Fembot in a Red Dress

Fembot in a Red Dress takes a common visual trope (the lady in red) and traces its evolution and its transmutations in form and meaning. The video essay takes us from the biblical origins of this female figure to a recent science fiction iteration, in the reimagined version of Battlestar Galactica. En route, it collects striking examples, harvested from film, television and advertising.

 

The breadth of the illustrations that Allison de Fren has amassed here is remarkable. Even more stunning is the degree to which they perfectly comment on the case de Fren makes: here’s a beautiful example of how movies are often their own best critics and analysts. Many of the chosen excerpts have a meta-filmic quality and make explicit references to the trope they use. This video essay itself then makes great use of that self-awareness to substantiate its own claims.