COURSE BLOG for GWSS 3307: Feminist Film/Media Studies (Fall 2007)

I wrote the final paper on feminist praxis in media.

Thesis: In this paper, I intend to explore the ways in which stereotypical representations can be challenged through feminist praxis activities and to discuss some areas where feminist praxis may be useful to challenge stereotypical representations.

My basic argument is that forms of media with feminist theory as an influence are more socially progressive and less stereotypical than other forms of media. For this reason, I determined that feminist praxis should be part of media studies. My paper focused on the concept of voice and especially on the concept of representation. I used The Watermelon Woman and NO!: The Rape Documentary as examples of 'positive' representations. These specific films construct identity in a new and interesting way, and their subject matter is very feminist. Additionally, the independent spirit of these productions, and Simmons' creation of a female production team are also feminist in nature.

I contrasted these representations with the representations presented in surgical reality TV shows. While this is an odd choice to make, given the obvious differences between the mediums, I thought it was a useful one. Many of the surgical reality TV episodes center on conception of self and how surgery will help make people "complete." Additionally, this is a different way of presenting reality in comparison to documentaries, or mockumentaries that seek to illuminate a social truth. I thought that feminist praxis could be useful in these kinds of shows, to highlight the racial and gender bias that drives many people to have cosmetic operations -- and to present a more honest, holistic picture of the recovery process.

My last example was FIRE (Feminist International Radio Endeavor. I thought it was interesting to use this form of media, because it is online and thus very widely available in Western contexts. Additionally, I thought that it was telling that a source dedicated to expressing the voices of Third World women, who are so often bearing the brunt of world conflict, features these women in such a disembodied form. So while it is certainly a problematic representation, I thought that FIRE was a really interesting counter-production in comparison to "ordinary news."

My conclusion was that given the differences in representation between feminist praxis projects and projects with no interest in feminism, we can hardly afford to not have feminist praxis in media.