Journal of English Literature and Linguistics Studies

Vol 2 (2) 2023

THE REPRESENTATION OF PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY IN AMY

POEHLER’S MOVIE “MOXIE”

ANDI MIFTAHUL KHAERATI1, ISKANDAR2*

English Literature Study Program, Universitas Negeri Makassar
*Corresponding Email: iskandar@unm.ac.id

Abstract
Patriarchy, which is a social system, occurs when there is gender inequality where men have
more influence and power over women. The researchers analyze the types of patriarchal
structures by using Sylvia Walby’s (1990) theory and the struggle of female characters against
patriarchy by using Simone de Beauvoir’s (2010) theory. These theories were chosen by the
researchers because there has not been a study that analyzes using the theory from Sylvia Walby
and Simone De Beauvoir in “Moxie” movie. This study aims to examine the types of patriarchal
practices depicted in the film “Moxie” and the researchers want to analyze the female character’s
struggle against patriarchy in the film “Moxie”. The qualitative descriptive method is the method
that researchers use in this study. This research produced several findings. Female characters
experience some discrimination from male students and even their principals. Patriarchal
culture makes male students more have power over girls. Female students experience
patriarchal forms of cultural structure, sexuality, violence, and the state. Vivian as the main
character struggles with her friends against the unfair system that exists in her school which
prioritizes boys over girls. Through the feminist movement, Vivian created zines entitled “Moxie”
in which each zine contains different patriarchal topics such as drawing stars and hearts on
hands as symbols of resistance and uploaded in the media using hashtags. Furthermore, the form
of protest was by inviting them to use tank tops at school due to discriminatory treatment by the
school principal. They also created a campaign to support Kiera as a soccer captain in order to
get a scholarship and actualize themselves by showing their abilities and talents. In addition,
they try to be themselves by having differences.
Keywords: Discrimination, “Moxie” movie, Patriarchy, Women Struggles.

INTRODUCTION
Literary works are imaginative works of authors who use language as a medium and
literary work cannot be separated from their aesthetic functions. The language used by
literature is different from non-literary language, especially scientific language which is
rational and denotative. Scientific languages tend towards symbolic systems, such as
mathematics or symbolic logic. Compared to scientific language, literary language is
connotative which is full of ambiguity, full of homonyms, arbitrary or irrational, and full
of historical events, memories, and associations. In short, literary language is called
connotative because it contains many meanings (Wellek & Warren, 1962). So as a means
of expressing literary works, writers use literary language to achieve certain meaning
effects that produce aesthetic results.
Literature is used to describe imaginative works such as poetry, drama, fiction, and
nonfiction. One particular type of literary work is a film or movie. The film is one of the
choices consumed by society today. As we know, film is a communication medium that is
most often interpreted as a reflection of life or everything that we encounter in everyday
life. A story in a film has a message that is made to convey to its audience. Films are often
able to influence the actions, and thoughts of the people who watch them.
Films often raise social issues to be conveyed to the public. One example of an issue
that is often raised and becomes an interesting topic on Netflix is women’s oppression.
Even though every human being has the right to freedom, some people do not experience
it, particularly when it comes to the acquisition of rights by a woman.

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Due to the limits that are experienced and felt, many women are enslaved to their
freedom. Limitations on her ability to appear in public, express her thoughts, and even
determine her own life. This gender inequality is one of the barriers that prevent women
from getting the same access as men in certain community groups.
The main reason for gender inequality is the patriarchal culture. Patriarchy is born
from cultural construction. Madsen (2000) defines patriarchy as a culture or social
system that allows men or other things related to masculinity to have special rights at the
expense of women. Patriarchy in society has existed for a long period. Since ancient times,
men are considered to be fully responsible as leaders. In general, patriarchal culture
refers to a society in which men wield more power or hold higher positions than women
(Walby, 1990).
To achieve equal rights for women and men in all areas of life, women struggle
against the oppression they face. The struggle of women who strive for gender equality
for men and women is related to the feminist movement which is related to Tong’s (2009)
statement that women's freedom from oppression, power, hegemony, injustice, and
violence is the true definition of feminism. In simple terms, the term women’s struggle is
the process of women opposing the patriarchal system to achieve equality in society.
One of the interesting movies that display patriarchal culture is the movie by Amy
Poehler entitled “Moxie”. Moxie tells the story of a Generation Z teenage girl named Vivian
who ignites the feminist movement in her high school. At first, Vivian was a quiet person.
Her life changes after she meets Lucy, who is a fellow warrior, and comes into conflict
with Mitchell Wilson who treats other students arbitrarily. Vivian starts a rebellion at her
school due to an unfair system that favors male students, especially the Rockport High
School football team in receiving scholarships and getting a place of honor in the school.
Boys at school also often misbehave with girls such as sexually harassing them making
girls the object of jokes and the headmaster of Rockport High School asks girls to
understand and take it as a compliment.
From the film, the researchers then determine two questions as answers to the
patriarchal problem that occurs in the female character in the film “Moxie”.
1. What are the kinds of patriarchal practices portrayed in the “Moxie” movie?
2. How is the struggle of female characters in facing the patriarchy depicted in the
“Moxie” movie?

Review of Literature
Sociology
Humans are social creatures who cannot live alone without the help of others. Therefore,
humans will always live in society. So it can be said that the study of society is sociology.
Sociology was first created by a French scientist named Auguste Comte in 1842 and he
was named the father of sociology. According to Giddens (2006, p. 4), the scientific study
of human life, social groups, and society is called sociology whose focus is on how we
behave as social beings in our interactions with many other people.
As a science of society, sociology is a science that helps in solving social problems.
The role of sociology in solving social problems is to be able to study social interactions
that occur in society, study social conflicts and how to overcome them, study and observe
social changes in society, and provide an explanation to society that everyone is different
and unique. Sociology helps us understand not only the world we live in but also
ourselves (Fulcher & Scott, 2011).
Patriarchy as a Social System

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Patriarchy is a culture or social system that positions one gender as a second class where
men are usually placed at the highest status of power or authority so that gender
inequality occurs in all areas of life. According to Johnson (2014), patriarchy is
characterized by male dominance in positions of authority, economic, legal, religious,
educational, military, and domestic. Patriarchy is dominated by men because men try to
find social status. Thus, patriarchy appears as an oppression of women. Men are regarded
as superior in a patriarchal culture in all spheres of life. Walby (1990) also states that
patriarchy is a system of social structure and practice in which men rule, oppress, and
exploit women. Patriarchal culture underlies the domination of men over women, which
is often expressed in violence against women. Women are subjected to violence from
sexism, rape, domestic violence, psychological violence, and other acts of violence (Sinha
et al., 2017, p. 135). It highlights how women’s value systems support men’s domination
and control over women. Thus, patriarchal culture is a societal system based on the
assumption that men have more authority than women and that women are weak and
powerless.
The Structures of Patriarchy
Patriarchy can be classified into six structures as Sylvia Walby (1990) states in
“Theorizing Patriarchy”. She describes the patriarchal mode of production in paid
employment, household production, patriarchal culture, patriarchal relations in
sexuality, male violence, and the patriarchal state as six models of the patriarchal
structure.
1) Paid Employment
Gender inequality also occurs in women in employment in terms of wages and
treatment in the workplace. In the world of work, women suffer from wage
discrimination, and unfair treatment, and often find themselves in less demanding roles
than their male counterparts (Walby, 1990). Women will be given rules that lead to a
segregation strategy which places women in a narrow position and has no right to refuse
these rules. For this reason, the inequality that occurs is very clear, even though men and
women have their respective abilities in completing their work, because of the
assumption that women are weak, the wages given to women are different from men
even though their time and workload are the same.
2) Household Production
Men have tasks that are oriented to the outside world and women are only at home
so women do not have much time to play a role in the public sector, because of their
obligations to take care of children and household chores. Walby (1990) contends that
women who have devoted themselves to being housewives do not have the opportunity
to have real material possessions by earning a living to get a good life.
3) Culture
Patriarchal culture has distinguished between men and women since ancient times.
The structure of patriarchal relations in cultural institutions includes the ideas of
masculinity and femininity, both of which are the result of the socialization process in
society that is passed down from generation to generation. The structure of patriarchal
relations in cultural institutions includes the ideas of masculinity and femininity, both of
which are the result of the socialization process in society that is passed down from
generation to generation.
Patriarchal culture has been manifested in various aspects of life such as in the fields
of philosophy, religion, education, and traditional norms which still maintain the

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depiction of women through a patriarchal point of view, namely women are always the
subject while men have the right to dominate.
4) Sexuality
Patriarchy in sexuality structure is men tend to be more dominant than women. If a
man likes a woman, he will propose to her and as a woman, if proposed according to
norms and culture, it is forbidden to refuse.
5) Violence
The inequality of status between men and women is reflected in violence against
women. Women have been subjected to discrimination for generations. According to
Lauritsen & Heimer (2008), men view violence as a tool to dominate women. Violence
against women, which is increasingly widespread and is often found even in the closest
human environment, has become a special fear for women. Violence is divided into two
parts, namely psychological and sexual violence.
1. Psychological Violence
Psychological violence is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the
intent to hurt a woman or her partner mentally or emotionally and/or to control
them. Aspects of psychological violence include the use of harsh words, insulting,
screaming, acting ominously, persistently watching, relentlessly following,
causing harm or property damage, denigrating to intimidate, and harassing to
intimidate.
2. Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is sexual activity or activities carried out by someone with
coercion or without the consent of the person who is the victim of the act. Sexual
violence can include kissing, touching, groping, stalking, marital or dating rape,
rape by strangers, and unwanted sexual activity.
6) State
Women are rarely found among the formal political elite. As in leadership, men are
seen more in government than women because women are considered unfit to lead the
government while men are seen as worthy and effective figures in leading. In conclusion,
patriarchy is a social system where men hold primary power and dominate society. They
tend to oppress, harm, and restrict women to get their rights as fully human. On the other
hand, patriarchal is a nickname for those who embrace patriarchy.
Feminism
Women are treated differently from men in many aspects of life. Women are seen as
vulnerable to violence both physically and psychologically. Thus, the gender gap causes
women to lose opportunities to explore the future and have fewer options than men.
Therefore, feminism exists to realize the idea of equality between men and women.
Feminism is a study that focuses on the analysis of gender inequality. The focus of
this analysis is because it is seen from the amount of unfair treatment that occurs
between men and women. In other words, feminists believe that women and men should
have equal rights. According to Hooks (2015), feminism is a movement that seeks to
eliminate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. Thus, it can be concluded that
feminism is a movement and a set of beliefs that aims to respect the lives and concerns of
women and work to improve the status of women so that they are not constantly looked
down upon. Feminism seeks to express the identity of women which is covered by
patriarchal hegemony. It can be said that feminism focuses on understanding gender
equality in various fields.
Women Struggles

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The struggle is defined as an ongoing effort made in pursuit of a favorable outcome or

better living conditions. The struggle is often associated with women in the context of
feminism, especially when the struggle is carried out to end the injustice or gender
oppression that befell women. Women struggle to combat this problem because as
mentioned earlier, they are often looked down upon as inferior to men. Women should
also have the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings. In addition, Beauvoir (2010)
classifies women’s struggles into three categories: female intellectuals, self-actualization,
and being herself.
1) Female Intellectuals
The ability of women to refuse to be objects for men is very important. According to
Beauvoir (2010), intelligent women are those who understand that as humans, women
are subjects rather than objects. Therefore, women may have power over themselves if
they can behave as active subjects rather than passive objects. Women who have
intellectual qualities are women who can talk, educate, show their minds, and fight men
rather than just listen.
2) Self-Actualization
Self-actualization is a person’s desire to realize her needs by using all her abilities.
Women actualize themselves through independent action based on their life experiences
to achieve self-liberation. According to Beauvoir (2010), men are referred to as “self” and
women as “others”. Beauvoir’s statement shows how the patriarchal paradigm views men
as superior and women as inferior, which is one way that women are oppressed.
Therefore, women must actualize themselves to achieve freedom from oppression.
3) To be Herself
Being herself allows a woman to make the decisions she wants to based on her
desires. Women hold the view that they are free to create their versions of themselves
and do not need to be someone else. Beauvoir (2010) states that women who are
conscious of their independence would be able to choose their course in life without
external pressure.
METHOD
Research Design
The researchers used a qualitative descriptive method of research in this study, where
the data is descriptive in the form of words and the object of the research is natural, as it
is, and not manipulated. According to Creswell (2014), qualitative research is a research
process to understand and explore social or human problems, either individually or in
groups. Based on the analysis of the research design above, the researchers use this
method design because patriarchal practices and the struggle of women are taken from
the conversations of the characters in the film. Therefore, the researchers described
things in the film that are related to patriarchy and women’s struggle so that the
researchers provide interpretations appropriate.
Source of Data
In this study, the researchers used two sources of data, namely primary data and
secondary data. Primary data is a source of research data obtained independently
straight from the source. According to Ajayi (2017), primary data is data that the
researchers collect for the first time. So, in this research, the researchers take films and
film scripts as the main data sources. The film is Moxie by Amy Poehler which is released
in 2021 on the streaming service platform Netflix. The researchers collected data from
the object of this research using the method of observation or direct observation of this
film.

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Secondary data is a source of research data obtained through a second source after
the main source which is through intermediary media or indirectly. Secondary data is
data that has already been collected or created by others (Ajayi, 2017). Secondary data
can be obtained from data in the form of sources from research books, sources, and
archives, as well as from sources of documents relevant to research. In other words, the
researchers collect data using a literature review by reading the theses and online articles
related to this research topic.
Procedures
The procedure for collecting data in this study is that the researchers watched the Moxie
film on Netflix platform and also read the dialogue script of the Moxie film to understand
the contents of the film. During the film, the researchers took some notes of the utterances
and screenshots of scenes containing patriarchal ideology and women’s struggles
experienced by the characters which can be analyzed later. After finding all the complete
data, the researchers identified the patriarchal practices and women’s struggles and then
classified the forms of patriarchy and women’s struggle. After that, the researchers
discussed and drew conclusions based on the results of the data analysis.
Data analysis
In this study, the researchers used the technique of data analysis based on Miles et al.
(2014) which includes data condensation, data display, and drawing
conclusion/verification.
1) Data condensation
The first step in analyzing qualitative data is data condensation. According to Miles et al.
(2014), data condensation refers to the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying,
abstracting, and/or transforming data that appears in a complete corpus (body) of
written field notes, and interview transcripts, documents, and other empirical materials.
In this research stage, the Moxie film which is the object of study selected based on the
scenes that are considered to show the ideas of patriarchy and women’s struggle, and
data that is not related to it was discarded.
2) Data display
According to Miles et.al. (2014), data display refers to a collection of data that has been
organized and allows one to reach a conclusion and take action. In this qualitative study,
the researchers presented data from the speech and behavior of the characters in the
Moxie film. The presentation of the data begins with a narrative description, then
discussion and interpretation were carried out according to the theory chosen by the
researchers to get a clear understanding of what kind of patriarchy is included in the
Moxie film and how women’s struggle attempts to deal with it.
3) Conclusion Drawing/Verification
The last step is drawing a conclusion. Drawing conclusions is a process where the
researchers interpret data from the beginning of collection accompanied by making
patterns and descriptions or explanations which in the final stage conclude all data
obtained by the researchers. According to Miles et.al. (2014), the conclusion cannot occur
until all data is collected; determined both by the quantity of field note documents,
coding, and storage, as well as the collection process used, the sophistication of the
researchers, and the time limit to be achieved. So that this stage aims to identify the final
data from all stages of the analysis, to be able to answer research questions and research
objectives regarding the representation of patriarchal ideology in the Netflix movie Moxie
to get the conclusions from this research.

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FINDINGS & DISCUSSIONS

1. The kinds of patriarchal practices portrayed in the “Moxie” movie
a. Culture
Extract 2: (01:18:14-01:19:14)
Principal Shelly: “And now, will the nominees for Student-Athlete Ambassador please step
up. And congratulations…Mitchell Wilson. Mitchell will represent Rockport’s commitment
to character and leadership at the upcoming state caucus. Oh, and he’ll also be able to use
this $100,000 scholarship to go to any academic institution of his choosing.
Uh, Kiera, it has been a fun campaign. As an educator, I just think it’s wonderful and exciting
to see everyone getting involved. Healthy, fair competition is good.”
From the extract above, it can be seen that even though Kiera has more abilities than
Mitchell as a soccer athlete, Mitchell, who was also the previous soccer captain, was
appointed as the leader of the soccer team this time. He does whatever it takes to win to
remain a captain and get a scholarship to continue studying anywhere. That’s because
Kiera, who is a woman, is always underestimated to be a leader. This extract fact causes
women to always be excluded from positions and leadership and this fact is not profitable
for women, because their space for movement is limited by culture.
b. Sexuality
Extract 5: (00:23:54-00:24:17)
[phone buzzes]
[phones chiming]
Claudia: “Viv. They posted the list. You know that list is petty messed up if you think about
it. Obvs, Emma got Most Bangable. Boring.”
In extract 5, it states that the “rank list” created by the Rockport High School soccer team
has been uploaded and Emma has yet again been placed in the very sassy category of
“most bangable” which embarrasses her. From Claudia's statement, it shows that the
quote above is categorized as patriarchal in the cultural structure because it shows that
women are used as sexual objects to satiate men's biological needs and are used as
material for jokes.
c. Violence
Psychological Violence
Extract 8: 00:14:15-00:14:30)
[Thud]
Lucy: “That’s mine”
Mitchell: “Oh is it?”
[Hacks]
“Welcome to Rockport”
From the extract above, it can be seen that Mitchell was bothering Lucy who was a new
student at Rockport High School by taking Lucy's drink then spitting on it and giving it
back which was very impolite. Mitchell also threatened Lucy by saying “welcome to
Rockport”. His threat is a form of psychological violence that results in fear and anxiety
for Lucy because while at Rockport High School, she will have to deal with Mitchell. So,
Lucy just kept silent until Mitchell left because she was afraid.
Sexual Violence
Extract 14: (01:34:15-:01:34:51)
“Dear Moxie, this is probably a mistake, but I don’t know who to turn to. Last year, I was
raped. I wanted to come forward, but didn’t want anyone to know it was me. You get things
done, and no one knows who you are. Can you help me? From one anonymous to another?”

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From the extract above, it can be seen that the extract is sexual violence in which a student
at Rockport High School wrote a letter to Moxie in which the letter said that last year she
was raped by a student but she could not speak up because she was afraid and ashamed
known identity. So, she asked Moxie’s help to reveal it.
State
Extract 20: (01:27:14-01:27:30)
Claudia: “You don’t get what’s going on with me because you’re white”
Vivian: “Wh-What?”
Claudia: “Do you know what my mom sacrified to get to this country? What she had to do to
make it so that I could go to college? I am under an insane amount of pressure. I don’t have
the freedom to take the risks that you do”
Claudia is an immigrant from Asia where she is under a lot of pressure from her family
and does not have the same opportunities to protest against patriarchy because she is
afraid of threats of deportation, being expelled from school, and the struggle of race in
her country.
2. The struggle of female characters in facing the patriarchy depicted in the “Moxie”
movie
a. Female Intellectuals
Extract 24: (00:31:49-00:32:10)
Lucy: “So are you guys gonna do the thing that it says for tomorrow? It says to draw hearts
and stars on your hands to show support”
Vivian: “Yeah, I was gonna do it”
Lucy: “Yeah, me too”
Claudia: “Why?”
Vivian: “What do you mean why?”
Claudia: “I mean, like, what’s the goal?”
Lucy: “Revolution, baby”
Claudia: “I don’t see what doodling on our hands is gonna do”
Vivian: “Well, it’s better than doing nothing”
In the extract, it can be seen that a feminist movement will be started by Moxie where in
the extract Vivian and Lucy will draw stars and hearts on their hands to fight against acts
of discrimination, harassment, and racism that occur in their school because they care
about the problems that are happening at their school and think it’s better than doing
nothing at all.
b. Self-Actualization
Extract 32: (00:56:51-00:57:14)
Principal Shelly: “Okay. Sure. Two fine nominees. Let’s give Kiera a hand. Come on, stand up”
Principal Shelly: “Good luck to both of you!”
Kiera: “What did you just do?”
Lucy: “Do you like money? Cause I’m finna get you some”
Amaya: “Shut up and secure the bag”
Kiera: “Okay, I can handle that, sis”
In this extract, Principal Shelly announces to the hall that Kiera and Mitchell have been
nominated for the general chair of the Rockport High School football team. Kiera joined
Mitchell in the election for the general chairman of football because Lucy recommended
Kiera so that Kiera could get a scholarship. So, with the support of her friends, Kiera is
increasing her self-actualization by starting to be confident and will develop her ability
to become a soccer captain and get a scholarship.

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c. To be Herself
Extract 39: (01:42:24-01:42:50)
Student: “I just want to say that I’m one hundred and ten Black. My hair is not a wig. It’s not
nappy. It’s thick, curly, and it’s who I am! And no, you cannot touch it!”
Lucy: “That was amazing! Yeah, and y’all need to stop touching our hair, okay?”
The extract above shows that black women in the school often experience discrimination
and racism. However, black women still want to be themselves and don’t care what other
people say about their hair. Their hair will not make their confidence disappear and they
will still love themselves.
DISCUSSION
The researchers discovered 39 extracts based on the dialogue between the characters in
the “Moxie” movie. The researchers have answer the two research questions using the
patriarchy theory of Sylvia Walby (1990) and Women Struggles by Simone De Beauvoir
(2010)
1. The kinds of patriarchal practices portrayed in the “Moxie” movie
The first type of patriarchy is “culture”. According to Walby's theory, patriarchal culture
structure is in the form of ideal feminine demands for women in the family, education,
religion, and mass media. This kind of thing happened when Vivian was bullied by the
boys at her school and was considered. Previously, Vivian was known to have a quiet
nature. The men's opinion was that Vivian was unable to fight them because women were
often seen as weak. In addition, Vivian was not considered to exist when John and Seth
discussed physics. This illustrates that Vivian experiences a patriarchal system in cultural
relations because women are considered not good at science where there is often a
stereotype that men are smarter than women. As for Kiera, she faced patriarchy in a
cultural structure where she was not given the right to become a football captain even
though she had achievements. Here, culturally women are often doubted in leading an
organization. In addition, there is a patriarchal structure in sexuality. According to Walby
(1990), sexuality is a life that is brought about by various factors as well as the
measurement of life as a complex process between individuals. This relationship places
women as sexual targets, women only sexual targets, and is reduced. The text above was
identified by the researchers as containing patriarchy because women are imaged as
sexual servants for men. In this structure, men sexually objectify women and reduce them
to mere sexual objects (Walby, 1990). Sexuality is shown when every female student is
given an inappropriate "rank list" by the male soccer team which is very sexist such as
“best ass”, “best rack” and “most bangable”. Women are used as properties and objects of
male sexuality, which is the position of women with the compulsion to “entertain” men.
In addition, Vivian is considered as the property of men because men are in a higher
position than women and women must be controlled by men as a form that women
belong to men.
Patriarchy in the structure of violence occurs because men feel superior to women,
while women also think that they are weak and unable to fight back. Walby (1990) argued
that the hallmark of a patriarchal society is the men's threat of violence against women.
Acts of violence committed by men as the essence of one form of male power over women.
Violence is an attack on the integrity of the individual's mental, psychological, and
physical. There are two types of violence, namely psychological violence, and sexual
violence. Psychological violence is a type of violence in the form of pressure that can hurt
a person's mental. such as ridiculing, insulting, speaking using harsh words, and others
which result in a decrease in self-confidence create fear, and create a feeling of

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helplessness. In psychological violence, the writer finds 3 extracts. First, Lucy got
psychological violence from Mitchell where when Lucy bought a drink, Mitchell spat on
Lucy's drink. Mitchell also provided a form of threat where he would deal with Mitchell
in the future. Not only that, Mitchell physically insulted Lucy when Mitchell and Lucy
argued in class where Mitchell thought that Lucy had made the Moxie zine. In addition,
Jason also committed psychological violence against Kaitlynn by insulting Kaitlynn’s body
shape and demeaning Kaitlynn as a woman. In sexual violence, the researchers found 4
extracts. At the beginning of school, Lucy was harassed by Mitchell by touching Lucy
without her permission. As for Kiera, a soccer athlete who was abused. After the “rank
list” was announced, a male student approached Kiera, slapped her buttocks, and walked
away. This made Kiera gasp in surprise. Besides Lucy and Kiera, Emma also experienced
sexual violence from Mitchell where last year after prom night, Mitchell raped Emma in
Emma's room. Here, men rape women because they think it is okay to force them because
women are responsible for pleasing men sexually.
The last type of patriarchy is patriarchy in the state structure. According to Walby
(1990) , women are relatively absent from positions of power and central decision-
making places in a country. These structures began to perceive the relative absence of
women in positions of power in the state and other decision-making arenas (Walby, 1990,
p. 151). This patriarchal in state structure occurs when gender inequality is practiced by
schools, namely the principal makes the behavior of male students normal for female
students and is considered not a serious problem. In addition, Kiera was not given the
right to lead and get a scholarship. Even though Kiera was an outstanding athlete, she still
lost to Mitchell. In this case, it shows that women do not get the same rights as men to
lead and there is a public view that men are more entitled to receive higher education
than women. There is even a view that women are second-class citizens below men.
3. The struggle of female characters in facing the patriarchy depicted in the “Moxie”
movie
Beauvoir in her existentialist feminist theory invites women to be able to live freely to
determine their future autonomously without any encouragement or direction from
other people. Beauvoir invites women to be themselves. Women must be able to freely
express themselves in all aspects because women have the same rights as men. Women
who are free to determine their future without encouragement and direction from other
people mean that women are already in their existence as human beings.
The first type of women’s struggles according to Beauvoir (2010) in women can be
intellectuals. This concept aims to make women no longer become objects but become
subjects. She stated that intellectual ability is possessed by women as human beings who
are aware of the ability to determine what they want to do. So in Beauvoir's opinion, it
can be concluded that to be an intellectual will make someone to be “self”. “Female
intellectuals” occurs when Vivian is fed up with the discrimination that exists in her
school. Vivian began to move anonymously by distributing magazines containing
narratives of change that women must fight against patriarchy and sexism in their
schools. With the existence of a zine created by Vivian, it aroused the enthusiasm of
female students at school, so that they were even more courageous to voice their
opinions.
Furthermore, women actualizing themselves are actions taken by women in an
independent way based on the concrete experiences they have done to gain self-freedom.
Women who are aware of their freedom will be able to actualize themselves to the fullest.
Women began to actualize themselves after the feminist movement initiated by Moxie, as

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Lucy and other female students helped nominate Kiera for a soccer team and supported
Kiera to get a scholarship. Kiera also struggled with her friends to get the scholarship.
Apart from Kiera, CJ also dared to show off her talent, which turned out to have a beautiful
voice. At the end of the story, Vivian self-actualizes by standing up bravely in public to
voice her opinion about the patriarchal system that exists in her school where previously
she was a very shy and introverted person.
The last type in women struggles is “to be herself” which according to Beauvoir
(2010) this type describes a woman who is able to determine what she wants to do based
on her desire to be herself and believe in what she can do without having to be someone
else. “To be herself” occurs when Kiera talks about her body, where she was previously
nominated as “best ass” because she has a big butt even though it's because she is diligent
in exercising. Kiera didn’t care what other people said about her body shape. As for
Kaitlynn, she was also nominated for “best ass”. The reality is that women are often the
object of discrimination in many ways, one of which is differentiating body shape in
clothing. Kaitlynn wants to be herself and doesn’t want to change her appearance. As for
black students who often experience racism where they are often ridiculed for having
different hair. However, they still love themselves and that is their trademark.

CONCLUSION
From the analysis above, the researchers can conclude that women experience
patriarchy. The female students experienced several patriarchal acts committed by the
school and male students. First, the patriarchy in the cultural structure where Lucy was
harassed by Mitchell, the school's very popular football captain, and Lucy reported to the
principal regarding the treatment she received. However, the principal considered that
this case could be solved jointly and did not follow up on this case. Second, female
students experience patriarchy in the structure of sexuality, for example, Kaitlynn is
insulted because she has a slightly larger chest size. Mitchell is a man who feels superior
and makes women objects with sexist labels or categories given to female students at his
school. Furthermore, there are also representations of victims of sexual violence who are
afraid to speak up. Emma is Mitchell's ex and she was raped by Mitchell but is afraid to
talk to other people about what happened to her. In a patriarchal culture, victims of sexual
violence are often afraid to speak up and report it because of the stigma that society will
attach to them. Finally, the type of patriarchy faced by women is patriarchy in the state
structure. Kiera who is a female soccer athlete at Rockport High School who has good
skills in soccer but remains unrecognized. Plus Kiera, who is a woman, is always
underestimated to be a leader.
In the previous discussion regarding the explanation of the second problem in this
study, namely how women struggle female students deal with the patriarchal system they
experience. There are three struggles that women can do to fight patriarchy, namely
female intellectuals, self-actualization, and being herself. Female intellectuals occur when
Vivian and her friends try to speak up about existing discrimination and support the
feminist movement carried out by Moxie. They talk, educate, show their minds, and fight
men against the patriarchy they experience. Then, the second example of women’s
struggles is self-actualization. In self-actualization, Vivian and her friends develop their
potential and talents so that they are no longer looked down upon and to achieve gender
equality at Rockport High School. Finally, the third form of struggle is to be herself. Kiera,
Kailynn, and black girls who still love themselves and will never change just because

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they're put down by boys. This shows that humans are diverse and every human being
has their own beauty.
It can be concluded that feminism is carried out based on the inequality between
genders that occurs in society. Gender discrimination and sexual harassment perpetrated
within the school environment sparked resistance by female students. The female
students in the film Moxie decided to carry out a movement as a form of protest against
schools that turned a blind eye to the discrimination and sexual harassment that students
received.
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