 Everything that happens in Fresh is an allegory for the reality girls and women face every single day of their lives. From a very young age we’re exposed to the reality of how society views us through the male gaze. Everything we do is judged—you’re too loud, swear too much, you’re such a nag, let boys be boys, stop making trouble. This post contains spoilers Fresh is a movie that kept popping up on my Twitter feed for a while. All I knew about it was that it contained some kind of horror about the trials of dating, and that Sebastian Stan was in it. This was good enough for me. As soon as I started watching, the air of dread settled in. There was something very uncomfortable about Noa’s story from the very beginning. From the moment we watch her shitty date with Chad, while he tells her that girls dress like slobs nowadays and don’t care much about their appearance, to the moment she finds an unexpected connection with the seemingly nice guy, Steve. Fresh is unsettling and so disturbing that I was constantly squirming in my seat. Not because of the obvious horror content unravelling before my eyes, but because the true horror of this brilliant script, and well-acted movie, struck instantly. As soon as the movie was over, I couldn’t stop thinking about a LOT of things that this story stirred up inside me. What on the surface appears to be the story of an everyday young woman exposed to the disappointing reality of the worst-case scenario, after meeting someone in her pursuit to fit into society’s expectations of finding a partner so she won’t be alone, soon morphed into a nightmarish situation with an obvious underlying message. Everything that happens in Fresh is an allegory for the reality girls and women face every single day of their lives. From a very young age we’re exposed to the reality of how society views us through the male gaze. Everything we do is judged—you’re too loud, swear too much, you’re such a nag, let boys be boys, stop making trouble. The way we look is judged—you’re too fat, too skinny, wear too much makeup, don’t wear enough, dress like a slut, or like a boy. And that’s before we start hearing the evasive questions of ‘when are you getting married?’ much too early, or ‘when are you having kids?’ after you’ve been married for two seconds. But if you’re single for too long, you’ll definitely hear the biological clock lecture more than once.  Society has an annoying way of pushing women into thinking they have to search for a mate ASAP. That without a relationship to focus on, even if you’re not entirely sure that’s what you want, you’re worthless. As women, we always have to be careful where we go, what we do, have to keep looking over our shoulder for hidden threats, avoid walking past groups of guys, don’t go out at night alone, don’t drink too much, smile all the time, be nice, but not too nice. Otherwise, it’s assumed that you’re obviously interested in having sex with whoever you’re greeting. Even if you’re only doing your job. Because we can’t win either way. We’re either tramps or prudes, depending on whoever is doing the judging. And there’s always someone there to judge your looks, behaviour, what you say, and even what you don’t say or do. We’re walking-talking wombs with childbearing hips. Lesser because someone once said our brains were smaller than men’s just so we could be oppressed and controlled. And what makes a woman is constantly being questioned. When we all know that if someone identifies as a woman, she is in fact a woman. And that brings me back to Fresh. A movie that breaks women down to parts. Tasty morsels that are there to be consumed by random rich men, because of course they are. We’re always viewed that way. She has such a pretty face, curvy hips, a great ass, big boobs, nice legs, shiny hair. It’s almost like we’re not even people. Just random body parts that hopefully fit well together. But who cares about the whole package when we can be deconstructed to be nothing more than bits and pieces to lust over? Possessions to be devoured. At the end of the day, not having a Y chromosome means that we’re barely considered to be real human beings with functioning brains, views, ambitions and opinions. Only objects of desire that are meant to be rated, shut away, graded, controlled, abused and, ultimately, disposed of. And isn’t that exactly what happens in Fresh? Isn’t that the lucrative service Steve provides to men with too much money and not enough compassion? His very successful business is all about taking what he wants, what he believes men are entitled to because the female body is a throwaway item. So why not make a pretty penny controlling the bodies of women in any way he desires? Think about that. Steve might be an entitled and privileged monster who steals the lives of innocents he has no right to take, but is he any worse than the politicians trying to legislate our bodies? Any worse than the people trying to degrade trans women? Is he a bigger monster than the patriarchy supporting abusers and rapists? Or the religious oppressors who try to destroy our lives every chance they get? Oh, and don’t even get me started on the women who go against their best interests—so perfectly portrayed by The Wife—because that’s a whole other issue the patriarchy has successfully fabricated. No matter what they tell you, women are not in competition with each other. There’s enough room for all of us. The next time you feel like we’re being trampled on, because there will always be a new way to dismiss our worth, don’t forget: We’re girls. Women. Humans. People. Not a pattern that can be pinned and cut into desirable portions while we’re young. Only to be disrespected after childbearing has changed our bodies. And ultimately, discarded as we age because we no longer fit the mystical shape of beautiful, desirable sexualised objects. We are NOT pieces of meat. Yolanda Sfetsos Yolanda Sfetsos lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband and cheeky cat. She loves writing dark tales and spends too much time daydreaming. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s either out walking, watching movies, TV shows, or thinking about all the ideas fighting for attention. She has three very different novellas published by Demain Publishing, a YA horror novel now available from Otranto House, and a bunch of short stories in a variety of horror anthologies. WEBSITE LINKS Website: www.yolandasfetsos.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/yolandasfetsos Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Yolanda-Sfetsos/e/B003YEKW7A%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES ON GINGER NUTS OF HORROR
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