Twitter Female Character Descriptions

Skip navigation!

We talk a lot about sexism in Hollywood (along with ageism, racism, and general discrimination against pretty much all people except for privileged white men). It is real. And it is not spectacular. But the world rarely gets a true look at how these dynamics play out on a micro level, starting with words on the page. One industry insider — a producer named Ross Putman — is putting it all out there on Twitter, revealing actual female lead descriptions from real scripts. (Putnam has not yet returned Refinery29's request for comment.) Putman changes all names to "Jane," but otherwise leaves the text alone, sharing entries one at a time. As you scroll through the Twitter page, a disappointingly predictable pattern emerges. Before we know anything else about her, we're told that "Jane" is beautiful — even when she is tired, or slightly beyond her model-esque prime, or crouched in a science lab, or wearing blue jeans. The descriptions of these characters are, in a word, enraging — and indicative of how far women haven't come in show business. But don't take our word for it. Check them out for yourself.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

Like draping the Venus De Milo in a burlap dress, Jane’s sensational natural beauty fights through her plain blue Ann Taylor outfit.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE stands next to it (30's) dressed in a paramedic's uniform - blonde, fit, smokin' hot.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

A gorgeous woman, JANE, 23, is a little tipsy, dancing naked on her big bed, as adorable as she is sexy. *BONUS PTS FOR BEING THE 1ST LINE
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

All heads turn to find JANE (28) in the doorway: stunning and trying her best to hide it.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

A YOUNG MEXICAN WOMAN sitting on a BUS STOP BENCH. Her name is JANE. She yawns, stretching her pretty face as she struggles to wake up.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE is in her mid-30s and attractive, even now with dark semi-circles underlining her closed eyes.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

Behind a steamy shower door is the indistinguishable but sexy silhouette of JANE showering.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

This is JANE. She’s lithe, leggy, spirited, outgoing, not afraid to speak her mind, with a sense of humor as dry as the Sonoran Desert.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

His wife JANE is making dinner and watching CNN on a small TV. She was model pretty once, but living an actual life has taken its toll.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE (late 20s) sits hunched over a microscope. She’s attractive, but too much of a professional to care about her appearance.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

Though drop-dead beautiful, JANE (40) has the appearance of someone whose confidence has been shaken. She is a raw, sexual force, impeded.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE pours her gorgeous figure into a tight dress, slips into her stiletto-heeled fuck-me shoes, and checks herself in the dresser mirror.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE, a 19 year old Bunny girl - honey-blonde farmland beauty queen.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

JANE, 28, athletic but sexy. A natural beauty. Most days she wears jeans, and she makes them look good.
— Ross Putman (@femscriptintros) February 10, 2016

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT