Dismal Setbacks and Stunning Breakthroughs: A Look at Pam Grier's Career and How It Changed Hollywood

Abstract

While there is no question that women on movie screens are frequently eroticised, with countless shots of heaving bosoms or curvaceous rear ends, action stars do occasionally get a reprieve. Pam Grier, the first female action star, was not so lucky. While Grier's Amazonian status should be celebrated, the dark side of her career should also be noted as a cautionary tale of just how much misogyny and racism lurks behind Hollywood doors and intertwined into American cinema history. This chapter examines how Grier's career forces us to rethink both femininity and racism, as well as action films themselves.

Citation

Schweitzer, D. (2022), "Dismal Setbacks and Stunning Breakthroughs: A Look at Pam Grier's Career and How It Changed Hollywood", Gerrard, S. and Middlemost, R. (Ed.) Gender and Action Films (Emerald Studies in Popular Culture and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 133-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-514-220221011