Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Ladies First‘ follows the story of Damien, a misogynistic chauvinist who gets the taste of his own medicine when he lands in a world run by women. Having lorded over women and considering them utterly beneath him, he is disoriented after finding himself in their company. As he tries to find a way to get back to his world, he becomes intimately familiar with the challenges women face in his world, especially in Atlas Agency, the company he works for, which also becomes a symbol of what he and other men like him represent. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Atlas Agency Represents the Reality of the World
‘Ladies First’ is an entirely fictional story inspired by Éléonore Pourriat’s 2018 French romantic comedy, ‘I Am Not an Easy Man,’ which itself was created from her 2010 short film. The story focuses on highlighting the sexism and misogyny that women are subjected to on a daily basis. It imagines a world where the roles would be reversed and ponders how men would fare then. In doing so, the fictional marketing agency named Atlas becomes the focal point of the story. While it is not based on any real-life company, it does showcase a disturbingly sexist culture that permeates society, especially when it comes to corporations.
The film does not need to look towards any particular company to draw inspiration for Atlas, but rather, it picks up on all the details that are deeply prevalent. It begins with the reality that a very small number of women hold top positions in major companies in the world. Studies reveal that the percentage of female CEOs in the world is only around ten percent or less. While the numbers have slowly increased over the years, the representation of women in top executive positions has been shockingly abysmal. Even when companies have been encouraged to increase inclusivity and representation, instances of hiring women and other minorities for the sake of optics are not unheard of.
The same thing happens with Alex in the Atlas Agency. She has given twenty years of her life to the company, but she doesn’t get a promotion until the company is forced to add a female executive to the marketing team. Even then, her selection happens merely because her name puts her first on the alphabetical list. Even when Alex gets a seat at the table, her voice goes unheard, and Damien and the other men don’t even hide the fact that she is a diversity hire. Through Atlas and its sexist work environment, the film underlines the unfair practices that make it more difficult for women to achieve the success they deserve. What makes things more interesting is that when the tables are turned, the sexism remains. This shows that, at the end of the day, it is the people running these companies who have to understand that equality and equity to ensure balance and fairness.
Read More: Ladies First Ending Explained: Will Damien and Alex End up Together? Is the Parallel World Real?
You must be logged in to post a comment.