Discovering the Feminine in Rip Girls
Before their arrival in Hawaii, Sydneyâs father, Ben, refuses to tell Sydney anything about her mother. By suppressing any information about her maternal line, Ben cuts her off from a culture that, at least in the (undoubtedly oversimplified and exoticized) version presented in the movie, celebrates female power and community. He also denies her opportunities to make friends or realize her own potential by forbidding her from participating in potentially dangerous activities and pushing her towards solitary pursuits like photography. He teaches her that she is weak and isolates her from a community that would teach her that she is strong. Sydneyâs journey of the course of the movie is a journey towards claiming her own power and identity as a Hawaiian woman.
Rip Girls presents Hawaiian culture as a matriarchal world. Sydney learns about surfing, both as a sport and as a spiritual practice, from Gia. She learns about Hawaiian mythology from Giaâs mother, Malia, and listens to a folktale told in Hawaiian by an old woman. The story is about a brave girl who surfs an enormous wave to earn the love of a prince. The one Hawaiian male she befriends, Kona, consistently defers to the authority of the female characters. Kona, Gia, and Malia all believe encourage her to take risks and believe in herself. Hawaiian culture as portrayed in Rip Girls is one in which women are powerful, and where bonds between them are considered deeply important. Malia was Sydneyâs motherâs best friend, and when she angrily asks Ben, âWhy has [Sydney] never heard my name?â she reveals how important their bond was. In keeping Malia and Sydney apart, Ben denies Sydney a mother figure, a connection to her biological mother, a connection to her heritage, a role model to show her the importance of female friendships, and an entry into a community that respects and fosters powerful women. This is why it is important that we see Malia and Ben talking and laughing at the end of the movie: Ben can only make up for his crimes by letting Malia into his and Sydneyâs lives.
In the final scene of the movie, Sydney sits on a surfboard in the ocean and says aloha to the spirit of her dead mother. In this one brief shot, we see that Sydney has embraced her Hawaiian heritage, developed a bond of sorts with her mother, and gained enough courage and confidence to feel at home on a surfboard. She has discovered the beauty not just of the ocean, of surfing, or of Hawaiian culture, but the specific joys and triumphs of being female.
