If you've been feeling a little celebratory today, then you probably heard the news that there's going to be a federal investigation into the lack of female directors in mainstream Hollywood. And while that could mean big changes for the industry (history shows us there's a chance), the investigation also highlights a truly distressing number. Because — spoiler — the lack of mainstream female directors helming big studio films is low. Like, impossible limbo levels low. In fact, according to the Los Angeles Times, 2014 saw a low of 4.6 percent of major studio films directed by female directors. FOUR POINT SIX, people.
That's probably why your friends can't name more than three major female directors (and why they all can probably only name check Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, and Ava Duvernay) unless they're mega film buffs. Even if you make a point of seeking out women who direct major studio films, you're going to be hard pressed to find them. The numbers are that lopsided.
But in case you're the sort of person who needs a visual to help them understand just how bad these numbers are, I found these 11 not entirely mathematically correct visual representations:
1. The Amount Space Without Cheese On This Pizza
2. The Amount Of Space Phoebe's "Tattoo Of The Earth From Very Far Away" Takes Up On Friends
3. The Portion Of Anna's Hair That's White In Frozen
4. The Percentage Of Any Given Where's Waldo Image That Contains Waldo
5. The Fraction Of This Field That Contains A Cute Little Dog
6. The Size Of Tom Haverford's Tiny Coffee Cup Compared To The Rest Of His Body
7. The Amount Of Space This Beauty Spot Takes Up On Dita Von Teese's Face
8. The Portion Of This Cat That Is About To Be Booped
9. This Size Of This Drop Of Water Compared To A Vast Pool
10. The Amount Of Kermit The Frog That Isn't Green
11. The Size Of Your Hometown In Relation To The Rest Of The World
OK, so that math is definitely way off. But when women make up half the population and still make up less than five percent of the people holding directing jobs in major Hollywood movies, it really starts to feel that way.
Images: Aimee Plesa, Stu_spivak/Flickr; Walt Disney Pictures; Giphy (3)
