Feminine rise in Pop Culture.

 

 The rise of feminine in pop culture reflects a gradual shift in society towards greater equity and representation. Over the years, women have transitioned in pop culture by taking on greater representation, more prominent voices and a wider range of roles and sometimes do without masculine figures. From one of the first ever surviving movies ‘The Roundhay Garden Scene,’ a short firm of 2.11 seconds long made in 1888 by a French inventor Louis La Prince to the 1895 movie; ‘Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station’ a short film made in 1895 by the Lumiere Brothers to ‘In Old California’; the first firm made in Hollywood and released in 1910 to one of the most recent movies made in Hollywood; ‘One of Them Days released January 17, 2025; feminine casts have not been absent in participation. 

  

  

Since the first all-female cast movie: ‘The Women’ of 1939 to ‘Girls in uniform’; another all-female cast movie of 1951, women have been important actresses with great entertaining power for centuries despite negative representation and sometimes disrespectful media depictions of them in society. Historically, media narratives have constrained women to traditional roles, depicting them as caring figures or hostile antagonist. This shift occurred in the early 2000s when the women interested in the male lead were tomboys or boyish, not the stereotype image of femininity (Rodriguez & Lopez-Figueroa, 2024).

 Feminine delineation in pop culture is an indication that they are accepted despite conceptions contrasting these assertions and that women are equal beings as their male counterparts, and they can be powerful in areas of performance. This is evident in their performance in Music, Television, Films and other media. Their unwavering efforts to walk their way up these stereotypes is reminiscent of their determination to do what a man can do. It is in this spirit of resilience and tenacity that the world has produced women leaders in almost every area. Our world has produced women presidents, queens, preachers, scientist, musicians, engineers, athletes and etc. and most of them got there through rigorous relentless struggles when they were told the opposite. 

Deborah: The first female judge of Israel

The word “feminism” has worn the hat of many titles and tones, from heavy to light, from positive to negative, cliched and slightly misunderstood. Before people even truly understood what the word meant, which today rightfully stands for equitable human rights for all people; the lack of knowledge within American pop culture has influenced people’s real-life perceptions of feminism (Tutuny, 2018).

Many people may not be aware that during the 1920’s, most films were written, directed and filmed by women (Tutuny, 2018). Their resilience has not totally removed all the obstacles but if they continue, they will ‘break the glass ceiling’ in pop culture.  The progression of feminism in pop culture nowadays remains an ongoing process largely driven by social media where there is an increase presence of prominent female actresses using the platform to promote and advocate feminist issues.

The Handmaid's Tale and Masculine Hegemony

Is it possible to live in a system that does not create a hierarchy or has society become numb to all the ways we leverage our humanity. Masculine hegemony is the central theme of The Handmaid's Tale as it portrays patriarchal control through religious doctrine, state enforced gender roles and social norms. Gilead is a male dominated society that has normalized the oppression of women through patriarchy.  

Social structures like organized patterns of relationships (The Aunts) and biblical interpretations that are used to control women's bodies, minimize their identities, autonomy, and roles. One example of this is when the character Janine swore and spoke vulgar language while challenging the authority of The Aunts. She was accused of having a rebelious attitude. As a result, her eye is removed and she is encouraged to step back into line. We see Janine's altered personality and think of the Bible verse 'if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." The loss of Janine's eye has altered her personality, turning her submissive and docile from the serious pain!  

Hegemony is enacted in many other ways at Gilead including social hiearchies and social roles. These structures rely on systems of ranking people along with the expectations and behaviors associated with particular positions in society.  Social class, wealth and assignment of roles determine daily interactions and consequences for breaking these contracts. For example, Offred is a handmaid who is forced to carry a baby for a powerful family.  Offred is exalted in this role because of her fertility but she is also a slave to the highest ranking wife of an elite couple, Serena. Offred carries their baby and patterns of hatred, jealousy and contempt are explored between the women, suggesting that men are also affected within patriarchal systems. 

Self Realization As A Whole Civilization: Construction Of The New World Through A Femme Lense

Though mass commercialization has exploited the working class under marxist views. Theories of popular culture grounded in waves of feminism like Sellnow describe that there was an oppressive matrix of domination onto the women and the femme as their image has evolved from rock paintings to physically simple and physically complex evolving media. Men in prestigious positions enable their machismo through what feel like ancient old world order patriarchal norms. However there has been a shift and continuous to be a shift in the hypermasculine to a new femme dominating world order. As women increase their educational levels and intuitive levels of communication that transcend physical media, I find it to be a calming nurturing world moving forward where the previous homemaker who had rigid social bounds and physical boundaries is now able to transcend not just themselves or their families but across generations and continuous evolving new worlds. It is imperative that women girls and femme be acknowledged for their labors and knowledge to maintain current generations and upcoming ones too. That the self actualization of society can begin when the femme is given the utmost respect and attention. 

Activity: (Please generate and image with Wonder and describe the prompt you gave it connecting it to Feminist Theories in Media.)

The image attached was generated by Wonder AI on the App Store with the following prompt:

Isis at the top of the pyramid with an ever expanding glitter universe Hollywood background paparazzi and products of consumption falling from the top of the pyramid of hierarchy and labor of society to peaceful artisanal lifestyles merged with futurism

Feminism in professional ice hockey

 When one thinks of ice hockey, it's hard to think of a more stereotypically masculine sport. A sport where the hits are as hard as football, and fighting is actively encouraged by both coaches and fans. In fact, fighting is an integral part of the culture of ice hockey, so much so that there are players literally referred to as enforcers because their main job is to hit hard, protect the goal scorers on the team, and fight when told to do so by their coach. 

A perfect example of enforcer culture is the movie Goon, where the main character is portrayed as an enforcer with a heart of gold. 

Those who are keen on the sport know that women have been playing at relatively high levels for quite some time, with many successful college teams and a popular 'frozen four' tournament capping off the season. The support of women in the sport has led to the development of the Professional Women's Hockey League. The league kicked off their first season last year and have seen impressive turnouts to their games across the continent. 

According to an article in the Sports Reviewer, the road to developing professional women's hockey came with a slate of challenges. 

"Women faced various obstacles, including limited resources, unequal pay, and a lack of visibility compared to their male counterparts," the article states. "However, these challenges only served to fuel the determination and resilience of female hockey players who were committed to breaking down these barriers."

Along with the increased interest in women playing professional hockey, women have also bridged one of the most inaccessible gaps: working in the National Hockey League. At a game last week between the Seattle Kraken and Washington Capitals, two female coaches squared off for the first time in the league's history. Jessica Campbell is the assistant coach for Seattle, while Emily Engle-Natzke is the video coach for the Capitals. 

“It’s phenomenal,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery was quoted by the Washington Post as saying about the two coaches. “It’s so impressive what they’ve accomplished in their careers. Em being the first coach at this level in the NHL and then Jessica being the first on-bench coach. It’s great. Not only paving the way for future women to be able to assume those roles, but just what they’ve been able to do in this male-dominated industry to show their skill-set and how they can perform at the highest level in the world, it’s really impressive.”

Although issues such as pay gaps and gender underrepresentation continue to reinforce the masculine dominance of the sport, if the last two years serve to act as a barometer, women have a bright road ahead of them in a sport that has been run by men for well over a century. 

'Mad Max: Fury Road' is Radically Feminist

 

When you think of feminist theory in movies, your first thought by be of movies like Legally Blonde, Barbie, or Little Women (all of which are fantastic). All these films are sites of struggle about the role of women in society and the gender inequality in our society. However, as we learned in this week's module, there are many different types of feminism. While feminism in general is pretty awesome, there's one specific category of feminist theory that is especially "radical." 

First, a quick recap. Feminism evolved through several "waves" of protest and through the challenging of various social norms that were seen as biased towards men. First-wave feminism helped women secure the right to vote, and started to dispel the notion that women were only fit to be homemakers. Second-wave feminism pushed this agenda even further by helping female professionals find opportunities in traditionally male-dominated fields. Finally, third-wave feminism raised questions about why we need to define the role of womanhood at all, and suggested that maybe we could even make space for women to make their own decisions about what femininity means. 

There is another type of feminism called "radical feminism," and this is the lens through which I like to view Mad Max: Fury Road. Radical feminism states that our entire organized society is built to give men an advantage over women, and that gender equality cannot truly be achieved without dismantling the system (known as the patriarchy) itself. 

Fury Road is a film about an apocalyptic wasteland full of savage raiders who follow a tyrannical leader named Immortan Joe. This fictional world is far from progressive when it comes to gender equality. Women are hoarded as prized concubines for Immortan Joe, and they have zero freedom or bodily autonomy. While the title might suggest that Max is the main protagonist of the film, I would argue that that title belongs to Furiosa, a badass, tough-as-nails woman with a mechanical arm. The plot revolves around her quest to free the concubines and topple the reign of Immortan Joe. 

While the setting of Mad Max is very stylized and over-the-top, the way the film suggests that the only way for a woman to gain her freedom in this world is to create an entirely new one is Radical Feminism 101. The fleeing concubines even try to escape from Immortan Joe in secret, but soon realize that they have to return to his city and take control. This is what differentiates it from third-wave feminism, which seeks to alter societal norms to make space for strong women. Furiosa and the rest of the gang don't alter Immortan Joe's society-- they topple it! 

Mad Max: Fury Road is radical movie in more ways than one. Are there other movies out there that draw on radical feminist theory? 

Feminism in comedy (Parks and Recreation)

Feminism has come a long way. Women are now privileged to vote, have rights, and have opportunities. The third wave of feminism is now focusing on a variety of standpoints. I love comedies especially shows like Parks and Rec that have a lot of feminist undertones that celebrate women and their ideas. This particular clip highlights a conversation among women and talk about some of the awful things some women endured in the 1960s and 1970s. 

The TV show has also displayed a new form to celebrate women. There was a notable episode that launched a brand-new holiday. February 13 is now officially called “Galantine's Day” Thanks to this episode women now have the day before Valentine’s Day to celebrate love and friendship. This episode is very thoughtful because not only does it address love and friendship, but it also makes women feel included in a sometimes-depressing holiday for some. 

There’s also an episode of the show where Leslie Knope, the main character, unintentionally challenges gender norms and conventions. The humor in this episode comes from Leslie’s overwhelming confidence in herself she’s fully aware of her intelligence and abilities. However, her self-assuredness becomes so over the top that it ends up turning heads, making her unaware of just how much she’s defying expectations. I honestly think this was intentional by the writers of the show, but it certainly makes good comedy.

The female perspective in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade

Sellnow emphasizes that the feminine perspective is a crucial tool for understanding and challenging the portrayal of women in the media. And Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, is a perfect example of this.  

In the film, the female perspective is accurately represented through the lens of a teenage girl named Kayla, who is navigating her final days as an eighth grader. The movie offers a raw and relatable experience young girls face in today’s society. While teenage girls haven’t always gotten the best representation, this movie flips the narrative by focusing on their experiences and internal battles with social pressure.

Let's be honest, who wants to be reminded of how awkward and terrible middle school was? Definitely not me! But this is exactly what makes Eighth Grade so unique and powerful. It forgoes stereotypes and represents a voice we don’t often see on the big screen.

From a feminist perspective, the movie challenges society by demonstrating the way social media affects young girls through self-worth and body image. The opening scene tells you everything you need to know about the pressures of being an eighth grader: 

In this video you see Kayla wake up, do her hair and makeup, and lay back down to get the perfect “just woke up like this” picture for Snapchat. While this may seem exaggerated, it highlights the pressures of needing to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. 

Through her journey, Kayla learns to accept herself and overcome these societal expectations. Rather than being outcast by her awkwardness and cringe-worthy moments, she is celebrated and embraced for them. Eighth Grade is a refreshing take on the female perspective that truly encourages this audience to embrace their imperfections, challenging the traditional portrayal of young women in the media.

Through Kayla's journey of self-acceptance, we learn that sometimes being cringe is part of what makes us human. 

How do you think Eighth Grade does in amplifying an underrepresented group? Are there other female perspectives you'd like to see portrayed in the media?

Polar Express Girl is a Feminist Icon - Change My Mind

     You probably didn't wake up this morning expecting to learn that the popular 2004 animated film "The Polar Express" is a perfect example of a subverted oppositional reading of feminist theory, but here we are. It may not seem so from the surface, as the cast is almost entirely male (It's actually mostly just Tom Hanks), and the main character is a young boy as well. It we look closely though, we can see that there are subtle character and plot choice that undermine the status-quo of traditional gender roles in a subtle and effective way. In the film, the only female character is a young girl that befriends the main boy. Side note, none of the children have names except for Billy, young small night-gown clad boy from a poor family. I will refer to the characters as Main Boy, Train Boy, Billy, and Girly. 

    It is common for the single female character in a film to be the romantic interest for the main male character, or for her to rely on him for protection and leadership. This is not the case in this movie, Girly is often shown taking the lead in reaching out to Billy and including him in the other children's activities. She thinks of others when she saves a hot chocolate for him when he misses out. She keeps a level head when her ticket is lost, and even is entrusted to drive the train while the engineers fix the front light bulb. She remains brave while the train goes on a highly improbable off-the-rails detour and is decisive in their side quest for Billy's gift once they get to the North Pole. Something special about her character is that she is never portrayed as bossy or annoying, as often women in leadership are portrayed. She is shown as thoughtful, intelligent, and trusting. She is also the clear leader of the children, even though she is not the lead character of the film which I think is really uncommon and neat.

     While the other three boys highlighted in the film all have something that they must learn from their polar express adventure. Main Boy is full of doubt and uncertainty, and so he must choose to have faith. His ticket at the end of the film is punched with the word "BELIEVE". Train Boy must learn to be humble and listen with real intent. His ticket is punched with the word "LEARN". Billy is frequently mistrustful and prefers to be ob his own. With the help of his new friends, he learns to open up and be vulnerable. His ticket is punched with the word "TRUST". Girly learned to trust her instincts and be decisive. Her ticket is punched with the word "LEAD". 

    What I appreciate about this movie is that it is not faux-girl power in your face, but is subtle, suggesting that there is nothing abnormal about having this girl be the natural leader of her friends, because that is a perfectly normal thing to be. She also does not have to take on any inherently male traits to be a great leader, she does not have to be angry and tough to be taken seriously. That is something that many modern filmmakers can't seem to figure out and this was a cartoon made in 2004 with zuckerbergian empty eyed animation. 

    Take notes Marvel. 

Feminism in Fantasy: How Game of Thrones was the only one that got it right.

 Feminism in Fantasy: How Game of Thrones was the only one that got it right

    In the world of fantasy, one of the most common criticisms of the genre has historically been the underrepresentation of female characters and how none of them pass the Bechdel Test. For all of you Lord of the Rings fans, the next time you watch the trilogy, try and count the number of times two female characters talk to each other during the entire nine-hour runtime (It's only once, by the way).

    With this preconceived notion in mind, it's easy for an outsider to look at a series like Game of Thrones and assume that it falls into the same category. After all, this is the same series that has become infamous for its graphic and sexual content and follows a predominantly male-centered plotline. However, upon closer examination, those same outsiders can see how diverse the story really is and how well it celebrates its female characters.

    Out of all of the female characters in the story, the one that sticks out to me the most is Asha Greyjoy (or Yara, depending on whether you're reading the books or not). Despite being the only daughter in one of the most feared families in the story, she earns the respect of her people and aims for a crown after the death of her father. But due to a complicated political backstory that nobody wants to hear about, she's suddenly abandoned by her people and needs to work to claim what's rightfully hers. While other fantasy stories may view this type of character as an antagonistic rebel, Thrones follows her viewpoint as one of the main characters. It offers a unique insight into a woman's perspective in this feudal world, and despite how stoic and badass she is, she's still a realistically complex character, something that Tolkien always struggled with in his writing.

What are some other examples of strong female leads in fantasy? I'd love to broaden my view on the topic!

Feminism at the Soldier Training Scene in Disney's Mulan (1998)

There are many Disney animated movies that can be examined using different criticism methods. In terms of analyzing feminist perspectives, I chose to analyze the animated film, Mulan (1998), by Disney. This blog post analyzes the film's cultural feminism, hegemony, and waves of feminism focusing at the soldier training scene in this film.

Mulan official poster (IMDb, 1998)

Sellnow (2010) states that cultural feminism focuses on promoting “socialized skills, activities, behaviors, and viewpoints” that are defined as feminine (p. 150). An example of cultural feminism is when Mulan's parents did not want her to join the forces to fight the Huns so she decided to report for military duty (Naudus, 2020). 

Third Wave Feminism does not only focus on women’s issues, but it spotlights the variety of standpoints including life experiences based on class, gender, ethnicity, and sexual identity (Sellnow, 2010). Mulan’s arrival at the training camp demonstrates the third wave feminism because the other male solders does not recognize Mulan as a woman and one of them calls Mulan names that are masculine. 

Third-wave feminism focuses on “issues of oppression” (Sellnow, 2010, p. 143). The video below from MentorEnglish Movies (2020) above shows the scenes including:

0:11 – 0:12: “Ahh, you ain’t worth my time. Chicken Boy” said to Mulan, however, the male character does not realize she is a woman.

0:43 – 0:52: When the big male character hits the multiple male characters like a domino and creating a huge mess on the scene. After Mulan shows up on the scene standing, all the male characters who fell got angry at Mulan even though she did not create the mess.

2:50 – 2:53: After Shang Li shows up to the scene, multiple male characters pointed Mulan and shouted “HE STARTED IT”

My name is Ping scene (MentorEnglish Movies, 2020)

After Mulan taking the blame from the soldiers, Li Shang showed up and talks to Mulan. Mulan started identifying herself as “Ping” when she talks to Shang for Mulan. When Mulan has her father’s uniform and calls herself Ping shows that she is countering hegemony in terms of gender because she tries to act the same behaviors as the male characters (Sellnow, 2010). 

Mulan "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" scene (Movie Clips, 2020)

Second-wave feminism focuses on the goals of “equal rights and opportunities” for both women and men (Sellnow, 2010, p. 142). The video above by Movie Clips (2020) shows Mulan is participating on the training camp but struggled, and then she started fulfilling the training tests to be powerful as the male characters. 

Overall, when female characters are portrayed in animated films it produces feminism perspectives. Disney's Mulan (1998) demonstrated the opposite by countering gender hegemony by Mulan becoming a warrior.

Question:

What other animated films similar to Mulan that a female character goes to training with male characters?

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References:

Bancroft, T. & Cook, B. (Directors). (1998). Mulan [Film] Walt Disney Pictures.

IMDb. (1998, June 19). Mulan. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762/

MentorEnglish Movies. (2020, February 27). MULAN (1998) - MY NAME IS PING [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GueWwOaB_3I&list=PLdM9AMmdYsSvksXa-Km5RDaBgUuQeEFvG&index=14

Movie Clips. (2020, November 23). Mulan 1998 film I'll Make A Man Out Of You [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mYDAwAdsM0&list=PLdM9AMmdYsSvksXa-Km5RDaBgUuQeEFvG&index=19

Naudus, P. (2020, June 19). Disney’s Mulan (1998). The Legend of Hua Mulan: 1,500 Years of History. https://mulanbook.com/pages/post-imperial/disneys-mulan 

Sellnow, D. (2010). The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture: Considering Mediated Texts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Ideology of Second Wave Feminists with Fried Green Tomatoes

Sellnow describes the different perspectives of Feminists, one perspective interested me most was the Second Wave Feminism ideologies. What is 2nd wave feminism? Sellnow describes it as "the focus on the goals of equal rights and opportunities for women and men." I gravitate to this particular wave because at the end of the day I want equality to be based on my skill not my gender. I have heard people say to me "apply to this job because you're a woman and they have diversity hiring." This to me defeats the purpose of equality, I want to be able to go to a job because I am the best fit for the job. I think that Second wave feminism showcases that equality should be based on who is best fit for the position not based on Gender. Throughout this blog I want to use the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. 

The movie Fried Green Tomatoes shows a middle class wife named Evelyn who quite frankly has a sad life. Her life consists of not being satisfied with her marriage, friends and body image. Evelyn then befriends an elderly woman (Ninny) who tells her the stories of Idige and Ruth. Idige a woman who was fearless and would stand up to anyone and anything. Idige started her own business and for her time in the 1900s, which was something no woman really ever did. Throughout the movie Evelyn starts to gain confidence in herself and begins to take care of herself. Evelyn begins to reshape her marriage and start her own business all because of the stories of Idgie. Idgies attitude towards those who were oppressive to her and her friends was that she wasn’t going to back down. The movie is a feel good movie and a mystery of Idige and Ruth's past, but it also goes deeper in showing that with the help of strong women examples Evelyn is able to change her life. I feel this is exactly what Second wave feminism is about, equal opportunity for women and empowering women to become what they were meant to become. 

I do want to address that even though we have title IX and other resources women still do have a hard time breaking the mold of masculine hegemony. Throughout Fried Green Tomatoes Evelyn has to stand her ground with her husband without letting him treat her as “just” a wife or “just” a woman. I feel in my own life I have seen men in the workplace get higher pay than women simply because they are older and their gender happens to be a man. Instead of looking at who was most qualified, people default to the masculine hegemony.  My question for you is how do we in this society create equal opportunities for all, not based on gender or even age but based on skill? How do we break the mold of Masculine Hegemony? 

Sexism Today in Sports: Simone Biles & Tom Brady

Sexism in sports is evident in how female and male athletes are treated when they achieve the same or a similar amount of accomplishments in their sports. Simone Biles, one of the most awarded gymnasts in history, and Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, give a great example of how gender affects public perception and treatment.

Tom Brady’s longevity and dominance in the NFL have been widely praised, along with his 7 Super Bowl wins. He is often applauded for his discipline and strategic mind. He has implemented rules to protect quarterbacks, which can help extend the careers of players. His continued success is often attributed to his intelligence and skill rather than just his physical ability. Throughout his career, he prioritized his mental and physical health and took breaks so that he can focus on longevity.  

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast, including men and women, with a total of 30 medals. She is praised for her power, athleticism, and skills and at the same time faced criticism that Brady never had to deal with. In the media, there are underlying sexist expectations that women in sports should be humble, grateful, and unproblematic. When she confidently acknowledges her own greatness, she gets labeled as "arrogant"—a label rarely attached to Brady who would often do the same.

In the Gymnastics world, instead of adjusting rules to recognize her groundbreaking skills, judges have downgraded her routines to discourage others from attempting them. Instead of rewarding her with her innovation, the sport has penalized her for being “too good” and “always winning.” 

When Biles withdrew from events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns, she was accused of being "weak" and "selfish" and attacked for not pushing through. Instead of being recognized for prioritizing her health - like when Brady would take breaks to focus on longevity, she was scrutinized. 

Fortunately, the rise of feminist voices on X, Instagram, and TikTok has made it easier to call out sexism in real-time. When Biles faced backlash for not participating in the Olympics, feminist activists and everyday people were able to conquer the negative narratives by pointing out how male athletes have been praised for taking care of their bodies and longevity in their sport. Hashtags like #SimoneBilesIsTheGOAT and #MentalHealthMatters trended, reframing the conversation and challenging those who tried to label her as weak.

Both Biles and Brady have achieved historic success, yet their different treatment reveals deeply rooted gender biases. While Brady’s success is celebrated as a testament to his greatness, Biles is often scrutinized and held to impossible standards, and even penalized for excelling too much. 

• This type of treatment can be seen in the NBA and WNBA. Same sport, but completely different treatment. After all of this reflection between Tom Brady and Simone Biles, what do you think is the reason behind why NBA players get paid millions per year while WNBA players barely get paid $150,000?

Feminist Perspective in Media

 Feminist Perspective focuses on the fact that the dominant ideology controls what people believe in media, and in this case, the dominant ideology is that the men and masculine perspective is over women and the feminine perspective. This also includes the gender roles that we see in media, for example the movie "Princess and the Frog". In the movie, one of the side characters, Charlotte is Tiana's best friend in the movie, and while her screen time is not a whole lot, it is heavily implied that her life goal is to marry a wealthy man. This movie is just one example of many that reinforce that type of stereotype of gender roles. The stereotype that a woman's goal in life is to grow up and to marry someone. That gender role stereotype can be seen in quite a few different Disney princess movies and other various movies as well. 

However, there have also been cases in which the stereotype gender roles in movies is challenged. Take for example the movie " A League of their Own", the movies is based upon the real AAGPBL or the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which operated in the 1940's and 50's. In the movie, the stereotype gender roles are challenged as the players leave their typical roles of housewife, waitress, etc..., and they go and play Baseball. What makes it eve more unique is that it is based upon a true story. 

With so many movies, TV shows, and various other forms of media either challenging the dominant Ideology or reinforcing it I pose this question, Do you think more media know challenges that ideology or challenges it? Also, is the dominant Ideology shifting? 

Thelma & Louise - Equality and Justice for Women

 

Oddly enough, I can watch the movie Thelma & Louise over and over. I’ve never been able to pinpoint why I like this movie so much. To like it as I do almost makes me feel like I am a rebel. By admission, I am a pretty old-fashioned gal in many respects. My favorite shows are Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons. These shows depict women in mostly traditional, conventional roles and that sits well with me. This being stated, I celebrate when women are empowered, strengthened by “sisterhood”, and kick some male booty! Why? I’m not really sure. But I guess I recognize the feminist movement and all women have had to collectively endure to get us to this point in history. Do you enjoy seeing women rise above the hegemonic prevailing societal structures?

The movie Thelma & Louise highlights the strength of a female bond and friendship that fights against male oppression and chauvinism. This movie celebrates loyalty between two very different personalities, but the unifying factor is that they are female and have shared experiences. This brings them strength and resolve. 

The two female characters in the movie, Thelma and Louise, are repeatedly disrespected and put down by men, threatened, and even abused. They rise above and fight back through their bond, standing firm against the male-dominated, patriarchal power system that surrounds them. Ultimately, the film showcases their achieved empowerment and their transformation from being passive victims.

In our readings, we learn that a feminist perspective takes into account three major concepts - patriarchy, masculine hegemony, and heteronormativity. I have a friend that I respect and like a lot. I asked her out of respect if I could have her permission to share about her journey and the photos included here - she gave her approval. My friend happens to be a lesbian. She got married a few years ago and started a family. My friend is highly educated as is her wife. She and her wife are good parents, exposing their children to many educational experiences. There is no shortage of love and care for their children. But the dominant ideology and hegemony presents challenges for them as parents and as a couple because they are not heterosexual and they are women. I think of them and so many others like them when I observe cultural artifacts and texts like Thelma & Louise that are opposing hegemonic, dominating ideologies. 

Parks and Rec, Feminism, and Beauty Pageants

Parks and Recreation is one of my all-time favorite shows, and watching the episodes as they came out might be the only time, other than Game of Thrones, that I had to wait a week for the next installment. 

If you’re not familiar, Parks and Rec is a mockumentary-style show about the staff and zaniness of a city parks department. The main character is Leslie Knope, a go-getter who loves her job even in the worst of times - she says that being yelled at is just people “caring loudly.” A common theme with Leslie’s character is her admiration for women in politics (and generally includes women from multiple parties), and her aspirations to make positive changes in the government. She even is shocked when people don’t know that the picture in her office isn’t her Grandma, but Madeleine Albright, along with other inspirational women leaders throughout her office. 

Leslie’s ambition often puts her in situations where she’s trying to be heard and respected among other men in the city, and sometimes it’s with her obliviously playing into what she thinks is best. In an early episode, she goes to Salvatore’s barbershop, because Salvatore’s is known for cutting the hair of past (male) members of the city government.

Other times, Leslie is very obviously feminist in her opinions, and one of the best examples of this is during season 2, episode 9, called “Beauty Pageant.” In it, Leslie is a judge for the pageant and takes the role very seriously, while her colleague Tom is only there for the bikinis. Right away it is clear that we, the audience, know that Tom is in the wrong, compared to Leslie’s outlook of fairness and wanting the best candidate to win. In the clip, we see (mostly) April’s bits, but the episode focuses more on Leslie’s support of Susan Gleaver because of her dedication to school, classical music, and charitable work, while Tom and others are more interested in Trish and her sex appeal. (And April is only there for the quick prize money.)

During the judges deliberation, Leslie speaks up, firmly saying that Susan is the best candidate and deserves the win, and quips, “I'm a judge, so I don't want to seem partial, but Trish will win this over my dead body.” (Remember, this is a comedy show.) The scene quickly cuts to the announcement that Trish has won.

This episode shows in farcical ways how feminine and masculine roles are socially portrayed, creatively using negative stereotypes to tell the audience how ridiculous those societal norms can be. This is an occluded feminist reading, in which we are aware that women should be praised and awarded for their intellect and character, and even have Leslie as a guide, but we see that it’s on the outside that counts, apparently, to the judges.

I like what Leslie says at the end of the episode about the pageant results: That the “Susans” of the world will continue to carry on, even when they lose to the “Trishes” of the world.

Even though the show is a comedy, I think that Leslie is a decent role model for feminists. She’s a woman who constantly holds her own and can be tough when needed, but also compassionate. I also thing that comedy allows for an audience to laugh at the ridiculous stereotypes that our society perpetuates - hopefully the satire of it all can help us to try more to course-correct whenever we can.

Do you feel like social justice and equality issues can be effectively examined through a comedy lens? What are some examples that come to mind?