F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

Baywatch was a show back in the 90s that every guy would often flip to while watching tv just for that slow motion run sequence that the show came to be infamous for. In this picture, we see Yasmine Bleeth not quite centered. By having the picture adjusted to the right side more than the left, we see some of the Miami skyline and also that the Yasmine is running on the waterline of the beach. By the angle of the sun hitting her body, it appears to be late in the afternoon. This lighting also provides a nice contrast on her body, with her left side casting shadows. Yasmine is the focal point of the entire scene, everything else behind her is out of focus and a blur. This picture would be quite bland if not for the bright red swimsuit and skin tone of the lifeguardHer facial expression shows effort and exhaustion, leading us to believe that this is a dramatic moment on the beach. With her Rescue Can in hand, Yasmine appears to be running to the rescue of some swimmer in trouble.

I chose this picture because I believe it represents the an age when the media first started portraying women as powerful figures on television. So what if the lifeguard happens to be dressed in a tight swimsuit that shows off every curve. Sex appeal is just one part of this lifeguard's many attributes. All of the women who stared on Baywatch were shown to be as courageous and strong as they were attractive. The Baywatch girls would save drowning victims stranded in rough waters, fight off sharks and win sandcastle building contests. High ratings were do in part to the shows writers catering to many a man's fantasy of nearly drowning and then being brought back to life by the lips of a female lifeguard.

This photo represents the stregnth and determination of women everywhere. The female characters of Baywatch could keep up (and even out do) their male counterparts. I think the biggest story trying to be told here is that Women are heroes too.