According to the theory of basic emotions and expressions by Paul Ekman, humans have six basic emotions—sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust—that transcend cultural and social barriers. The perception of these emotions is also reportedly equal across groups of people: smiling indicates happiness, while widening eyes implies fear. However, despite the universality of human emotion, emotions are still characterized differently based on who expresses them.
“Just a minor encounter with the shrew,” says Michael, looking frazzled after interacting with Kat Stratford. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat is immediately set apart from the “other girls,” preferring to listen to hard rock music instead of folk or pop, and wanting to stay at home and read feminist literature rather than go out to party. She is confident and angry and does not care what other people think of her. In response to her outspoken personality, she gets vitriol. When she raises her hand in English class, the class groans and rolls their eyes. She’s called a “self-righteous hag” and a “heinous b*tch,” among other things, all for the crime of speaking her mind.
Kat embraces the persona of the “difficult woman,” but that does not stop others from making insulting assumptions and remarks about her. A difficult woman is labeled as unreasonable, selfish, and unfeminine. Open to conflict, a difficult woman is crucified for emotions that represent anything other than muted positivity. The gendering of anger has had far-reaching impacts. While anger in men is regarded as strength and confidence, anger in women is seen as irrational and absurd. A man who is angry is bold; a woman who is angry is aggressive.
10 Things I Hate About You juxtaposes Kat and her sister, Bianca Stratford. Bianca represents the stereotypical “high school girl,” outfitted in pastels, obsessed with fashion, and desperate for the approval of others. She too spews criticism towards her sister, calling her a “b*tch” and “hideous breed of loser.” She resents Kat’s unabashed breaking of expectations and hates being associated with her. In contrast to Kat’s rebellious image, Bianca initially represents the “obedient woman,” soft-spoken, submissive, and conformist. She goes to parties because everyone expects her to be there, responds to boys’ affections because she thinks that’s what she’s supposed to do.
The central plot of 10 Things I Hate About You is based off of the Shakespeare play “The Taming of the Shrew.” Kat, in all her defiant and disobedient glory, is in need of “taming.” After some complex scheming, Patrick Verona, who is equally rebellious and outcast, is paid to take her out on a date. Though both Kat and Patrick go against expectation, Kat is villainized for it while Patrick is respected. The other characters view Kat as someone who needs to be handled and managed, as if her authentic self is overwhelming. She’s too intimidating, too opinionated, too bossy, too emotional, too much for them.
Even the obedient and submissive woman is not free from these negative characteristics; irrationality and absurdity are tied with “females.” When Kat expresses a criticism in her English class, the most popular guy in school, Joey Donner, asks the teacher, “Is there any chance we could get Kat to take her Midol before she comes to class?” Midol is a drug for menstrual pain relief, and Joey’s joke is a prime example of period stigma. Those who are perceived as behaving in an aggressive manner can be reduced to victims of their hormones and accused of menstruating. Such a stereotype is associated with people not taking women seriously, as any judgment they have can be seen as just because it is their “time of the month.” The second a submissive woman dares to speak her mind, she will be chained by the same sexist stereotypes that plague difficult women.
10 Things I Hate About You subverts this juxtaposition in its latter half, revealing the complexities behind the labels of “difficult woman” and “submissive woman.” When opening up to Patrick, Kat reveals that many of the things said about her are merely rumors. Her hostility is exaggerated by the people intimidated by her shameless willingness to be herself. Bianca, on the other hand, receives all of Joey’s affections and the associated social status but realizes that even with everything she thought she had always wanted, she isn’t happy. She punches him at the prom and goes with another guy, Cameron, instead, breaking free from her obedient persona and desire for social approval.
This is not to say that everyone should work to be difficult. Instead, 10 Things I Hate About You values the authenticity within imperfection. Kat can be a feminist and Bianca can be traditionally feminine, but neither of their reputations should be marred by others’ opinions of their supposedly hostile emotions. The Stratford sisters teach us that it is better to be marked as a “heinous b*tch” by some than be boxed into obedient perfection and live an inauthentic life.
