Ashley Fenner

          Released in 1991, Fried Green Tomatoes is the film adaptation of the 1987 novel written by Fannie Flagg. The book was brought to life by Flagg and Carol Sobieski who co-wrote the screenplay. Set during the early 1900’s, Fried Green Tomatoes takes place in Whistle Stop, a small rural town somewhere in Alabama, following the relationship between the main characters Idgie and Ruth, and the events that surround the café they own.
          From the beginning of the film Idgie disassembles varying cultural norms of the era. Challenging the predominance of Southern Racism, she shows care and compassion to homeless men who stop at the café, and serves meals to black people in a time where blacks often weren’t allowed to even be at the same restaurant as whites.
          Idgie’s “tomboy” persona also challenges the ideals of hegemonic masculinity strongly embedded in the social framework of the era. Wearing pants instead of dresses, running her own business, and challenging social norms, in some way lead to the various adventures and risks surrounding the enticing tale, as she strived to be different than the lady-like women surrounding her. The film tones down the overall “masculine” nature of Idgie, her character played by the white, blonde, “girl next door” actress Mary Stuart       Masterson, making her masculinity more acceptable for the heterosexual viewer.
          According to researchers at The Critical Media Project, lesbians or lesbian type characters in the media are often depicted as heterosexuals, especially in the 1990’s when the film was released. One of many examples of “media stunts” performed by heterosexual women, was the kiss Brittney Spears and Madonna shared thus instigating girl-on-girl kissing among many young heterosexual women. Many heterosexual men also find lesbian interaction between pretty heterosexual women to be sexually arousing. This type of pseudo-lesbianism is considered OK, as long as the female experimentation leads to heterosexuality as the ultimate outcome.
          In the movie, there’s one scene in particular where Idgie and Ruth smear berries and flour on each other and roll around on the floor. When you’re watching the film it’s easy to replace these abrupt tones of lesbianism with contemporary feminism and “heterosexual play”, exalting a woman who has strived in spite of the oppression and adversity she has faced over the course of her life. It’s rather apparent Idgie is in fact gay, and it’s quiet easy to asses this while watching the film, if you allow yourself to see it (perhaps easier now in 2017 than in 1991).
          Still, the novel does a better job of not only cluing the audience in to Idgie’s sexual orientation, but painting a clear and concise picture of the romance between Ruth and Idgie. While never forthright about the relationship, the reader is aware of it, most often finding themselves rooting for the success and happy ending of the two. The movie then reduces the tale, only ever indirectly indicating that Idgie’s love for Ruth is far more than a platonic sisterhood type bond, formed out of a desire to escape female oppression. Together they go against the grain, challenging the very ideals of not only hegemonic masculinity but paternalism, standing alone without traditional assistance and protection of men.
  
 
References

"Lesbian | The Critical Media Project." Critical Media Project Icon. USC Annenberg, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.

"What Is "Heteronormative"?" Http://www.innovateus.net/. Innovateus, 2013. Web.

Ross, Karen. The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 2014. Print.
 

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