Haskell considers some of the feminist film theory of the 1970’s and 1980’s, emphasizing Western art’s disavowal of feminine sexuality and sexuality of the mother. Although she feels women have always had some degree of agency in choosing to become a sexually desirable object—for example, by posing—Haskell underscores the way in which women are victims of the fear their power inspires. Women have been depicted in film in a crossover of gender, allowing for some release of tremendous anxiety and uneasiness in the face of sexual fluidity and challenges to gender stereotypes.