"Annie Hall"

There were many instances where gender roles and stereotypes were supported in Woody Allen's film, "Annie Hall". The most prominent instances had to do with female stereotypes. Annie mentioned that a tennis match where the men played against the women wasn't “fair” and Annie called Alvy over to her house because she was afraid of a spider. These type of situations reinforce the role of the women being weaker or helpless. Annie was also portrayed as being a terrible driver, which goes along with the stereotype that women are bad drivers (a stereotype that I personally resent). And throughout the movie, Alvy says to Annie (and also to the cartoon wicked queen from Snow White) that she must be upset because she is on her period (I lied before, I hate this stereotype the most).

There were many stereotypes about men presented in this film as well, Alvy’s libido being the most obvious. Alvy is very concerned with sex and it is the downfall of many of his relationships. He isn’t getting enough in one relationship, he isn’t giving enough in the other. When he is not receiving enough sex, and constantly asks for it or complains about it, his character is feeding into the stereotype that men are way too concerned about sex (while the woman denying sex  because she is "tired" or "has a headache" is just being the “typical” woman).

"Annie Hall" also made me reevaluate the importance of sex within a relationship. From the movie, "Kissing Jessica Stein", it became clear that love without sex, even something that appears to be romantic love, plateaus into intense friendship. So, sex is arguably important to romantic relationships. But "Annie Hall" brings up the concept of sex as a way to gauge the relationship. It is no longer about whether or not the couple is having sex, but what kind of sex. If someone needs “artificial stimulation” in order to have sex, is there something wrong with the relationship? If a couple needs to use a “large vibrating egg” during sex, is there something wrong with their relationship? In today's society, most couples would see a large vibrating egg as something new and exciting- a way to spice up the relationship- but Alvy seemed to disagree.

I think sex can be a useful indicator of the status of the relationship, but there are some instances when a quirk might not have anything to do with the relationship at all. Sex is something intimate that is shared between two (or more) people, but it also has a lot to do with the individual. It's like eating. Just because someone isn't hungry, doesn't mean that they never want to eat again. Focusing too much on sex, the way Alvy did, can greatly hinder a relationship because although it is an important aspect of romantic love, it isn't the only aspect.