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

I'd like to further add to this confusion.

to the author of "today," I'd like to ask you about your comment on R.S's blog post.

This is not about content of arguments anymore. This is about discussion, respectful discussion.

R.S composed an argument, an intelligible, respectful, supported argument. This person read and sought to engage with your writing.

The least you could do is return the favor.

Though you claim, your response is "not a personal attack,” I would ask you to reread some of your statements and question whether this is truly the case.

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Examples from your comment:

"That being said, if you have such a problem with the way this country functions LEAVE!!!"

"However, you think women are treated and portrayed poorly in this country, you're in for a rude awakening sweetheart."

Instead of education, do you think illiteracy is more ideal? How would you suggest that our country survives on us all living in shacks and sleeping on the dirt ground. There are plenty of places on this earth where that is the living conditions, I'm sure you could make yourself at home."

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Your comments are condescending and rude. I respect whatever points you choose to argue. However, I will NEVER respect an argument that seeks to personally attack, belittle, and silence. That is what you have presented.

May I also suggest use of a less fallacious argument? I am uncomfortable with hypothetical examples of how I should be indebted to society because at least I’m not in
a
“war zone where your being abducted into sex-slave service while your 9year old brother is beaten and then drafted into the Rebel army to fight in combat to kill your best friends mom in the nearby village. Is advertising as bad as that?!?!(RowGophs)”

Thank you.
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bell hooks, on the formation of a new social order:

“New social orders are established gradually. This is hard for individuals in the United States to accept. We have either been socialized to believe that revolutions are always characterized by extreme violence between the oppressed and their oppressors or that revolutions happen quickly. We have also been taught to crave immediate gratification of our desires and swift responses to our demands.

“The formation of an oppositional world view is necessary for feminist struggle. This means that the world we have most intimately known, the world in which we feel “safe” (even if such feelings are based on illusions), must be radically changed.”

“Those revolutionary impulses must freely inform our theory and practice if feminist movement to end existing oppression is to progress, if we are to transform our present reality.”

Posted by Alissa McCourt at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Through out this semester, I watched so many different kinds of media to encounter feminist media. I believe that feminist film is about women’s story, in that film itself teaches us about our society. When I had to watch the movie piano, I thought that it is feminist movie, because the movie focuses on women instead of men for subject. Although women were portrayed as weak and not as powerful as men, camera focuses on woman, her journey and her experiences or thoughts.

I don’t think there is definite line to categorize which movie is feminist movie or not, but what is more important is audience’s reception. We all know that film production cannot be done without audiences. I think it is audience who determine what is feminist media and some are not, because there are diverse audiences as well as diverse mass media. Therefore I believe that media should aware that who is going to watch and know what the impact on watching media is going to be.

In this class, I learn how to watch media critically, not just for visual pleasure, and understand what director’s tension making film. It was very good for me to take this class, because I learn both mass media(especially film) and feminist theory on film that is around people all the time.

Posted by Stella at 04:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just for the record, I would like to offer the possibility of a working definition of feminism. In my digestion of several posts on the concept of "Feminist media" I noticed several confusing and contradicting statements. My main concern is the lack of clarity on the goal of feminist media. Women artists and not inherently feminist, women on screen are not inherently feminist, discussion regarding sex, power, race, or class are NOT INHERENTLY feminist. Also, can we clarify the difference between watching "feminist media" and analyzing media through a "feminist lense"? Because these are two very different events. It is incorrect to operate under the assumption that all of the films screened in class are inherently "feminist" because they were viewed in a feminist film context. Not the same. Not the same at all. Rachel never said to my knowlede that these were all feminist films, they were films we were instructed to analyze under a feminist lense.

Ex) The Piano. Not a feminist film. If you disagree with me, please! tell me! engage with me! tell me your arguement. I would love to discuss, mostly because I feel so strongly about this subject. When feminist tropes are mistaken for feminism, the result is a devestating landslide of destructive, unintentional ignorance.

I feel its safe to use bell hooks definition of feminism. That won't get me into too much trouble right? She is a highly respected scholar and writer and she seems credible enough to avoid conflict..

“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”

So,

can we start over now?

where do we go from here?

Also,
I'm done with equality. We've all "agreed" on equlity, we've "done that."
I want more. I want liberation.

"If equality means entitlement to an equal share of the profits of economic tyranny, it is irreconcilable with liberation. Freedom in an unfree world is merely licence to exploit." (greer)

Posted by Alissa McCourt at 01:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

throughout this class my eyes have been opened alot through the films and other medias we have looked at. my two favorite pieces were byron hurt's beyond the beats and rhymes and Aishah Shahidah Simmons' no!. i would classify these films as feminist films. i think any film that discusses or examines issues that feminists discuss can be classified as a feminist film. i don't think the mediamaker has to stand up and shout from the rooftop "i am a feminist filmmaker!" also i don't think just because someone does declare that, that their films can automatically be classified as a feminist film. i think the art itself and the viewers need to be the speaker of if it is feminism.

Continue reading "feminist media" »

Posted by Emily Dolentz at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don’t think I can specifically state what qualities feminist media must contain in order for it to be thought of as feminist. One quality that I believe is important is the equality of genders. Many women understand the inequalities that exist between the sexes, but once more men begin to see this we may be able to change the way we internalize and visualize the relationship between the genders. I don’t think men are just responsible for the objectification of women in media. Women also objectify men. For example, McDreamy and McSteamy in Grey’s Anatomy. I enjoy tuning into Grey’s Anatomy every week to see these two who bring many viewers a great amount of visual pleasure. But why is this okay? It isn’t, but by acknowledging the objectification of both sexes implies that the structures need to be changed.

I believe that feminism is trying to inform others who are unaware of the inequalities that exist today with gender, race, and sex. Media that takes on the perspective of someone different than you will allow you to see their point of view. No one will ever be able to understand completely what it is like to be someone else. I would consider No! The rape documentary to be a feminist form of media because it is sending out a message about rape from a black women’s perspective. This perspective is not completely different from mine. However, I will not be able to ever experience what it is like to be a minority of both gender and race.

I don’t think that you can label one specific type of movie feminist or not. I think it depends on the person and whether or not a movie makes an impact on them. This impact could be either negative or positive. It can speak to your personal experiences, or change the way you view the world. Feminist media is completely up to the person who is deciding what media is feminist and is based on their morals, beliefs and values.

Posted by Tapex002 at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Through out this semester, this class has exposed a lot of different types of media (documentaries, movies, advertisements, etc.) that I normally would not have encountered. After watching the media, and at the same time becoming more and more educated on feminist theory, I have come to some of my own conclusions on the subject matter.

Continue reading "Feminism Feminism Feminism" »

Posted by Whitney Hanssen at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While in this class I have been exposed to a group of film makers that I didn’t know were making so much media.

Continue reading "Feminism" »

Posted by Katherine Holton at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that there needs to be a sense of social consciousness for something in the media to be considered feminist, whether it is explicit consciousness about a particular issue, or an implicit consciousness about representations. I think a feminist film, TV show, or advertisement needs to ignore what will sell or what is typical and “normal” and just present something how it really is. Show women completely without makeup, show people with mental health issues, show a diversity of races in the contexts that they really are in, show homosexuals. What I’m trying to say is, there needs to be diversity, but the diversity cannot be a special case or a novelty. For example, having a sassy black best friend in a movie is a stereotype.
On the otherhand, I think showing things “how they are” can be problematic. First, because with movies, things are made up, it’s not real life. Second, because it could perhaps perpetuate roles that women might be stuck in.
I don’t think a filmmaker needs to claim him or herself as a feminist to be a feminist. I find the film Coal Miner’s Daughter about Loretta Lynn is empowering and feminist. Maybe it is because the story is inspiring and it’s about a woman in poverty and repression but she goes ahead and does a “man’s thing” (playing guitar, writing music) and succeeds. I think Sissy Specek does a really good job of presenting a strong woman in the film.

Posted by MacKenzie Duffy at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have learned that feminism is like politics there are some people who pull strongly to one side, feminists, and some who pull strongly to the other side, anti-feminists. Just like politics though, many fall somewhere in between. Many filmmakers don't want to associate with feminism because it may take away from their work, but in reality they may actually be projecting the ideals of feminism in their work. Although they are being cowardly and not standing up for what they believe in sometimes this does have advantages. People who would have never gone to a feminist movie will go see these movies that are not classified as feminist but may actually be.

Continue reading "TO BE or NOT TO BE... FEMINIST?" »

Posted by Marial Weidner at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Determining whether or not media is feminist has to do with the way feminist media separates its construction from other non-feminist medias, which usually produce misrepresentations of the subjects within the media. Feminist medias serve as forms to contest these normalized misrepresentations of people by producing medias that do not need to have problematic issues involved with them in order to make the media interesting or entertaining. Feminist media producers recognize these problematic issues within non-feminist media, and adjust their constriction of their media accordingly with a hypercritical eye.

Recognizing media that is absent of problematic issues found in mainstream media such as misrepresentation, voyeuristic gaze, binaries of sex and gender, subject/object relationship, is a form of identifying feminist media.

I do not believe that media needs to be self-identified as feminist in order for it to really be feminist. I think that this can help someone find these medias easier, but it does not prohibit a media from still embodying feminisms. I watched the movie Chocolat the other day for a fist time in a while. While watching it, I realized that it has many feminist qualities within it, ones that perhaps I would have not been able to identify alone before this class.

Posted by Timac at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that I have a solid foundation for feminist/gender/queer studies after this semester. However, I also think that I have just learned how much I still have to learn. There are, as people of said, so many different forms of feminist media, and such a variety in feminisms, that I don’t think I will ever be forced to watch another movie that does not interest me. Anyways, I started off believing and still believe that one must label oneself “feminist.” I think that there can be “feministic” filmmakers, who make films which are seen as feminist to some, such as Jane Campion and The Piano. I also believe that anyone can make feminist media, as my personal idea of feminism is also about equality, fairness, and knowledge. I hope that filmmakers continue to make alternative and experimental films about all sorts of subjects, because they are truly intriguing and challenging, and I think that we need to be challenged. I believe that just knowledge and thought could lead to a lot of understanding which would make great strides towards eradicating oppression and othering. I really loved and appreciated Water, and am so glad that we watched it. That is a culture that I am so interested in and yet still know nothing about, and the story was sad, but so beautiful. In essence, though I still don’t know many feminist filmmakers outside the one’s we’ve watched and discussed in class, I think that I now see that a lot of people are putting a lot of work into changing the perceptions that people have and the actions they may ignorantly take. And that is brilliant.

Posted by Magyar at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote my final paper/project on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The creator, Joss Whedon, is openly feminist and his TV programs (Angel and Firefly in addition to Buffy) are full of feminist themes: he empowers his female characters with agency, allows them room to grow and mature, and resists creating women who fit solidly into one gendered catagory. I almost wish we would have had time to explore positive images of women on TV...the reality TV assignment included a few, but mostly we focused on gender/class/sexuality/racial stereotypes. I would have liked to see what other feminist (even those who do not claim the term for themselves the way Whedon does) media makers are doing within the context of contemporary television.

That being said, Whedon's work is wonderfully surreptitious. He is quoted somewhere as saying "I didn't make 'Buffy the Lesbian Separatist'" because it would have alienated viewers. Instead, he creates a strong female character who isn't afraid to be both "girlie" (she likes her fashion, likes boys, et cetera) and to also embody traditionally "masculine" characteristics: strength, rationality, leadership (remember our lists of gender boxes?). Without ever saying the word "feminist" in the show, the show is DECIDEDLY feminist, and works its way around having to peg itself as such. In this way, Whedon can create a (relatively) plausible world where women and men are equals, and can explore these relationships and the empowered people in them in a way that is funny and entertaining but also meaningful.

If you have many, many hours over break to get really into something entertaining and special, go rent Buffy. All of it. :-)

Posted by Maren Mattson at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If there are hundreds of different ways to be a feminist, are there an equal number of ways for media to be feminist? This makes it difficult to pin down one thing that makes media "essentially feminist," in fact it would be very un-feminist to say that there is a single thing that unites feminist media other than the label of feminist. So in one way, feminist media is only a label. However, not everything can be labeled as feminist media. I think we can agree that there are certain things that are not feminist, The Man Show, spaghetti westerns, Fox News. I think something that these kinds of media share is an unwillingness to surrender hetero-normativity at all. Shows like Top Model and Queer Eye, while overwhelmingly counterproductive, still have some small element of subversion– even if it has been coopted by "the man." They have something in them that could be construed as feminist. Defining feminism by the goal of removing the good/bad qualities from binaries like man/woman, white/not white– with the desire to eventually dissolve the binary. Any kind of media that in some small way challenges an anglo-centric heteronormative world view, is in my opinion feminist.

Posted by Eben Kowler at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe that feminism is all about equality. It is not necessary for a filmmaker to stand up and say 'I am a feminist'. The choices within the work speak for themselves. The choice to include actors that are powerful performers, regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation. That to me is feminism, the inclusion of all people. This class focused on the subject matter of the film. This is a defining characteristic as well, films about all people. We watched films about women, about people of color, people of homosexual orientation, people living in an oppressive society. These untold stories are finally being told. That is a feminist film. The choice to take a chance on something that may not be profitable, that may not be seen by millions, but that is a statement worth saying, a message that whatever the profit, the filmmaker wants to share. And sometimes they are noticed, like 'Million Dollar Baby', a film whose main character is a female athlete, she's not the lover of the lead male. She is the story, and it was a great story, a story noticed by audiences and critics. 'Boys Don't Cry' is another example of a film that told a powerful story about a type of main character that we rarely see, and it made some noise. Perhaps Hillary Swank is just good at choosing her jobs;) A lot of the films we watched in class obviously weren't blockbuster hits, but they were powerful in their own right. It is becoming a trend to follow more indie films, and i think this is a great thing. Big stars are aiming for more intense or politically motivated roles, like 'Brokeback Mountain'. And maybe its their controversial storylines that make these films get noticed, but for whatever reason, more feminist films are breaking into the mainstream, and that sense of equality is a beautiful thing. I just hope that the trend doesnt end before it really gets started, and more stories as moving as 'Water' will have a chance to be heard.

Posted by Katherine Schmieg at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Feminist media is media that puts forward a feminist message or otherwise moves the cause(s) of feminism forward. This does not have to be done in a manner as blatant as saying “I am a feminist filmmaker and this is a feminist film.” Media that discusses or portrays issues that are important to women's lives can be feminist as well. In some cases, particularly for marginalized populations of women, simply putting media out there that reflects their existence as empowered agents or counters stereotypes can be a feminist act. Context, content, and form are all important when deciding whether media is feminist or not.

A classic example of radical feminist media is the film Born in Flames, made in 1983 by Lizzie Borden. This film depicts a feminist revolution in a male-dominated post-socialist-revolutionary society, discussing along the way issues such as race, class, work and sexuality. It is notable for its frank treatment of these issues, as well as a prescient pre-9/11 scene of the feminists blowing up the World Trade Center.

A clip from that film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nns8seQuY5o

Real Women Have Curves is a good example of a film that is feminist without actively saying so. The film is about a young Latina woman who deals with issues such as school, family, poverty, body image, and first love. The heroine is strong and smart and makes her own decisions, ultimately choosing to go to college and making it happen for herself.

A scene from that movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG1L3wIIxlc

Another film that does feminist work by discussing issues that are important to girls and women is Just Another Girl on the IRT, which is about a teenage Black woman who gets pregnant, has her baby and finishes school. The film deals with teenage pregnancy in a sensitive and honest manner that doesn't stereotype or demonize, which does not often happen in public discussion of that issue.

I could not find a clip for that one, but the IMDB link is here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104575/

Several notable feminist blogs are linked to at http://feministblogs.org. I also like Angry Black Bitch, which can be found here: http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com/

I think all of those express different aspects of media that can be feminist in different ways, although there are many other ways that media can be feminist as well. I think the common theme they have is depicting and discussing issues that are important to women's lives, as well as speaking out in some way for justice and change.

Posted by Natalia at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After viewing many films in this class by women in general, whether or not they declare themselves as feminist filmmakers, I am even more confused by the concept. It seems to be subjective to the viewer as to whether or not the film is feminist. If someone sees a film to have feminist topics or characters, they may then view the film as feminist. But if it’s not obvious to the viewer then it may not be. For example, I think a film like Iron Jawed Angels would be an obviously feminist film. But then something like The Piano may not be so obviously feminist to the casual viewer. Because “femininity” means so many different things to people, it may be difficult to label a film or filmmaker feminist, unless they, of course, say so. Of course, a filmmaker never needs to say or declare their stance as a feminist filmmaker to be considered one. During an interview with Deepa Mehta, she never says “I’m a feminist filmmaker”. She considered herself to be a “humanist filmmaker”. As feminism no longer is limited to just men versus women, filmmakers are no longer constrained by that dichotomy. Any one can reach out to any group and try to tell their story in the context of their nation, politics, religion, etc. The film “Born into Brothels” was directed by a white woman and man, but they managed to create a documentary literally through the eyes of the children and their families they were filming, by giving them cameras to take pictures of their lives. While feminism is still important, I think that the broadening of the term will allow for more objective viewing and filmmaking, which is not black and white.
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/

Posted by Ashley Day at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To me, I believe that media is feminist if it tells women’s stories. I believe that women’s stories are very important, and they rarely get told. In TV and movies, women are often just stuck in stereotypical roles and not part of the story being told. Although I believe that motherhood is very important, I don’t think that it should be the only story being told. I don’t believe that for media to be feminist the creator has to say they are a feminist filmmaker. A film can be feminist without the creator labeling themselves as a feminist. If it tells women’s stories, or avoids stereotyping women into traditional gender roles, or examines race/class/gender, or explores women’s sexuality or desire, etc. I believe that it is feminist. A media maker does not have to call themselves a feminist to make media that is feminist.

Posted by crowjane at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is hard for me to explicitly state what I think qualifies something as feminist media. Although I do believe there are inherent many qualities that can help in characterizing it. It is important for the maker of the media specifically to believe in their work, not for selfish reasons, but because they are making a statement or sending a message.

Continue reading "Feminist Media" »

Posted by Mr. Hilton at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Within the context of multiple feminisms, I am not sure that any piece of media can really be wholly ‘feminist,’ regardless of the intention of the filmmaker. It is very unclear who owns ‘feminism’ as a concept, and after taking this course, it is obvious that there are a number of ways in which a piece of media can be approached from a feminist perspective. The kind of feminism that people see within a movie like The Piano is probably not exactly the same feminism that people see within a movie like Boys Don’t Cry or The Watermelon Woman.

Continue reading "Feminist or Not?" »

Posted by Heather Larson at 05:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does having a feminist undertone to a form of media make the director a feminist? This is a question we have been asking all semester as we witnessed The Piano by Campion, who is a self-proclaimed non-feminist film maker.

Continue reading "The media of feminism or feminist media?" »

Posted by Lindsey Peck at 03:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does having a feminist undertone to a form of media make the director a feminist? This is a question we have been asking all semester as we witnessed The Piano by Campion, who is a self-proclaimed non-feminist film maker.

Continue reading "The media of feminism or feminist media?" »

Posted by Lindsey Peck at 03:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

throught out this semester, I learned that there were so many kinds of media that considered to be feminist media. Honestly, I can't define what is feminist media and what is not, but I can say that some media (films) have more power over the others. THe power that make audience to critically think about our society and power that evoke out awareness of cultural differences as well as class, race, gender and sexualiy.

I think that feminist media is alternative, in that there is no certain rules that feminist media have to be made out of certain sources. Actually, it was interesting when i watch the movie and realized all movies that i watched in this class consider about all different kind of subject matter. I think this is what makes feminist media which discuss something that hasn't been discussed.

I understood that face that the most impact on feminist media is audience. It is so important for audiene to watch feminist media, and responds to them. Because film work cannot be done without audience's reaction with film.
it should be clear that the more society causes so many issues about class,race, gender, and sexuality, the more people should crtically understand them and know what is right and what is truth.

Posted by Stella at 03:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“Censor the body and you censor breath and speech at the same time…write yourself. You body must be heard. Only then will the immense resources of the unconscious spring forth”
-Helene Cixous

“As human beings in the developed world become more and more blind to the signals sent out by the body, they become more and more dependant upon the silver screen (…) it is only real to them when they see it on TV.”
-Germaine Greer

“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”
-bell hooks

I’m angry. I’m tired, but mostly I’m just pissed off. Its time to be angry again. I’m having a difficulty, a difficulty that comes with the realization that I am not in control, the difficulty that accompanies the unpacking of an internalized structure of thinking, a patriarchal construct of knowledge.
Existing to deepen my sadness is the knowledge that the institutions governing traditional representations of women in the media not only know that these representations are harmful, it is an intentional harm. “A woman’s body is the battlefield where she fights for liberation. It is through her body that oppression works, reifying her, sexualizing her, victimizing her, disabling her” (Greer). How is it possible to come to a state of peace in a media driven culture that turns a profit on female self-hate? “Multi-million dollar industries exploit both her need for reassurance and her need to do something about the way she looks” (Greer).

Continue reading "Write yourself. Your body must be heard" »

Posted by Alissa McCourt at 01:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I entered this class being exposed mainly to feminist visual artists and this course allowed me to branch out my knowledge to more film artists. The way that filmmakers and visual artists portray their feminist points of view is very similar; it’s merely that the form is different. Therefore, in the same way that not all art by women is feminist, not all films made by women are necessarily feminist. Even if the main character is a woman it does not instantly make the film feminist. Films that are actually feminist films should address the issues of feminism in both form and content, looking at or trying to change the traditional roles of women, the way women are viewed in the media, create a safer and equal environment for females in relationship to males, etc. Feminist films should offer a critique of the patriarchal and heteronormative culture in which we live.

Continue reading "Feminist Art to Feminist Film" »

Posted by Katherine Nelson at 01:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe that feminism is a combination of a celebration of real women in all their forms (different races, religions, sexual orientations, shapes, etc) and a move for equality of women across these forms and between genders. Therefore, I believe a form of media is feminist when it celebrates different types of women. We have seen this in class before with “the Watermelon Woman” celebrating women of color and homosexual women or in “Live Nude Girls Unite” celebrating women in their chosen profession and moving for equality. Therefore, I believe a filmmaker need not necessarily declare a feminist stance as long as they portray women realistically without stereotypes and celebrates their differences.
I enjoy the blog www.feministing.com which discusses various things occurring that deal with women and interviews various important inspiring females. Also, my sister subscribes to the magazine Bust – and although it still deals with fashion and pop culture in some ways, it also deals with many different forms of women and doesn’t deal with “How to please your man” articles.

Posted by Karin Fisher at 01:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This class has helped to provoke me into thinking about the conventions of patriarchy within American cinema, and how these conventions can be challenged. The ways in which films utilize formal techniques in order to provide convey male subjectivity, with women being treated as objects of scopophilia, has been praticularly of interest to me in my analysis of patriarchal film texts. While the formal conventions that Laura Mulvey, for instance, maps out bear more significance in application to the films of Classic Hollywood, the overall picture that she paints of the ways in which narrative works within Hollywood cinema is still applicable to current media texts. The majority of films that are released are still male dominated, focusing on strong male characters who drive forward the narrative of a film, often times through violent action. Women today still dominantly play a supporting role within mainstream American productions.
I remain skeptical about a true alternative cinema being able to be developed today. While it is certainly true that many women have made important films that deal with questions of gender/sexuality in representation (The Watermellon Woman, for instance), as well as films that allow for women's stories of oppression to be broadcasted (No would be an example of this kind of film), I am still not sure if these kinds of films represent a real challenge to the hegemonic structure of patriarchy. While new media technologies, such as the proliferation of digital equipment, make it possible for a greater range of individuals to be able to share their own stories, I am skeptical of this kind of media technology enacting real change within society. New technologies, such as the internet, always have effects that are inherant to these technolgies, and while the internet does provide for a new space of communication, I am skeptical of this kind of communication as representing any kind of real social network, fearing that it leads more dominantly to a sense of generalized seperation. Any system that is this totalizing, however, is going to have inconsistancies which allow for room in order to enact social change, and it is through this change that hope may possibly exist for feminist media to present a challenge to patriarchal hegemony.

Posted by Robin Youngman at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe that a film feminist is anyone who makes a film (either documentary or narrative) that brings awareness to the issues of gender, race, class, and sexuality. A media feminist is someone who does the same thing, but uses any type of media, not just film. Either way a feminist is someone who works toward ultimate tolerance. The feminist film and media makers that I have encountered have been mostly in class. Katja Van Garner, Jane Campion, Bell Hooks, Cheryl Dunye, Kimberly Pierce, Julia Query, Aishah Simmons, Byron Hurt, and Deepa Mehta. In another one of my classes I was shown one of Jane Campion's first shot films called Peel, which was interesting to see. I enjoyed seeing the film, perhaps more than others in the class, because I knew who Campion was and knew some of her other work. I do not think a filmmaker/mediamaker needs to say that they are a feminist filmmaker in order for it to count. However, if the individual is strongly opposed to being called a feminist filmmaker then I would not consider their work feminist. If the artist does not make a stance either way, then it is up to the individual observer to decide if the work should be considered feminist, and there will be no right or wrong answer. In my opinion, anyone who makes a film or piece of media with the goal of working ultimate tolerance exceptance then I consider their work to be feminist.

Posted by Brigitte Bartholdi at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before this class I never took a film/media class let alone feminist class. I came in not knowing what to think. The only images that came to my head when hearing the word “feminist” was a bunch of women burning their bras, and looking disheveled. My image of feminism has changed greatly by taking this class.

Continue reading "Feminism" »

Posted by Ashley Pritchard at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before this class I never took a film/media class let alone feminist class. I came in not knowing what to think. The only images that came to my head when hearing the word “feminist” was a bunch of women burning their bras, and looking disheveled. My image of feminism has changed greatly by taking this class.

Continue reading "Feminism" »

Posted by Ashley Pritchard at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Ashley Abel at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe that anything can make media feminist. It can change from how a character is displayed, the clothes that they wear, the way they talk, the way they stand, the way you are suppose to view them.
I don’t think I have a straight answer for what makes a film feminist but for certain what makes a film feminist is going against how the majority of media display women or even having a feminist director.
The feminist films that I have encountered are mostly from the class, even the directors I have learned from this class.
I have learned that it doesn’t matter if the filmmaker is a feminist, but if depends greatly on the story they are trying to display and for what audience.
One movie that I think is feminist is “Freedom Writers”. This movie is about a female teacher that has the power to make a difference.
This class has taught me about feminist, and has talk me a lot about myself. I always stood up for many things that I thought was wrong, mostly surrounding race, class, and gender. All my life, I knew I was different. I’m hmong, I’m a woman, and I don’t have a lot of money and my family doesn’t have a lot of money. There are so many strikes against me. There are many things that I notice now, how I am treated because I am female. It seems like no matter what there will be obstacles to fight through or you will never survive in this cruel world.

Posted by Padao Vang at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the beginning of this course I felt like I had no sense of what a feminist film was or who made them and why, however at this point I feel like I have some type of foundation to base my newly gained knowledge upon. My foundation is made up of many different definitions as to what it means to be feminist and is also made up of different theories. These theories are made up of ideas from feminists like Laura Mulvey, which presented the ideas of "The Gaze" and "Visual Pleasures". Ann Kaplan, who first introduced "Feminism & Film" and "Is The Gaze Male". Bell Hooks who introduced the "Oppositional Gaze of Black Spectators". These women have similar ideas but also feel differently about certain issues, which I think makes this a difficult topic to learn and apply. However, it's easy to look at their work and know that it's feminist because we know that they clearly designate themselves to be a feminist. There are other feminists that do not declare themselves feminists like that of Deepa Mehta who claims that she is a humanitarian. Therefore, I think it's of importance to recognize that not all feminist films have to be written by a feminist film maker, but can also be made by a male or female of the mainstraim who challenge norms in gender roles, sex, class, ethnicity, and morals.

Continue reading "My Understanding of Feminist Film/Media" »

Posted by Jessica Haddrill at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Posted by Greta Fay at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Honestly, this is a tirade. But there is free Kenneth Anger inside.

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Posted by Christopher Kehoe at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What makes media feminist? This seems like such an easy question, right? Honestly, at this point, I really only feel like I have tiny fragments of understanding and I’m still not quite sure how they fit together.

My first instinct is to say that feminist media is the alternative, or the response, to mainstream media. It provides a space for conflicting views of reality to exist and strives to work from within the structures of representation to alter our understanding of sex, class, gender and race. I also feel like feminist media works to create a way to represent bodies that does not objectify those bodies. This is where I get stuck. I’m still not sure how this idea manifests itself successfully in media. The nature of most media as a form of artistic expression and knowledge dissemination relies on a particular gaze of a particular audience to be successful. If this is true, how can feminist media alter the act of gazing upon a body in such a way that removes the notions of objectification? Unfortunately, I am no where near finding an answer to that question but it is certainly a thought I am trying to exist within.

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Posted by R.S. at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this course we've done a lot of feminist analysis of media (films, TV, images...). I'm wondering now, after all of the critique, what you believe makes media feminist? Do you have a definition that outlines what makes a film feminist? Who are some feminist film and mediamakers that you've encountered?

Does a filmmaker/mediamaker necessarily need to say "I am a feminist filmmaker..." to count? Can you declare a piece of media as feminist even if the maker doesn't articulate a feminism?

Please, list (and/or link us to) films, shows, blogs, vlogs, film and media makers that you believe are feminist.

Posted by Rae at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)