Our March Theme Week for 2014 will be The Great Actresses.
Great actresses have been gracing the silver and small screens since the birth of moving pictures. Though even today there are still far fewer defining roles out there for women than there are for men, some actresses continue to stand out for the magnificence of their performances, for their commanding onscreen presence, and for their ability to navigate a life in the limelight while still digging up those elusive roles that allow them to shine. Who are these great actresses? What makes them great? Is it their craft, talent, hard work, dedication to quality roles, or something else entirely?
Though many “greatest actresses” lists are primarily comprised of white, classically beautiful women, we know that great actresses come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. Write about an aging Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, or Susan Sarandon who have all consistently been powerhouses, drawing out a connection between themselves, the material, and their audiences for decades. Or tell us about Australian Nicole Kidman who proves again and again that she is an imposing force with her ability to authentically inhabit any role. There are also amazing women of color who have been pouring genius and energy into their work for generations: Oprah Winfrey, Lucy Liu, Angela Bassett, Michelle Rodriguez, Halle Berry, Rinko Kikuchi, Natalie Portman, Lauren Velez, and Nazanin Boniadi, for example. Let’s also consider up-and-coming stars who are establishing themselves: Laverne Cox from Orange is the New Black, Quvenzhané Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild, Kerry Washington from Scandal, and Lupita Nyong’o from 12 Years a Slave. We would also love for writers to examine the actresses who paved the way for today’s leading women:
We will be spending a week celebrating these great actresses–actresses who are talented, break barriers, and inspire audiences, and have been doing so for over a hundred years.
We’d like to avoid as much overlap as possible for this theme, so get your proposals in early if you know who or what you would like to write about. We accept both original pieces and cross-posts, and we respond to queries within a week.
Most of our pieces are between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and include links and images. Please send your piece as a Microsoft Word document to btchflcks[at]gmail[dot]com, including links to all images, and include a 2- to 3-sentence bio.
If you have written for us before, please indicate that in your proposal, and if not, send a writing sample if possible.
Please be familiar with our publication and look over recent and popular posts to get an idea of Bitch Flicks’ style and purpose. We encourage writers to use our search function to see if your topic has been written about before, and link when appropriate (hyperlinks to sources are welcome, as well).
The final due date for these submissions is Friday, March 21 by midnight.
Evelyn Preer
Marilyn Monroe
Bette Davis
Katharine Hepburn
Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Ingrid Bergman
Vivien Leigh
Meryl Streep
Audrey Hepburn
Barbara Stanwyck
Elizabeth Taylor
Joan Crawford
Rita Hayworth
Judy Garland
Dorothy Dandridge
Lena Horne
Alfre Woodard
Ruby Dee
Natalie Wood
Judi Dench
Grace Kelly
Lauren Bacall
Sophia Loren
Marlene Dietrich
Ginger Rogers
Doris Day
Mae West
Halle Berry
Hattie McDaniel
Angela Bassett
Greta Garbo
Lillian Gish
Louise Brooks
Mary Pickford
Lois Weber