The radical notion that women like good movies
Crazy Bitches Versus Indulgent Little Girls: The Binary of Mad Women in Girl, Interrupted by Sarah Domet At its core, Girl, Interrupted strives to be a feminist film. However, I find the film’s representations of “mad women” problematic, particularly the ways in which mental illness becomes so closely linked with eroticized otherness. And here is … Continue reading “Women with Disabilities Week: The Roundup”
Movie poster for Benny & Joon This is a guest review by Carleen Tibbetts. When Bitch Flicks put out the call for reviews regarding the portrayal of “disabled” women, I had a mixed reaction. Most of the suggested films and TV series deal with both physical disabilities and mental illness, but there’s far greater stigma … Continue reading “Disabilities Week: The Patronizingly "Adorable" Side of Schizophrenia in ‘Benny & Joon’”
Let’s Keep Goin’: On Horror, Magic, Female Friendship & Power in Thelma & Louise by Marisa Crawford If men didn’t rape, Louise wouldn’t have shot the rapist. If the system didn’t blame rape victims, they wouldn’t have gone on the run. If men didn’t rape, they could have driven through Texas. If the system didn’t … Continue reading “Travel Films Week: The Roundup”
Before Sunset movie poster This is a guest review by Carleen Tibbetts. I could easily and happily blame Richard Linklater for making me believe in destiny, fate, kismet, or the idea of a soul mate. When Before Sunrise was released, I was twelve or thirteen. I remember getting it from the video store with my … Continue reading “Travel Films Week: The One-Night Stand That Wasn’t: ‘Before Sunrise’ and ‘Before Sunset’s Jesse and Celine”
Dire times in Children of Men as “The World Has Collapsed” Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts for our theme week on Infertility, Miscarriage, and Infant Loss. Women can’t get pregnant anymore and nobody knows why. This the central lamentation in Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 dystopian film Children of Men, based on P.D. James’s novel. Set … Continue reading “The “Plague” of Infertility in Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Children of Men’”
Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron star in Snow White and the Huntsman Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts. Despite the various twists on the classic fairy tale, there is a definite constant in Snow White: women are their own worse enemies. The storyline is essentially the same: jealous, vain stepmother wants to oust stepdaughter who … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Matriarchal Impositions of Beauty in ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’”
Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron star in Snow White and the Huntsman Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts. Despite the various twists on the classic fairy tale, there is a definite constant in Snow White: women are their own worse enemies. The storyline is essentially the same: jealous, vain stepmother wants to oust stepdaughter who … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Matriarchal Impositions of Beauty in Snow White and the Huntsman”
Pop-Tarts and Pizza: Food, Gender, and Class in Gilmore Girls by Brianna Low While it could be argued that it is somewhat progressive of the Gilmore Girls series to portray two women who have no hang-ups about publicly consuming large amounts of food, it is important to remember that despite their voracious appetites, Rory and … Continue reading “Gender and Food Week: The Roundup”
Tom Bartlett (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Amanda Shelton (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Simply Irresistible Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts. The 1999 romantic comedy Simply Irresistible begins with the female lead, Amanda Shelton (Sarah Michelle Gellar), milling around a New York City farmer’s market (decked out in Todd Oldham! So 90’s!) searching for ingredients for … Continue reading “Gender and Food Week: Eclairried Away: Is it Love or Sugar Shock in ‘Simply Irresistible’?”
A Lady Lonely at the Top: High School Politics Take an Ugly Turn in ‘Election’ by Carleen Tibbets Election, the 1999 film directed by Alexander Payne and based on the novel by Tom Perotta, chronicles type A personality Tracy Flick’s (Reese Witherspoon) quest to become student body president and the unraveling of her social sciences … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: The Roundup”
