Dr Monica Germanà, Senior Lecturer on the Creative Writing and English Literature BA course, wrote an article for The Conversation about gender politics in James Bond movies.
In the article, Dr Germanà discussed the news of Billie Eilish being named the singer of the new Bond film theme song. She wrote that the decision to have Eilish sing the song may “suggest more about the producers’ intentions with regards to the ongoing debates on the gender politics within the Bond films.”
She added: “However, while the script may be getting a gender update, many of the theme songs, and their iconic female performers, have struck a chord with Bond’s regressive attitudes toward women and female agency.”
Dr Germanà discussed how the new movie promises change by giving women complex roles, and that Billie Eilish fits with this renewed sense of female agency in the franchise. She wrote: “At 18 she has cemented a reputation of going against the tide of expectation as a musician, young person and female artist within the pop industry.”