James Bond films are well known for their high-speed chases, futuristic gadgets, cunning villains, suave hero, and of course, the beautiful women behind the man audiences love and know as Bond, James Bond. Bond, who is frequently addressed as MI6's agent 007, has engaged with female characters throughout the twenty-four Bond feature films and his interactions with women, along with other characters interactions, show how women have and have not evolved in the film-industry over the span of the franchise. Several female characters have reoccurring roles, such as Miss Moneypenny and M, where others such as the well-known Bond Girls, each make only one appearance. Comparing the evolution of female characters in the James Bond films over the last 50 years shows the marginalization of women in today's society.

Bond Girls are an essential part of Bond films, complementing Bond's physique and providing him a target of his suave nature and humor. Bond Girls accentuate James's masculinity, providing him a beautiful accent piece to his classic looks. These "particularly striking" women are often adventurous in nature with cunning intellectual attributes and provide strong potential for romantic entanglement with Bond (Neuendorf). These women have flawless physiques, embody confidence, and are typically taken with 007's charm. James, more often than not, sleeps with the girl with the coveted title of Bond Girl despite any resistance they might have.

The first Bond film, Dr. No (1962), introduces viewers to their first Bond Girl, Honey Ryder. Other suggestive names of Bond Girls such as Pussy Galore (Goldfinger, 1964, Kissy Suzuki (You Only Live Twice, 1967), Holly Goodhead (Moonraker, 1979), Xenia Onatopp (Goldeneye, 1995), and Wei Lin (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997) follow in suit. Due to the suggestive names these girls are given, the title of Bond Girl has negative connotation to it. (Neuendorf). These suggestive names illustrate women as overtly sexual beings who sleep with Bond on a whim. Bond Girls are often criticized for their willingness to have sex with him, yet Bond is rarely called out for sleeping with all the women he has dalliances with, which shows a double standard for males and females. 

Many of the female characters in Bond films are the target of violence and more often than not wind up as Bond's romantic partner. In Bond films today, "many female characters ... are framed as objects of sex or violence, or considered easily dispensable" (Neuendorf). Bond typically acts as the "knight in shining armor", saving the "damsel in distress" from being the target of deadly gunfire and high-speed chases. Over the course of the 20 films that were analyzed, in "Shaken and Stirred: A Content Analysis of Women 's Portrayals in James Bond Films," the women were always involved in sexual activity or were being the target of a weapon. (Neuendorf). In the most recent Bond film Spectre (2015), Bond girl Madeleine Swann becomes the target of her late father's affiliated organization SPECTRE. With a promise to keep her safe, Bond shows up to Dr. Swann's psychology clinic in the Swiss Alps, but before he can convince her to comply and go with him, Mr. Hinx, a high-ranking member of SPECTRE, kidnaps her. A high-speed chase ensues and Bond heads out after Dr. Swann, who is in one of three black armored vehicles. Bond chases after them in a small plane, attempting to halt their travel through the snowy tundra. After successfully taking out one of the vehicles, he crashes his plane through a barn in attempt to catch up to his prey. In doing so, the two remaining vehicles crash, which allows Bond to rescue Dr. Swann from her kidnappers (Mendes, 2015). This cinematic example shows how vulnerable Bond Girls are when it comes to being the target of the villain and how Bond always manages to save them and wind up with them romantically. Dockterman summed it up best when she stated, "Spectre fails to create a powerful Bond girl ... [A]ttempts to modernize the Bond girl are halfhearted at best ... Madeleine, like so many Bond girls before her, ends up getting kidnapped  --  twice." Although the lead woman of Spectre is a powerful and multidimensional character that is so much more than the stereotypical Bond girl, she has not evolved enough to break the boundaries that have been put in place by the enterprise (James Bond 007).

Western society expresses similar characteristics to the Bond franchise, as women are often times represented as sexual beings and nothing more. Women in general are over sexualized and grossly underrepresented in film, not only in Hollywood, but also across the globe. Studies conducted show that in terms of underrepresentation, the United States is among the worst offenders, which also includes Japan, France, the United Kingdom, and India. Australia, Germany, and the male-dominated North Korea, and China had closer male to female ratios. The study also concluded that the number of women in sexually revealing attire in R-rated films was not significantly greater than that of G-rated films (Killoran). The underrepresentation of symbolic female characters that do not exist for the sole purpose of sex in Bond films is reflected in today's society, which shows how society has failed to evolve in the past five decades. 

Another female character that audiences recognize throughout the entirety of the Bond series is Miss Moneypenny, M's personal secretary that remains infatuated with 007, only to wind up sleeping with him in the most recent film, Spectre (2015). Only three actresses played Moneypenny over the course of twenty-four films, which helps audiences recognize and pay attention to her and Bond's playful banter with her throughout the series. 

Miss Money is portrayed as a sexual object through out the entirety of the Bond films. Although Moneypenney has not once slept with 007 until the most recent film, she remains a sexual object through out the Bond franchise. Different elements of feminism fracture the ultimate goal of feminism: to remain independent from their male counterparts (Brabazon). She often flirts with Bond and although the two had never engaged in sexual activity, their consistent flirting enforces the trend that Bond is the masculine hero that every girl wants a piece of, and in turn gets a piece of them! In Dr. No, the first of the Bond films, there are several clear examples of the flirtation between Bond and Miss Moneypenny:

"Moneypenny: You've never taken me to dinner looking like this, James. You've never taken me to dinner period. 

James: I would, you know. Only M would have me court-marshaled for illegal use of government property.

Moneypenny: Flattery will get you nowhere  --  but don't stop trying," (Young, 1962). 

It is in this instance where the audience is first able to recognize the sexual tension between the two characters. Bond often discusses his sex life with Moneypenny, adding to the sexual tension between the two. 

Goldeneye brings about a new portrayal of Miss Moneypenny, who appears visually drastic different from her predecessors.  Moneypenny "brings home the necessary evolution of a female character who had been progressively aged and styled to incarnate the bitchy spinster, the social outcast of Bond's glamorous world" (Germana). Samantha Bond's portrayal of Miss Moneypenny clearly means business based off her newfound look. Bond is quick to point out Moneypenny's transformed look, noting that she is "dressed to kill" and she disapprovingly remarks "I know you find this crushing 007, but I don't go home every night waiting for some international incident, so I can rush down here to impress James Bond. I was on a date, if you must know, with a gentleman," (Campbell, 1995). Moneypenny did not only evolve in her portrayal, dress, and a newfound confidence, as she sticks up for herself against the misogynistic 007, but she seems to detach herself from her previous infatuation with Bond. 

The character of Moneypenny continues to grow and evolve up through the 2012 installment of the franchise Skyfall in which Moneypenny is in the field. Naomie Harris jumped into the iconic role of Moneypenny as "Eve, appearing as an agent in the field in Skyfall before apparently being relegated to a desk job and renamed Moneypenny" (Furness). Although Moneypenny seems to be treated as an equal at the beginning of Skyfall, she is quickly sent back to her desk to serve as a secretary. The new Moneypenny is also black, which helps project the franchise forward to keep with the times of parity in Hollywood.  

In relationship to society, countless Hollywood actresses have expressed their concerns of the lack of financial equality amongst equally valuable characters to their respected affiliations. After the 2014 hack of Sony's computer system revealed that Jenifer Lawerence was making significantly less than her male counterparts in the 2013 Golden Globe winner for best motion picture - musical or comedy, American Hustle, she expressed her frustration in an interview with Lena Dunham for her blog Lenny Letter (Smith). Racial and age discrimination are also contemporary issues in the Hollywood film industry. *Jimmy's article*

After 33 years of Bond films, a drastic change was made to the "man in charge", M who is in charge of MI6. Starring as a female character in the 1995 film Goldeneye, Dame Judi Dench made her first appearance as a female powerhouse. Bond initially acknowledged his new boss with tepid but growing respect, unlike most previous women in Bond films, partly because "we've surrounded him with very strong women who have no problem putting him in his place" (Craig). Dame Judi Dench as M was the first female character to directly speak her mind to Bond about his attitude towards sex, notably remarking, "I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the cold war, whose boyish charms although wasted on me obviously appealed to that young woman I sent to evaluate you," (Campbell, 1995). M got the same respect as her former male counterparts and Bond eventually even looked up to her. 

M, traditionally a male, is typically clothed in nothing but the nicest suits. M, as played by Dame Judi Dench, was typically dressed in suits with long blazers with squared shoulder, with the occasional low-cut top. Her only traditionally feminine accessories were small stud earrings and lipstick (Germana). Although Dench's role as M showed a woman in high authority with a lot of power and control, "it could be argued ... that power dressing, in enforcing a kind of masculine-gendered sartorial behaviour on the female executive, reinforces the masculine/feminine hierarchical structure," which would imply the reverse of the intentions of progression (Germana). 

The evolution of M shows some previously mentioned progressive aspects. Formerly, a man had been in charge of the secret intelligent service MI6. From Dr. No to License to Kill (1989) five male actors had the luxury of playing the highly sought-after character of M. The transition from a male to a female character in 1995 was revolutionary. Dame Judi Dench's role lasted from 19995's Goldeneye until 2012's Skyfall, where she met her demise after seven films. Dame Judi Dench's character of M makes two cameos in Spectre, once in the title sequence and once in a prerecorded video intended for 007. In Spectre, M's portrayal was reverted back to a male, which shows regression as to the former progression.

SOCIETY IN RELATIONSHIP TO M.

Although many argue that Bond women are objectified and portrayed as idealistic figures that many aspire to be, others argue that Bond himself represents the ideal image of a man of our society. Instead of putting emphasis on the subjectivity of the female characters, some put Bond into the spotlight and critique the immense pressure that males have to be Bond-like. In an interview with Redbulletin Daniel Craig was asked about how many men admire Bond's ways with the ladies, to which Craig responded "Let's not forget that he's actually a misogynist. A lot of women are drawn to him chiefly because he embodies a certain kind of danger and never sticks around for too long". Bond lives a consequence-free life that men of our society would be driven mad by (Barber). There are no repercussions for his actions sexually, legally, or otherwise, and women consistently lust after him, while men respect him and envy his lifestyle. Where in real life a Bond-type figure would wind up driven mad by loneliness, with sexually transmitted diseases, inevitably impregnate a sexual partner, and/or be incarcerated, Bond is instead praised and is allowed to keep his coveted title of MI6 agent 007. Barber argues that the women of Bond have evolved immensely in comparison with the image of men portrayed by James Bond, as he remains a hypersexual male who most men only strive to be. 

CONCLUSION With the franchise ever evolving and characters retiring their roles, many wonder what is in the future for the women of Bond? With rumors of Daniel Craig's retirement from the position of 007, who will next adjourn the next in line for the throne? "Moneypenny is relegated to relaying instructions to Bond from a desk while he gets to drive the Aston Martin in a car chase" (Dockterman).

