Noir vs Neo-noir

After reading the article, "The Dark Past Keeps Returning: Gender Themes in Neo Noir" written by Heather Fireman. I see many similarities to noir. The mood is just about the same. "The noir style blends form and content; the dark side of human nature is reflected in the visually dark and menacing world that the noir characters inhabit" as mention in the article, and neo-noir seems to imitate classic noir. However, neo-noir uses the characteristics of noir in modern times, to express the anxieties of modern times (Fireman). Neo-noir exist in a post-modern frame of mind. It may be based on political views, current social commentary, or life as it exists in the present times. "Most noir is modernist and tries to find truth and make sense of a warped world. In post-modernism the world is too warped and incomprehensible, and our access is so flawed that we can not make sense of it"(Fireman). While film noir's genre was during the 1930's and 1940's, neo-noir cannot totally prevent using classic noir to express it's mood. "The language of noir is used to express anxieties belonging to modern times"(Fireman). The greatest distinction between the two appear to be the gender roles. WWII had an effect of noir gender characterization because the women were left at home and had to work to support the family that was left behind, this sort of took away from the family environment. When the war was over men were living in their proper roles as the bread winners and providers of the family. We see in neo-noir modern times, where women are more independent and aggressive. This changes the role of the protagonist, making the gender male or female and even both. The female protagonist seems to loose the femininity and sexuality, to becoming a hard, cold woman. The male protagonist may even be a little soft and more sensitive, loosing his true masculinity. The femme fatale role is still manipulative and seductive, however she has her own independence, making it hard for any man to provide what she needs besides sex. In neo-noir we have the aspect of color and reality, in a post-modern world with gender roles possibly reversed.