F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

What makes media feminist: I believe a piece of media is feminist if it not only addresses an area in which women have been oppressed but displays it, whether it be through narrative, documentary or other form of median, in a way that will get people to realize it is wrong or unfair, such as the treatment of Brandon Teena in “Boys don’t Cry�. Feminist elements to movies, TV shows or even advertisements can be in-your-face, obvious feminist viewpoint or more subtle, almost unconscious elements, that overtime may help toward the equality of women. And a piece of media does not have to be all feminist to promote the equality of women or challenge the unfair gender roles forced on women in a patriarchal setting; the definition is not very clear cut. Some TV shows might feature a female character as independent and outgoing, breaking traditional gender roles. For example, I love Elaine from Seinfeld. For a show that aired starting in 1990, Elaine was a woman character who broke many traditional gender roles instilled in patriarchal culture. She was single, had a career, enjoyed sports and openly talked about her sex life and desires. Now obviously Seinfeld is not a feminist piece of media, but Elaine is a good example of how small parts of our everyday media intake can help change peoples’ views about women away from constructed gender roles such as the housewife. Even technical areas of film can make it feminist. For example, a film that does not use shots that reflect a male gaze on women as objects, especially the Hollywood voyeuristic gaze, can give a film important feminist perspectives. It might be content or context elements that a film does NOT use that make in feminist. For example if a woman in a magazine ad or a character on TV does not wear makeup or wear provocative clothing or other traditional women’s clothing/fashion. Or if an ad for baby food shows a man feeding the child instead of a woman. Again, I have enjoyed watching the feminist media we watched in class but most people only consume main stream media and small elements within those forms of media that break gender roles or enforce equality of women are extremely important in helping how our society needs to shift away from the oppression of women.