Content warning: this article discusses acts of terrorism, misogyny, and unlikeable female characters.

Thinking back on the antiheroes and ‘unlikeable’ protagonists of film and TV, it is notable that men seem to dominate these roles. American Psycho, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Social Network: all these films have leading men of less-than-ideal morals who are nonetheless praised as interesting protagonists. 

But if you search for ‘unlikeable female characters’, most results return leads like Meredith Grey, Bella Swan and Rue Bennet. It seems like the classifications for ‘unlikeable’ characters differ between men and women; female characters are disliked for being sexually promiscuous, having personal issues, or just ‘being annoying’. None of these qualities, however, seem to be viewed as intentional choices on the part of writers and directors; rather, they are traits of these characters that have to be ‘fixed’. 

Male characters don’t fall into these sexist and incredibly gendered pitfalls for unlikeability. The majority of them are simply arrogant, problematic and terrible people. Female characters are not afforded the same characteristics; most ‘unlikeable’ representations depict them not as bad people but as bad women.

The only worthwhile portrayal of an unlikeable female character that comes to mind is the protagonist in Fleabag, though she is considered ‘unlikeable’ as a consequence of her cruel and self-destructive actions; however, Fleabag remains beloved by fans because she is, at the end of the day, redeemable. So what happens when a female character is truly unlikeable?

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Women aren’t considered unlikeable for the same reasons that men are

This may seem like a strange gripe to have: why would we want to dislike women, when so much of their lives are criticised already? The problem, however, is that this trend aligns with the general sexism that dominates the screen. Women aren’t considered unlikeable for the same reasons that men are: they aren’t money hungry, fame seeking, power grabbing. They’re just women that suffer on screen as a result of the actions of others, or because of their own self-destructive tendencies.

So what happens when a female character is created to be intentionally unlikeable? The tide has turned with the 2022 film Not Okay, which follows a wannabe influencer who faces massive personal and online backlash following her rise to fame. Desperate to be noticed by the world, Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch) fakes a trip to Paris for a writer’s retreat, attempting to impress her boss and her workplace crush. After a series of terrorist attacks strike Paris during Danni’s fabricated trip, she decides to stick to her story, claiming the status of a ‘victim’. Not Okay’s satire centres not only around ideas of toxic social media environments and ‘cancel culture’, but also the insecurity of those desperate to ‘make it’ in the online world. Danni is an ignorant and insensitive character who goes to drastic means to be noticed, exploiting vulnerable circumstances for her own gain. 

While some critics argue that the film lends too much sympathy to Danni as a character, I believe Not Okay is making a more particular point not only about social media toxicity, but the film industry as a whole. The film’s preface echoes the satirical tone of its entire narrative: a content warning, which reads ‘This film contains flashing lights, themes of trauma, and an unlikeable female protagonist.’ The warning of ‘an unlikeable female protagonist’—a warning that would surely never be issued for a male antihero—speaks to the film’s intent: to present an authentically unlikeable female character. 

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Not Okay is making a more particular point not only about social media toxicity, but the film industry as a whole

Danni doesn’t have any of the qualities that would define her as the conventional woman in need of ‘fixing’: being promiscuous, being a ‘dumb blonde’ or being annoying. Her characterisation isn’t sexist or victimising, and doesn’t give her any redeeming qualities at all. She is power-hungry, naive, self-absorbed and cruel: all traits that would usually denote an antiheroic male lead. She fits right in with the Jordan Belforts and Mark Zuckerbergs on film as an unlikeable and self-destructing character whose decline is the result of her own actions. 

This representation of an unlikeable female protagonist, though it may seem counterproductive to wish for such a thing, offers up a refreshing and fascinating contrast to other, more innocent female characters. Not only is Danni an uncomfortably realistic depiction of a 21st century archetype, she is also hateable, for reasons other than simply being a woman.

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