Female Ambition and Social Resistance in Cruella (2021): A Feminist and Psychogenic Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the representation of women’s struggle and ambition in Cruella (2021), directed by Craig Gillespie. The film portrays female ambition as a strategic response to systemic oppression and psychological constraint. Set in 1970s London, the narrative follows Estella, a talented orphan who confronts social marginalization and professional exploitation under the authoritarian control of the Baroness, a powerful fashion designer. In reclaiming her identity, Estella adopts the persona of Cruella and transforms her marginalization into a calculated pursuit of recognition and dominance within the fashion industry. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method, analyzing narrative and cinematographic elements, including dialogue, camera techniques, and lighting. The analysis is grounded in Lise Vogel’s (2013) Social Reproduction Theory to explore structural factors shaping women’s struggle, and Henry Murray’s psychogenic needs theory as further developed by McAdams (2008) to categorize the protagonist’s forms of ambition. The findings reveal that Estella’s struggle emerges from both external forces—such as social bullying and institutional exploitation—and internal tensions involving identity suppression. In response, she channels ambition through three primary modes: achievement expressed through strategic disruption, exhibition through performative fashion spectacles, and recognition-seeking through symbolic rivalry. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that ambition operates not merely as personal desire but as a mechanism of resistance against patriarchal and exploitative power structures. Estella’s transformation into Cruella signifies both social defiance and psychological self-assertion, highlighting ambition as a catalyst for autonomy and empowerment.