If women speak up and pursue their own goals, they’re labelled bitches and we hate them for it. If they let themselves be humiliated and remain passive, we’ll tolerate what they have to say. At least, that’s the lesson we learn from the movies. Using examples from cinema and her own life, Brodie Lancaster looks at the enigmatic and unattainable trait of “likeability”, how it affects the decisions we make, and how we can change our perceptions of the women who dare to speak up.

Brodie Lancaster is a writer and editor, and the founder of Filmme Fatales, a publication that looks at film from a feminist perspective. She is a staff writer at Rookie, a senior editor at The Good Copy and, in 2015 was named one of Melbourne Writers Festival's 30 Under 30.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx