By Elizabeth Wurtzel -- In a 'Girls Gone Wild' world, whatever happened to the promise of feminism?

Even with women heading up several of Hollywood's major film companies and network television programming departments, as well as being presidents of three major talent unions, it is not evident how much women are leading the development of filmed entertainment projects.

A number of actors have found some of their juiciest and most pleasurable roles in playing the bad guy or tough guy, or someone willing to use a weapon to protect or avenge. In more and more films and TV projects those actors are women.

Leadership is often seen - and sought - in a context of social control, and, perhaps because of that, many adult women may relate to power and leadership in compromised and conflicted ways. Regardless of their true competence to lead.

Expressing how much she appreciated "Kill Bill" and its subversive female characters, writer Molly Haskell noted: ".. if feminism is about anything it's about the right - the obligation, even - to explore, critically and creatively, a whole range of emotional and physical possibilities that have been throttled by restrictive taboos... I happen to think Tarantino's kung-fu divas are a great deal more original, even 'womanly' than they have been given credit for, and certainly a lot more exciting than the usual babes-in-spandex action heroines."

In a magazine article, Jane Fonda noted that the "shutting down" of expression may start early in life: "Girls lose their original spirit in early adolescence," she said... Developing a meaningful identity, and a realistic self perception as being multitalented can be especially difficult for many women with exceptional abilities, who may fear losing or compromising their emotional connection with others.