Feminist Film/Media
After all the critique, I think the thing that makes the media feminist is the way the film is portrayed and what messages it sends to viewers. My stance on feminism, and the view in which I consider myself as one, is for the equality of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. For example, our viewing of “Live Nude Girls Unite” is considered feminist because the women are portrayed as fighting for their cause and it sends the message of strong women who want equality. In the movie NO! Aishah Simmons creates this film to bring equality to women of color, and light to the cause of the unnoticed raping by black men of black women.
Outside of class I have encountered what I would consider to be feminist media makers. The first one who comes to mind is Joss Whedon. Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Series in which shows Sarah Michelle Geller kicking vampire ass. This shows Buffy is a strong female, who does this better than the men can. Also, a film I will argue as feminist is Pride and Prejudice. This movie and book shows a very strong woman, Elizabeth Bennett, who in her own 18th century world has a witty and smart brain. This movie depicts Darcy and Elizabeth as equals in the end because of their respective intelligence and not because of their looks, gender, or connections.
These two examples are of media makers who do not explicitly say they are feminists. A work can be feminist without proclaiming “I am a feminist film maker!” However, we can read the subtext of the media and realize this is the case.
Feminist media: NO! Aishah Simmons, The Piano, Pride and Prejudice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Live Nude Girls Unite, Cheryl Duyne, Byron Hurt, and many other films and media makers.