The (Vanishing) Power Of Stereotypes: World's 2nd Highest Paid Actress shows the way.

How Strong Are The Stereotypes In The World We Live In? Even Today.

If someone had asked you to draw a picture of one of the highest paid actresses in the world, a Hollywood super success, how similar or how different it looked from the lady here will define the type of stereotype we carry. The imagery in our head about someone from the world of movies is full of

Glam quotient, 

Physical attractiveness or the traditional idea of beauty.

Gender inequality for dialogues ( mere speaking opportunity) etc. are just a few examples. Just look at one mentioned below.

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (founded  by the Oscar-winning actress and United Nations special envoy) has published a new report detailing the stereotypes, barriers, and straight-up exploitation that still define how badly women and girls are treated on screen. The study takes a deep dive into prime-time television, as well as children's programming and family-friendly films. Women are scarcer in prime-time shows and family films, and those films depict "fewer women in prestigious occupational positions," the study notes. "Females are not only missing from popular media, [but] when they are on screen, they seem to be there merely for decoration."

In a world like this, Melissa McCarthy has been featured as the 2nd highest earning actresses in the world by Forbes. (Jennifer Lawrence tops the list).

Melissa has worked tirelessly towards earning herself a place in Hollywood despite all the prevalent stereotypes.

And at $ 33M for the year that's certainly very impressive for someone who grew up on an Illinois farm and had to constantly bear teasing and ridicule.

Even when she decided to take up comedy initially in Newyork and then in LA, what were the odds for making it really BIG in mainstream Hollywood cinema. Yet, she defied not only those odds, she has gone on to build a dedicated fan following for herself and the roles are now being written specifically for her now. (Tammy---is one such example).

She takes all the plus size body shaming head-on and has now in fact vowed to help other women in similar situation fight it better. 

Additionally, she is emerging as a business woman and not just an actress.

She has created a clothing line-----Melissa McCarthy Seven7. She says that people don't stop growing at size 12 so her clothing line will be available all the way till size 28. Figure that.

She takes her being "funny" part quite seriously and dismisses the naysayers saying "she was too busy brushing her hair to care when people said actresses couldn’t be funny."

McCarthy is the founder of the production company "On The Day Productions". In 2015 She received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

The lady is not just Ghostbusters but in fact is a Myth Buster.

Stereotypes Can Never Stop The Strong Willed Ones.

What stereotypes do we still see operating all around us?

Pl. do share.

Pradeep K Jaisingh