Entertainment

Jessica Chastain's Posters Keep Things Positive

by Courtney Lindley
FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of women and activists descended upon Washington, D.C for the Women's March on Saturday. Together, they share a goal — to make female voices not only loud, but unable to be silenced. Along with an impressive pack of celebrities, self-proclaimed "nasty woman" Jessica Chastain will participate in the events, and lucky for us, she's been sharing updates via her Instagram.

Chastain has been an outspoken feminist and advocate for women throughout her career. She's re-imagined the ending of fairytales to be more feminist, she's stood up for equality in Hollywood, and she's been open about her desire to play only complex (and flawed) women. Additionally, Chastain's on the advisory board for a non-profit production company called We Do It Together, which focuses on female empowerment in media. She also started her own all-female production company called Freckle Films.

Along with two other participants, the actor posed with her Women's March signs on Instagram. One says, "We decide." The other, a play on words, reads, "Girls just want to have fun-damental rights." All three women are smiling and mimicking some form of the famous Rosie the Riveter pose.

Rather than lamenting all that's wrong — and, frankly, ominous — about the current man in power, Chastain is a woman of action. Both of her signs reflect this by making positive ideals the focal point.

From the looks of another photo she shared on Instagram, she's not entering the Women's March solo. It appears as if she's recruited some friends to join.

Last March, Chastain spoke about working with other women and the unfair stigma that exists. She told Haute Living,

“There has been a stigma out there that women don’t work well together. I’ve never seen women like this. I remember growing up hearing this myth, that women fight when they’re together and it’s completely inaccurate. I’ve never seen it.”

After Jennifer Lawrence penned an essay on the gender pay gap in Hollywood, Chastain chimed in on the concept of women benefitting from each other again. She said,

"I was talking to other actors about this recently, and the wonderful thing about having so many women on set is there hasn’t been anyone who has screamed or anything like that. It’s a very collaborative experience, and it’s been heaven for me. We all hang out all the time—there are no strange power plays or egos. We know how rare making this kind of film is. We’re giddy with happiness."

Chastain's method of female empowerment comes from a place of positive change by way of uniting. Instead of harping on the past, or focusing energy on what could happen to women during Trump's presidency, it appears that she's more interested in what women can do during Trump's presidency — together. Making the issues less about one man and more about the irrefutable power of many, many women.

Even without Hillary Clinton as our president, it looks like we're already headed somewhere stronger together.