'Ghost in the Shell': Not Your Typical Sexy Heroine

Although much of the conversation around the new movie Ghost in the Shell is about Scarlett Johansson, a white actor, starring in a Japanese manga-inspired film, there's another key aspect being overlooked: the feminist win the movie represents for women in the action genre. As the lead in Ghost in the Shell, Johansson's character, Major, isn't sexualized; a robot with a human brain, fighting crime in a futuristic Japan, she has no love interest, and no defined sexuality. All together, it's a groundbreaking move for the action genre.

If you've seen the trailers, Major not being sexualized might sound odd, considering that Johansson appears in a skin-tight bodysuit that acts as Major's actual nude body. But, as a mechanical being, Major isn't made to be sexual. There are no lingering shots of her breasts, no seductive cuts to her lips. The first time Major takes off her coat to reveal her naked body, the camera makes sure to show her figure in a full frame. Audience members can be taken aback by Major's apparent nudity if they choose to be, but the camera doesn't objectify her.

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Scarlett Johansson most recently appeared as Black Widow in Captain America: Civil War.