Femme Fatale vs Feminine Genius

At the end of an internship in New York, I picked up a book called Discovering the Feminine Genius by Katrina J. Zeno. It discussed a topic ever-relevant to Catholic women, and at many points I felt the tug to lend it to Catholic men. It had me thinking about the larger picture of women in the world, theologically and practically, and about my own journey.

While reading this book, I was shown a more breathtaking way to articulate who women are as beings: the Feminine Genius. Ironically, this also triggered me into thinking about the women I had experienced during English class: the Femme Fatale.

In Catholicism, hi-lighted in Zeno’s book, Pope John Paul II coined the term Feminine Genius. She is a woman who aims to be her best self, who she was created to be. She is a valued, loving being, made for communion and union. 

In literature and drama, an archetype of femininity is the Femme Fatale. She is a mysterious, seductive woman with a hidden agenda, sometimes demure, but at pivotal points dominant when luring her counterpart into dangerous, deadly situations.

So why not embrace the Fatale image of femininity? This type of woman builds enough intrigue to accelerate a plot in any story, be memorable, and get what she wants. She oozes independence and power, and women who are trying to earn their way into the “big leagues” of corporations, offices, classrooms and boardrooms are likely going to channel her to step up and stand out. She’s all over our ads, media, TV shows and Facebook pages.I’m talking about someone like Mrs. Smith depicted by Angelina Jolie- - sexy, confident and ready for action. The Fatale is so stealthy that we may not even notice that we get caught up in her tangle in the first place.

But in her radical pursuit of desire, the Fatale still leaves something to be desired. There are things this image does not capture for the women of today, or women in general: “dimension” being one of them. It lacks a certain genuine, loving nature that women are born with. When Jolie played Mrs Smith on-screen, people were more "interested in knowing Angelina herself" - the brave woman who loves her children, charity, and speaks for justice. People see fiction, delight in it, but crave the real woman behind the character. The Fatale is all well and good, but it’s not enough. It leaves women as one-trick ponies rather than dynamic beings. 

Are women attractive, intriguing, and capable? No question. But they’re much more than that.

With a little more to offer, we have the Feminine Genius. Instead of life-threatening, she’s life-giving. She’s a unique and beautiful woman whose inspirations ignite her beloved. She works in mysterious ways, yet always promotes a culture of life and togetherness. She is the epitome of loveliness in her truest form. Each Feminine Genius is created in unimaginable detail to make her labour of love into a gift of self. She’s not an archetype to look up to, she’s a spirit to live up to. Think of women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Theresa, Anne Frank, Jane Austen, Joan of Arc, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Florence Nightingale, Gianna Molla, and Helen Keller, to name a few. Each used their given gifts and talents, not only for themselves, but for the transformation of individuals, families and communities. No two Feminine Geniuses are the same. Discovering your own can be monumental.

Reading Discovering the Feminine Genius was a simple, mind-altering choice for me, and there are no limits as to who I’d recommend it to. While I still love reading fiction and admire art and theatre depicting the Femme Fatale, I’m much more satisfied with striving for the Feminine Genius myself.