THE WRONG KIND OF WOMEN:
INSIDE OUR REVOLUTION TO DISMANTLE THE GODS OF HOLLYWOOD
Generation after generation, women have faced the devastating reality that Hollywood is a system built to keep them out. The films created by that system influence everything from our worldviews to our brain chemistry. When women’s voices are excluded from the medium, the impact on society is immense.
Actor, screenwriter and award-winning independent filmmaker Naomi McDougall Jones takes us inside the cutthroat, scandal-laden film industry, where only 5% of top studio films are directed by women and less than 20% of leading characters in mainstream films are female. Jones calls on all of us to act radically to build a different kind of future for cinema—not only for the women being actively hurt inside the industry but for those outside it, whose lives, purchasing decisions, and sense of selves are shaped by the stories told.
Informed by the journey of her own career; by interviews with others throughout the film industry; and by cold, hard data, Jones deconstructs the casual, commonplace sexism rampant in Hollywood that has kept women out of key roles for decades. Next, she shows us the growing women-driven revolution in filmmaking—sparked by streaming services, crumbling distribution models, direct-to-audience access via innovative online platforms, and outside advocacy groups—which has enabled women to build careers outside the traditional studio system. Finally, she makes a business case for financing and producing films by female filmmakers
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PRAISE
MELISSA SILVERSTEIN
“Naomi McDougall Jones adds to the discourse and shines a stark and brutal light on the patriarchal and racist systems that women experience in all facets of the Hollywood system. The Wrong Kind of Women is a call to arms for both men and women who desire the industry to be more equitable and inclusive."
JACK LECHNER
"The Wrong Kind of Women is a unique and refreshing combination of honest memoir, incisive journalism, and farsighted prescription for the sexist practices that have hurt not only Hollywood but society in general."
JAN ELIASBERG
"The Wrong Kind of Women is a stunning eye-opener, even for this glass-shattering writer-director who knows all too well the urgent need to achieve gender equality in the media....she explores fearlessly the dire lack of female voices, images, and points of view in our media."
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
"Jones’ writing has an honesty and energy that make the book a real page-turner. . . . The Wrong Kind of Women is an outpouring of passion that will change the ways in which movies are seen."
BOOKLIST
"Well written, passionate, and occasionally shocking, this urgent and necessary book will appeal to film buffs and feminists alike."
KIRKUS REVIEW
". . . . Jones offers concrete suggestions for change within and outside of the industry, including by filmgoers who should ‘vote with your dollars.’ A bold, convincing call for new voices and perspectives in cinema.”