Don't Judge Me

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Bodeen is a small Texas town with nothing going for it. Stuck working at the Oink Joint (a burger bar boasting a statue of a giant pig on its roof) and reluctantly competing in beauty pageants, Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page) is more than ready to get out.

Her escape route of choice is Roller Derby, an unconventional sport played by women whose very appearance would horrify her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). Taken on by the enthusiastic but hopeless Hurl Scout team, and telling her parents that she's taking after-school classes, Bliss is secretly transformed into star skater Babe Ruthless. But her double life is increasingly endangered as she struggles to reconcile her newfound passion for skating with her mother's expectations.

A celebration of female friendship and oddball outsiderdom, Whip It is more than the sum of its sporting-movie clichés. Bliss's journey might be both familiar and entirely predictable, but there's just enough offbeat fun - and unexpectedly subtle character moments - to make the film a success. Rising star Ellen Page makes a likeable protagonist, whilst the supporting cast all bring a quirky energy to their characters. Though an unexpected box office flop, Whip It's critical reception confirmed it as a film surpassing its fairly humble aims.

Like all coming-of-age stories, Whip It is about a search for identity and belonging. Bliss feels trapped by her mother's idea of what she ought to be, and the alternative possibilities offered to her by Roller Derby are life-changing. The sport might seem trivial, even ridiculous, but to Bliss it represents the freedom to be herself. The Hurl Scouts revel in nonconformity, from dressing in ways that defy conventional femininity, to celebrating their loser status. 'All that 'be number one' corporate crap doesn't apply,' Bliss is gleefully told by a fellow skater. 'Our bad attitude's an asset here.' To these girls, the fun of taking part genuinely matters more than the winning.

Bliss's new lifestyle is at odds with the conservative values of her mother, Brooke, an ex-beauty queen now working as a postwoman. Her knee-jerk reaction to Bliss's teammates reveals her prejudices - 'What do you think the world thinks of those girls with their tattoos? Do you think they have an easy time finding a job? Or going to a decent college?' - but ultimately she is a three-dimensional character rather than a straightforward villain. She is subject to 'moral weaknesses' of her own, and genuinely believes that the pageant lifestyle is what's best for her daughter, whom she has carefully safeguarded from all potential bad influences.

In the film's most affecting scene, a regretful and emotionally vulnerable Bliss returns home after storming out on her parents. The white-flag request which she makes to her mother - 'Please don't judge me right now' - will ring true with the experience of many, and not only teenagers. Whatever differences of ideology they might have and whatever unresolved conflict still lies between them, in that moment Bliss simply needs to be accepted and loved as a daughter. We are all in need of this kind of grace in our relationships, with other people and with God. The love borne by a parent for a rebellious child is one of the pictures the Bible uses to portray God's love even for those who have turned their backs on him.

Bliss's hunger for acceptance - and joy at finding it - is apparent throughout the film. Her teammates are supportive, non-judgemental, and give her the opportunity to play to her strengths. As Babe Ruthless she is less timid and hesitant, more able to articulate and act upon what she wants in life. But is her new identity quite the perfect resolution it appears? Liberating as it might be in some ways, it is arguable that Roller Derby has more in common with beauty pageants than Bliss would like to think.

Both worlds place an expectation on women to look a certain way (demure dresses or provocative short skirts), and to exude a particular kind of attitude (subdued meekness, or defiant aggression). In both contexts they are performing for an audience, and perhaps being objectified by that audience. Roller Derby allows Bliss to escape her mother's 'psychotic idea of 50s womanhood', but it replaces this outmoded cultural ideal with contemporary culture's equally flawed model.

Thanks to scenes which offer a glimpse into the derby girls' inner lives, we know that there is more to them than this. Bliss's arch-rival Iron Maiven feels defined by her derby career, and fears what will happen when she grows too old to skate. Maggie Mayhem is a Hurl Scout by night and mother to a small son by day. Though the women try to keep these facts out of their skating lives, the film shows that their 'empowered' track personas do not tell the whole story. This reflects a culture where female empowerment is often equated to an aggressive, domineering attitude, while vulnerability is swept under the carpet and nurturing roles are devalued because they are 'conventional'.

True empowerment is the freedom to be who we were created to be, not subject to changing social trends - whatever these trends happen to favour. The Bible's model for femininity is rich and diverse, from warrior-ruler Deborah to beauty pageant winner Esther. From Ruth, who risked everything for family loyalty, to Mary, who defied social convention to give birth to Jesus, these women are held up as examples for their courage, faith and inner beauty. In all his interactions with women, as documented in the gospels, Jesus radically went against the culture of his time by allowing them dignity as whole people. For women following Jesus, a sense of identity - and true empowerment - comes not from any outward change of status, style or ideology. It comes from the same inner transformation he offers to all people, men and women alike: a change which begins with his infinitely accepting grace. 

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