Ms. Magazine has suggested four films by women that I really want to see.
The Shape of WaterHas anyone seen them or would like to? Let me know!
By Kum-Kum BhavnaniI Was A Teenage Feminist: A Documentary About Redefining the F-word
By Therese SchechterThe Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
By Rory KennedyThe Grace Lee Project
Grace Lee
"Girls with nice personalities" were apparently having the best week ever. Included in the category of "girls with nice personalities" was Jennifer Hudson, Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning actress from Dreamgirls, the two "plus-sized" contestants on America's Next Top Model (Whitney and Diana), and the young women who were purged from Delta Zeta at DePauw.
Notice a trend here? "Girls with nice personalities" are also "overweight." I put "overweight" in quotation marks, because I'm not buying for one second, that being above a size 10 or 12 or 14 makes a woman overweight. In fact, most of the women I know wear a size 10 or above, and I know that everytime I go to buy clothes, the 12s, 14s, and 16s are always gone, leaving behind the 0s, 2s, 4s, and 6s. Whatever your body type, whatever size jeans you wear is fine, but a 10 or above is hardly cause for alarm.
There's a nasty little implication - actually, "Best Week Ever" came straight out and said it - here that girls who are a size 10 or above are automatically physically unattractive, and therefore, only have their personalities to go on. And because of that, "girls with nice personalities" are supposedly desperate and quicker to "put out."
Now, of course, "Best Week Ever" could have been tongue-in-cheek, but I'm thinking not. And if they were serious about "girls with nice personalities" having the best week ever, what does that say about the progress (or lack thereof) that we've made regarding views on body image and beauty?
Thoughts?
Women With Vision 2007: Mirror Image
The 14th annual international festival of films by women directors presents three weeks of the best contemporary cinema, offering not only a reflection of our world, but also new ways of seeing ourselves.
The first six features—from Italy, France, Scotland, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany— are grouped under the banner “New Europe.� Moving past postcolonialism, these dramas and comedies identify a place where people are united by their situations rather than separated by their differences. From America, filmmakers look deeply into our collective souls, some exploring the dark territories of fear and alienation, while others use humor to decipher regret and tolerance. From Iran, a country defined in the United States primarily through journalism and political rhetoric, come two films that add complexity and humanity to our understanding of life there.
Special programs include Animation from Zagreb, a Croatian city famed for its long history in this genre, with a screening of new work by animator Nicole Hewitt; and a memorial tribute to French filmmaker Danièle Huillet, who died last October. And this year, the festival proudly presents two world premieres by local documentary filmmakers: Joanna Kohler’s Boxers will be screened at the Uppercut Gym in Northeast Minneapolis; and Melody Gilbert’s Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness lets us experience the thrilling and dangerous world of urban exploration without getting dirty or in trouble with the law.