“Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.”
The portrayal of Phoenix in Top Gun Maverick is by far my favorite part of the movie, and I’m so glad that Monica Barbaro got to meet some of the real female naval aviators (like my sister!) and really do justice to the character.
For those who don’t know much about the world of naval aviation, one of the biggest scandals in Navy history was Tailhook, back in 1991. Tailhook was an egregious event in which Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers were alleged to have sexually assaulted 80+ women, many of them fellow Navy officers, at a conference for naval aviation (the Tailhook Association). It was an embarrassment and showed just how toxic the culture was in naval aviation - especially surrounding women in (what still is) a very male-dominated community. And remember, the original Top Gun came out in the 80s - before Tailhook.
Fast forward a few decades and you’ve got LT Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, a badass, a TOP GUN graduate, and a character who simply is not treated just as the token woman but is shown to be just as good, if not better, than her peers. She’s shown to be quick on her feet and sharp as a whip. But the movie also shows the realism of her position - women are still underrepresented in jet aviation - and she still sometimes has to deal with the bravado and toxic masculinity of her peers.
My sister is a pilot for the Navy and I’ve spent the last few years in awe of what she and her friends do. But I’ve had the luxury of knowing someone in that position. I hope Phoenix’s character continues to inspire little girls around the country and show them they, too, can fly.
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