The radical notion that women like good movies
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope “It’s a great time to be a woman in politics… Get on board and buckle up, ‘cos my ride’s gonna be a big one.” In the Parks and Recreation pilot, Leslie Knope made clear the extent of her political ambitions. But it was also clear that she was deluded. The Deputy Director of … Continue reading “Emmy Week 2011: Leslie Knope”
Something to break up the long, hot summer: the 2011 Primetime Emmy nominations are out. Here is a selection of the women nominated for acting. Stay tuned for an analysis of female nominees behind the camera. For the entire list of nominees, visit the official Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website. Lead Actress in … Continue reading “2011 Emmy Nominees”
Bossypants by Tina Fey Bossypants is a good book. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud-in-public funny, and parts of it make me think Fey is an overprivileged asshat, but still a funny asshat. And, as my friend Abby recently said, “Parts of it just made me love Amy Poehler more.” In the spirit of loving Amy … Continue reading “Quote of the Day: Tina Fey”
Check out the Emmy-nominated women below. I haven’t included all categories, but you can check out the entire list of Emmy nominees here. Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series 30 Rock • Reunion • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association withUniversal Media StudiosBeth McCarthy, Director Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or … Continue reading “2009 Emmy Nominations”
div style=”text-align: justify;”>In response to my previous post about pay discrimination in Hollywood, an anonymous commenter pointed out the following: “Although I agree that women should be paid the same in all industries, your breakdown of the top grossing movies fails to recognise that apart from Sex and the City there were major male actors … Continue reading “Are You Ready to Get Ridiculous?”
Check out all of the posts from our Unpopular Opinions theme week here.
For Leslie, feminism means, rather simplistically, that she admires women who are in power, believing that gender should be no barrier for achievement. Unfortunately, despite Leslie’s determination to highlight her dedication to furthering the feminist cause, her understanding is not only crude and rather rudimentary, but can, frequently, be damaging. Her identification as a feminist is, much like Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon on ’30 Rock,’ hugely lacking in intersectionality. This is even more frustrating considering that three of the four female cast members are women of color.
As emerging adults, Abbi and Ilana are free to explore their sexuality as they choose. Choosing to be sexually active means the women have the possibilities of exploring love and sex, casual or within a relationship, in a way that best serves them as 20-something single women. Although Abbi and Ilana each explore their sexuality differently, the women share a common mentality- that they will embrace the many sexual adventures they embark on and support and empower each other every step of the way.
It’s therefore unsurprising that the character who most drives the plot of the film is Riley’s dad (voiced by Kyle MacLachlan). In fact, the film is largely one big piece of advice for fathers from fathers.
Its challenge to fatphobia is covered in fat jokes and gross-out humor, tailored to trigger our prejudices. We can laugh, if prepared to question why. We can sympathize, if braced against an awkwardly half-choked, giggling snort. Humor strikes faster than self-censorship.
‘Gone Girl’ has been called misogynist, an amalgamation of negative stereotypes of women, a text that perpetuates rape culture, and a narrative that fuels Men’s Rights Acivtists’ ugly depiction of the gender equality feminists are trying to achieve.
Putting the talent of the author aside – because I do think Gillian Flynn is an incredible writer – I want to address this feminist ire directed at ‘Gone Girl.’
To an extent, I agree with it. Yet, what is missing from the discussion is a focus on privilege.
Check out what we’ve been reading this week–and let us know what you’ve been reading/writing in the comments!
