

Throughout the ages, the women of the silver screen have left the general public enamored with their talents and beauty, so it makes sense that when you enter Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion, the newest exhibition at ACMI, you get a massive rush of awe.

However once you take a breath and let the excitement of being in the room with iconic outfits like Marilyn Munroe’s pink satin dress from the 1953 classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, you start to immerse yourself in the world of female filmmaking and realize that glamor only scratches the surface of these women’s incredible stories.

With a timeless legacy, replicated by many (Munroe, Winnie Harlow, Normani and Ana De Armas, pictured from left) it’s no surprise that Munroe is the first exhibit you see Photo: Simon Kelesidis

“In the traditional Hollywood Studio system, women were valued for their talent or appearance but given very little agency in choosing parts or controlling their public image and were often paid less than their male counterparts,” ACMI’s senior curator Fiona Trigg explained, “we thought an exhibition focusing on strong women in front of the camera was a meaningful way to address a range of contemporary topics.”

Finding female figures that will connect to ACMI’s general audience and have accessible pieces is no easy task according to Trigg “Some costumes we wanted were not available for loan because they are too fragile to travel or are promised to other exhibitions,”

However the strong collaborative energy behind the team of Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion helps keep the exhibition afloat “Our lead curator, Bethan Johnson, is assisted by various other curators at different times during the process.” Trigg divulged “We have a production coordinator and an AV team, and an exhibition designer. Other teams across the organization, such as our legal team and marketing and communications help out as well.”

With the help of ACMI’s teams, word spreads far and wide about their newest exhibit. Photo: Simon Kelesidis

Despite Munroe’s pink dress being the first thing visitors see when they enter the exhibit, Johnson’s prize acquisition is in fact the platform shoes Mae West wore on the set of She Done Him Wrong back in 1938. Trigg believes Johnson was ‘particularly pleased’ about receiving them.

While it would seem odd that this would be the most pleasing of costumes to receive for the exhibition, West’s story and legacy holds up just as strong as the other actresses featured. West was bombastic and in your face, refusing to be told what to do or say, instead she controlled the narrative, spending the 20s penning controversial plays like The Drag and Sex, which covered topics like sexual liberation and homosexuality.

Despite the latter play causing a scandal when she was arrested and sentenced to a 10 day jail stint for ‘corrupting the innocence of youth,’ she continued to forge her own path and when she turned 40, Paramount came knocking on her door seeking to adapt het play Diamond Lil into what we know today as She Done Him Wrong.

This turned out to be a saving grace for Paramount, as the film's neat US$140 million profit saved the studios from bankruptcy and thus she was honored with a lot on the studio set named after her. 85 years later and 8,000 miles away, her legacy is being showcased for a more mainstream audience.

“When you think about it, her legacy can be felt in media today, especially television,” says Jasmine, a pop culture fan who attended the exhibit “Look at shows like Girls and Fleabag, both deal with similar elements of sexuality and the women who star in them also had a hand in the behind the scenes work as well.”

West’s platforms would later help to platform other female creators like Lena Dunham and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Photo: Simon Kelesidis

Trigg has said all of ACMI’s exhibitions are made ‘to appeal to a general audience who are interested in Film and TV,’ and a general audience is made up of diverse people. Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion capitalizes on this by also uplifting the stories of women of color who made an impact in the industry.

Take for example Josephine Baker, who struggled to make her name as a dancer in the United States due to racial discrimination but found success in France due to her stylistic choices and soon became the first African American to star in a leading role when she played Papitou in 1927 silent film Siren Of The Tropics.

The exhibit also highlights trans performers as well, as Dominique Jackson’s performance as Elecktra on Pose is showcased on a big monitor overlooking several exhibits.

Her starring role proved that her transness did not mean she had to be relegated to playing the cliched sex worker Hollywood casted trans actors as for years and her involvement in the show also made history as Pose became the largest trans cast in history (at the time of writing)

Baker. Jackson. Two different types of women but both equally as empowering as the other. Photos: Simon Kelesidis

With everything in place from visuals to advertising, all ACMI needed was an ambassador, someone who could give the exhibit a co-sign and also promote it at the same time.

Having made moves with her own Institute dedicated to increasing roles for women in the industry both on camera and behind the scenes, Geena Davis was a perfect match for ACMI’s vision “It seemed like a natural fit, so we got in touch and had detailed discussions about the kind of exhibition we were making.” Trigg commented when I asked about the process of getting this big Hollywood titan to endorse Melbourne’s newest exhibit.

“As our aims aligned with those of the Institute, Geena agreed to be an ambassador, and has been a wonderful supporter of the exhibition.”

Davis was given a private tour of the exhibition and was very ‘complimentary’ according to Trigg, with Davis lauding it at the official public launch and her starpower was just the right touch as soon the public came pouring in.

The Academy Award winner was in good spirits promoting ACMI’s newest venture. Photo: Lucas Dawson, The Age

Ultimately with Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion, ACMI gives its viewers an opportunity to look back at how far women have come while also signifying that there is still a bit of a way to go, but that the future looks bright.

“With Michelle Yeoh becoming the first openly Asian performer to win an Oscar & Greta Gerwig making a billion with Barbie, the future looks bright for women in the industry.” Mia, another exhibit visitor reflected as she left through the monitors of women bidding visitors farewell and if Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion can impart this message to everyone who visits, then ACMI’s latest showcase is a remarkable success.

Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion is open now at ACMI in Melbourne and will close on 1 October, 2023

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