Women In Fiction: Ian Fleming's Bond Girls

Of all the women in fiction that might be considered the product of a misogynist mind, Bond girls are bound to top the list among film fans. Yes, they're beautiful, mysterious creatures, but they're forever damsels in distress, in thrall to the heart-racing masculinity of Bond, James Bond.

I would argue, however, that it's those who have only seen the films, and haven't actually read Fleming's novels, who think this. I'm not going to pretend that there is nothing wrong with his portrayal of women, but the simpering dollybirds we take aim at are often a product of the cinema and not the Bond books.

Let's take Pussy Galore, for example. Roll in the hay? No way; she's actually the lesbian leader of a band of tough, Mafioso bitches. Casino Royale's Vesper Lynd is a dangerous double agent; she may fall for Bond, but he's the one who is left scarred and vowing not to trust women. And let us not forget the touching love story behind On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Thanks to George Lazenby's unpopular performance, the story of Bond's marriage and complete surrender to an intelligent woman who is tough without being either harsh or hapless is less well known than his numerous conquests.

In the case of some of the more malleable minxes, such as Solitaire, Kissy Suzuki or Tatiana Romanova, there are actually justifications for their apparently pathetic surrender. They are generally tokens, used to a life of belonging to something bigger, stronger and more awe-inspiring than themselves (would you want to go up against Rosa Klebb?). Kissy is possibly just charmingly bonkers, but then the whole of You Only Live Twice makes up by far the oddest Bond offering of all (and that includes Dr. No's venomous spiders and giant squid).

Of course there are some inexplicably simpering moppets. And it's certainly true that if women are not beautiful they're either long-suffering and pining (Miss. Moneypenny) or terrifying and grotesque (Ms. Klebb again). But the same is true of men. Bond is dark, brooding and handsome and, in Fleming's world, that's what makes a hero. Felix Leiter may be one of the sweetest of characters, but the bluff blond is quickly mangled by sharks. The male villains are generally unattractive, with arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld taking on two markedly different and equally unappealing appearances. It's a patriarchal world, perhaps, what with M being a man, but Bond can't get far without his birds - they are pivotal in the storyline, and he has as much of a weakness for them as they do for him, and sometimes it gets him into trouble.

Fleming's Bond is a more bitter, darker Bond as we're beginning to see a return to with Daniel Craig (why oh why is it not Clive Owen?). With any luck more Eva Green type goddesses will make an appearance alongside him; after all, what fun is Bond without a tough, clever girl to match his wits against?

Alex Roumbas is Deputy Editor of Shiny Shiny and was once given the Bond girl name Voluptia Drakul.

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