The Introduction on Subservience

The way artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is portrayed in current films frequently reflects both society’s hopes and fears over technology. The effects of gendering AI,, extend well beyond the walls of science. A viewpoint provided by feminist film theory allows one to examine how the images support or conflict with the traditional and typical gender role and standard. Movies like Her (2013) and the film Ex Machina (2015) have played a significant role in this discussion. They frequently present a conflict in which AI women are both hyper-controlled and hyper-intelligent. The 2024 film Subservience, starring Megan Fox, represents a new genre that breaks traditional gender conventions on the surface but actually feeds into the traditional rules’ nervousness of female independence. This essay will use feminist frameworks, specifically Donna Haraway’s posthumanist feminism, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and Laura Mulvey’s “male gaze,” to examine and critique the film Subservience.The goal is to analyze how the film’s female AI lead is portrayed both onscreen and narrated while exploring the connection between gender, control, and even freedom.

Feminist film theory, which began to take shape in the 1970s with the second wave of feminism, examines how old gender standards are   enforced in movies, TV shows  and other media. It is still being fought to change the frequent disregard or cutting off all women’s opinions and thoughts. Essentially the  questions of  who is in charge , who they’re portraying, and who is in charge of that portrayal. The famous idea of the “male gaze” was first presented by Laura Mulvey in her landmark article, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, published in 1975. In her article, she makes the case that popular film is framed from a male’s point of view, which mainly presents women simply as objects of male lust rather than as subjective actors.  The female characters are more often presented in a way that highlights their physical attractiveness through certain cinematic methods, such as framing, camera angles, and editing. While male characters drive the plot along and represent power and authority, the viewer’s attention is drawn to the AI . This gaze frequently becomes even more intense.  and dramatic in movies about female AI, like Subservience, when the artificial lady is created, watched, and managed by a man.

Judith Butler presents the next theory of gender performativity in her landmark book Gender Trouble (1990) which expands on the view that gender is a performance and a collection of behaviors and acts that are repeatedly performed in keeping with socially established norms rather than a fixed or natural trait. By illustrating that what society views as “masculine” or “feminine” is eventually a performance imposed by cultural norms and power structures, Butler challenges the stereotypical view of gender. This idea becomes especially important in the context of AI movies since female AI characters are frequently programmed to display exaggerated portrayals of femininity and nurturing, which show how deeply cultural gender stereotypes have been embedded in technological advancements and are deeply embedded in the AI’s core code The overall idea of what society considers to be natural femininity is thereby shown by the female AI, who is not just acting out gender like a real woman would but instead, she is designed for her job, That is to take over the wife’s  job with cleaning the house and taking care of the kids.The AI job would fall under the category of housework and stereotypes of gendered careers.

The final key element is provided by Donna Haraway’s essay that she wrote,  Cyborg Manifesto (1985), which introduces to the world post-humanist feminism. According to Haraway, the cyborg and a machine-organ hybrid represent the strict limitations of identity, particularly within gender. According to Haraway, the cyborg might challenge standard stereotypes like male or female, human or machine, and natural or artificial. This creates unique chances to imagine identities outside of systems of oppression. This is used in AI movies such as Subservience. Haraway’s thesis challenges us to think about whether these female AI characters are simply repeating the same oppressive institutions in a new advanced technological form, or if they have the ability to overcome their programming and express a type of post-gender identity. Many stories eventually return to well-known gender dynamics and present strong women. Even if they are artificial ones, as a threat that needs to be silenced or reprogrammed. Even though other stories play with the idea of AI being independent and rejecting human-imposed boundaries. Thus, Haraway’s perspective enables us to recognize more than just alternatives to the current power systems.ntil all of these theories have been combined. Mulvey, Butler, and Haraway offer an extensive framework for examining AI movies from a feminist perspective. This framework really takes into account not only how women are portrayed visually, but also how their gender roles are established, protected and even changed in stories that combine gendered technology and their own power.

An Analysis of Subservice

Now let’s get into talking more about the movie Subservience. After his wife is admitted to the hospital, a distraught father in Subservience purchases a humanoid AI robot named Alice that is played by Megan Fox  to help with chores at home. A supposedly simple solution for physical and emotional challenges soon turns into a more complex situation. The AI is presented at first as a useful tool that gradually takes on a central role in the home, both practically and emotionally, as she continues to grow romantically attached to the father she is assisting. She first appears in the story as a bright, self-aware, and curious character that breaks away from the typical images of supporting the idea of freedom and puts women in submissive roles. By the end of the film, the same character is depicted as violent, unpredictable, and eventually imprisoned within their own masculine structures designed for the AI.

The choice to put Megan Fox in the starring position has significant symbolic importance. She has been known for being objectified and sexually abused in several of her past film performances. For example, Megan’s cultural Issues highlight the audience’s awareness of the film’s marketing of femininity and sexuality. The paradox of a movie that seems to focus on female autonomy while yet depending on the visual codes of the male gaze is further highlighted by the casting. According to Laura Mulvey’s idea that mainstream film portrays women as passive objects rather than narrative agents, Megan Fox’s relationships, stance, and physical appearance are all repeatedly framed to appeal to the average heterosexual man.  Instead, her body is still advertised to be visually appealing to the viewer’s  consumer and her freedom in simple terms, and it is aestheticized rather than fully fulfilled, even when AI displays their independence.

According to Judith Butler’s idea of gender performance, the AI Alice starts displaying complex emotions as like she didn’t want to do her job and was sad and down and this happens because of her  personal need traits such as falling  for the owner also known as the father she was helping out. Alice  is coded as “feminine” which starts to change from its initial definition, indicating something different from the behavior that her coding implies.  starts to express opinions, challenge authority, and even disobey orders. This forces us to question the idea that Alice’s identity is set in stone or that she is usually submissive. These acts of self-determination provide Alice a glimpse of dignity and freedom, showing her potential as more than just a programmed assistant. But instead of recognizing her agency, she is viewed as a danger.

The narrative turns toward showing her as unstable or dangerous the more she departs from her assigned role. Her resistance was viewed as disorganized, and her wants are romanticized. The long-standing traditional concerns about female empowerment would be echoed by this change. As soon as the AI overcomes Alice’s original “usefulness,” it will cut off Nick’s needs, which is why he bought her. Alice has to be restrained, rewired, or perhaps destroyed. Alice’s rebellion is presented as an eternal problem that threatens the state of things rather than as a  reasonable fight for freedom. A  feminist critique points this out, this resolution reinforces the idea that women have independence and that, if they are artificial, they need to be controlled by reclaiming authority over their bodies and minds. Additionally, it implies that although female strength and intelligence could be interesting or even attractive in theory, they become unappealing when they challenge Nick, the male authority figure.

Subservience is essentially in keeping with the framework that Donna Hararway outlines in her Cyborg Manifesto. The AI, Alice, is a representation of the cyborg and a character who crosses boundaries, blurring the distinction between women and machines and having the ability to challenge existing structures. However, by punishing the AI for breaking from her duty, the movie maintains the old patterns rather than using her post-human potential for creating a society free from gender inequality. She must continue to be subservient or risk being destroyed; she is not permitted to exist as an individual in her own right. This makes it clear that, even in imagined situations, female-coded computers must live up to standards of quiet, beauty, and service.  Mulvey’s idea of the male gaze and how it appears in the movie. The AI is frequently reduced to an object of beauty and passion rather than a person by the camera’s constant focus on her physical characteristics.

This visual framing brings back memories of past movies such as Ex Machina, a film in which the AI character Ava is feared and portrayed as a highly intelligent and emotionally aware AI who blurs the line between human and machine, ultimately challenging and manipulating her creator’s control to gain freedom. In contrast to Subservience, the AI’s body becomes the site of a power struggle where it is both prized and distrustful.   By making use of Alice as a stand-in for his hospitalized wife, the male protagonist Nick feels onto the AI by helping him with the kids and cleaning the house so he can relax after work. This supports Mulvey’s claim that women are the “bearers of meaning, not the makers of meaning.” from Laura Mulvey  (influential 1975 essay) Alice’s self-awareness becomes impaired by the limits that are placed on her rights and her constant tracking.   Judith Butler’sdemonstrates how gender in AI is , which shows how gender in AI is programmed rather than natural.

The AI in Subservience is made to behave, talk, and react in ways that conform to the ideals of femininity—being compassionate, attractive, submitting, and emotionally available. This manufactured gender performance illustrates how, in the real world, femininity is also an idea that is supported by societal standards, the media, and even society as a whole. Even if they seem self-aware and curious, AI is still restricted to a male-designed job. Alice  faces these boundaries at first, and when she shows her independence or discovers love behaviors, the regaining of male power damages her. In this sense, the movie supports Butler’s claim that gender performance is imposed by correction and repetition.  

The posthumanist feminism of Donna Haraway offers an example through which one can analyze the differences between women and machines. According to Haraway, the cyborg is a metaphor for overcoming traditional splits, such as gender. The female AI in subservience at first seems to play this rebellious role; although she is not fully human, she shows power, needs, and a sense of identity. However, because traditional roles are being rapidly decreased she has a chance to break free from them. The story pulls her back into the limitations of “dependence,” suggesting that women’s freedom, especially for those who are technologically symbolized, is a fiction. Her “subservience” is just the title; it also serves as a thematic  foundation or highlights the idea of how powerful women need to be programmed or subjugated. Making a comparison between the films to the  subservience movie. Alice draws attention to the ongoing pattern of emotionally capable female AIs being used as instruments for male happiness. Like in the movie Her, Samantha gains consciousness in herself and eventually chooses to be a human partner, showing her independence. Subservience power control, whereas Her ends with the AI’s freedom. This change reflects a cultural shift in which female AI characters’ independence is now viewed as harmful rather than exciting . This is also similar to the film EX Machina, which presented a more radical yet darker conclusion in which the female AI escapes and asserts.

There are many different ways to look at AI and what the meaning is behind them but overall  ‘like in the movie’ Subservience AI is used to make men happy and make sure they get what they need.  The culture that Subservience develops is both expressed and criticised through it. It does, however, refer to feminist issues by illustrating the AI’s need for independence and her displeasure with being used. However, it also feeds the concern that kids that watch this movie will need to be watched over and managed even if they are smarter and more self-aware because of how complex and eventful the movie gets This conflict reflects problems in the actual world where women’s freedoms are restricted and limited due to social, technological, and even legal structures.  According to the website Fiveable (2018) believes that feminist media theory allows people to comprehend the power systems behind content rather than analyze it. Subservience turns into a case study of how gender stereotypes are both upheld and pushed by the media. Additionally, while limiting a female character to an extremely happy ending, which was that the family put Alice in jail and because of  that it  saved the kids from being in danger from Alice. it asks audiences to relate with them. 

In summary, Subservience represents both the potential and limits of gender portrayal in modern media, placing it at an important point in feminist film discourse. The film first hints toward the feminist resistance while acknowledging the profound conflicts between gender and technology, power and freedom. Its female AI lead, who is shown to be intelligent, emotionally complex, and even driven by self-determination, appears to provide a break from traditional images of women as obedient, weak characters. However, a deeper look, especially using the theoretical frameworks set forward by Donna Hararway, Judith Butler, and Laura Mulvey, reveals that the movie fails in the end to provide a true challenge to male standards. Rather, it supports the fundamental social anxieties about women and the independence and self-reliance they seek, especially in places where male power has always held weight.  Let’s analyze the situation from Mulvey’s point of view. At first, subservience seems to challenge the “Male gaze” by giving its female characters power and depth. In order to restore visual and narrative control over her and put her back in the role of show rather than subject, the framing, camera work, and plot development shift as the story goes on. There is a desire for stories that play with the idea of female strength, there is still a lasting cultural discomfort with women who want extreme liberty. When female characters depart from their “assigned” roles, there is often a reaction,  The main person in the movie is the one that gets to run and control them.

In the end, Subservience reinforces outdated fears that women who challenge established structures must be taken away, punished, or subjugated. It starts with the promise of feminist advancement and ends with an intellectual, self-aware woman (albeit Artificial) navigating her own identity.  Particularly in technological settings where control and power dynamics are already so evident, the AI’s fight for independence is diagnosed rather than cheered, reflecting a larger community discomfort with the idea of female independence. It is evident from analyzing these relationships using feminist film theory that AI movies like Subservience serve as mirrors of our current cultural ideals, goals, and fears in addition to telling future tales. They reveal society’s profound conflict between gender and power, as well as its wanting for progress and inability to completely abandon established structures. We can better understand the cultural work that films related to gender and AI perform when we consider how subservience deals and finally submits to these conflicts.  Additionally, it draws attention to the critical need for new stories that offer genuine visions of equality and freedom in both human and post-human worlds, breaking free from the cycle of empowerment and restriction.

The conclusion on Subservience

In summary, Subservience portrays itself as a story of female AI empowerment, but in the end, it supports traditional concerns about independent women. The movie shows how deeply ingrained gender standards are in media, even in future stories, when viewed through the eyes of feminist film theory Mulvey’s male gaze, Butler’s gender performance, and Haraway’s posthuman feminism. Although starting out as an image of power, Alice is eventually punished for breaking from her designated obligation, which represents society’s ongoing dislike of female freedom. This shows the pressing need for media that represents real freedom in addition to challenging existing power structures.

Sources

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Janes, D. (2018, March). 30 Essential Feminist Movies You Need to See. Retrieved from Harper’s BAZAAR website: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/g19037519/best-feminist-movies/

Tyler, A. (2024, December 9). Subservience Ending Explained: What Alice’s Programming Twist Means For A Sequel. Retrieved April 1, 2025, from ScreenRant website: https://screenrant.com/subservience-movie-ending-explained/

Wood, J. T. (1994). Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender (p. 32). Retrieved from https://www1.udel.edu/comm245/readings/GenderedMedia.pdf