- The female James Bond discourse has gotten tiresome – and it’s not a good idea
- Women deserve to be at the centre of their own stories
- It also sends the wrong message about men losing out to women in pursuit of gender equality
Every so often, the question loops back round again. Could there be a female James Bond? What if we had one? Who could play her? How modern, right? Couldn’t James Bond be the ultimate girl boss anyhow? The longer the wait for Daniel Craig’s replacement to be confirmed, the more it persists. I’ve had enough.
It turns out it’s a moot point anyway. Following days of rumours in the press, reports emerged that a memo had been circulated confirming that, as per tradition, the next James Bond would be male and British. If you ask me, that’s a relief.
Women deserve their own stories
To qualify – I am a woman, and I’m not exactly a traditionalist. In fact, I’m all in favour for questioning the point of traditions and remoulding the archaic into the modern. I want to see stories told with women at the centre – all kinds of women too, women of colour, queer women, disabled women, working class women. Crucially, however, these women deserve to have their own stories told, rather than repurposing one which traditionally has a man at the centre.
By all means, somebody tell a story of a woman working in MI5 – but give her a narrative that’s hers, which stands apart. Maybe she prefers a mojito to a martini, if she drinks at all. Maybe she leaves a trail of broken hearted men in her wake as she travels from country to country, or maybe she comes home to her wife and their adopted child. Could she have been drawn to the life of a spy not for the opulence or sense of justice, but to escape from a troubled background? The realms of possibility are endless when not confined to the boundaries of an already-established franchise’s traditions.
The culture war rears its ugly head
I also have a bad feeling a female James Bond wouldn’t go down too well – and not just among people who agree with my point above. It would become yet another battleground in an already overblown culture war. Perhaps my greatest concern about the idea is it sending the wrong message about the goals of feminism, adding fuel to the myth that for women to win, men must lose.
In a time when half of Gen Z men think feminism has gone too far – despite research finding everyone benefits from gender quality – James Bond becoming a cultural battleground in a gender war is the last thing anyone needs.
Does it really feel authentic?
It’s true that there would be an inevitable backlash if the next James Bond was anything but white and male – indeed, potential candidate Idris Elba was put off the role because the response to his potential casting “became about race”. Imagine if we did in future have a black James Bond, an idea which isn’t impossible to picture (and one I’d support). There’s nothing to say James Bond can’t be black, but it would still feel like a marker of progress that would still feel authentic to the nature of 007’s story.
Read more: James Bond: Who will be the next 007?
A female James Bond would not have this same authenticity. It feels like a forced attempt at progress that doesn’t fit with the story – or even the titular character’s name. It’s different from, say, there being a female Doctor Who. Doctor Who is an extraterrestrial and within the laws of its universe, the Doctor could very feasibly be a woman. There’s less scope for that within the world of James Bond.
The good news is that, with Amazon’s confirmation of James Bond remaining male, the discourse might melt away for good. It was getting tiring, anyway – all that energy expended on something for which the optics would be poor. Instead, when it comes to culture, let’s ask the more important questions.
