Forget The Glass Ceiling—Why Is It So Hard For Women To Break The Fourth Wall?

Fleabag is so good. Seriously, it’s SO good. The new series, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge is available now on Prime Video and will become your new obsession within mere moments.
The show is funny and relatable, and it also happens to raise a big question; why don’t more women break the fourth wall in TV movies? What is it about female characters that keeps them from turning directly to the camera, facing the rapt audience, and sharing their feelings, or a quip, or even a telling facial expression? It’s so often the male characters that feel the need to break away from the drama or happenings at hand, to explain, or at its worst, ugh, mansplain, further details to the viewers.
We can accept right away that Waller-Bridge is exceptionally good at it. It’s entirely natural in her performance and provides some of the heartiest laughs throughout the whole first season of the show. Is this part of the reason why the Amazon original feels so fresh and natural? Because we’re seeing this device used so properly by a female character, an action so rare in both TV and films? Perhaps.

We’re all more than familiar with Ferris Bueller’s (Matthew Broderick) shower monologue, or Alvy Singer’s (Woody Allen) neurotic thoughts, or Zack Morris’ (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) “time outs.” But here’s the real time out: where the ladies at?

There are a handful, and they should be celebrated. Clarissa Explains It All, the 90’s Nickelodeon show starring Melissa Joan Hart did a great job, and we all know Sex and the City tried it for a little while, letting Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and a bevy of NYC singletons address the camera, before finally settling on a Carrie voiceover. But British sitcom Miranda should be pointed out here as well, probably as one of the most modern and successful examples, and certainly an influence on Fleabag. Oh, and don’t forget this Lindsay Lohan orgy moment in The Canyons.
But for every Clarissa, Miranda (Hobbs), and Miranda (Hart), there’s a Frank Underwood in House of Cards and an Edward Norton in Fight Club and even a Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). The ratio of female to male wall breakers provides quite a discrepancy between the two genders, and there are a few theories as to why.

First up, it could simply be that women are given different devices. Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) told us everything we needed to know, and much, much more, via her diary, provided by narration, and in the latest installment, in a typed out format on the screen. Carrie Bradshaw gave us a similar experience, in both her narration and dating column. And where would we even be today without the voiceover of Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) in Clueless? But letting Alicia Silverstone address the camera directly? As if!
The second theory is that female characters simply don’t need to break the fourth wall. Perhaps they are just polite, and restrain from acknowledging the camera and the audience, aware that they are simply not allowed to look into the camera, even though they know their story is being told in that moment. It’s a rule even the biggest influencers or rebels will not break. Along with this, is the fact that women are known to express more of their feelings in a dialogue — you know, we’re real chatterboxes. It could be that the brunches of Sex and the City served as a better way to recap the women’s dating adventures, rather than to have each of the ladies turn 45 degrees to the camera and vent them out that way. It should also be noted, that sometimes, a woman’s face can say it all. You know what she is thinking and feeling and unable to hide in a quick glance or a scowl.
Let’s also consider the notion that these characters are classy broads — these women don’t need to immediately turn to a third party to hash out every single one of their emotions. They can remain composed while processing new information and feelings alike. And then hash it out with their besties over mimosas, of course. But by that point, it’s all been carefully considered. Plus, a lady knows to keep some mystery about herself from time to time. Turning to the audience could be seen as a weak move if not handled correctly. These characters don’t have to get their feelings out by breaking a dish on the floor nor the glass wall.

Last, and potentially the most damaging: are women not worth expressing their feelings directly to the audience? Is it too hard for a female character to truly reveal her inner thoughts to a camera, as it sometimes can be in real life? Are male writers unable to write these types of characters because they haven’t the slightest idea of what could be floating around inside a woman’s head? And why don’t more female writers use this maneuver — is it because we’ve seen so few other women use it correctly, simply due to the fact that so few have been given the chance or the direction to do so?
Right now, there’s no way to know for sure why women have such a hard time breaking down that damn fourth wall, the one that can sometimes feel so high and dividing of the character and the viewer. But let’s hope Fleabag changes this, as it is sure to change both the stories we tell about women, and exactly how we tell them.
[Watch Fleabag on Prime Video]