The Feminist Lens: Movie Reviews

Great Oden’s Raven! This week, I’ve decided to write my Feminist Lens Movie Review about the 2004 comedy, Anchorman.

But why Anchorman, you might ask? The answer is two-fold. First, I have a bunch of choices, many of which fall under the horror/action/thriller genres. Anchorman is very different in that regard. Second, despite presenting a shiny veneer of feminism and equality, the movie still contains a number of problematic elements. So grab your popcorn and bust out that Sex Panther cologne from your private stash—it’s time for another edition of the Feminist Lens.

Hope Springs – Men’s Feminism Activist Groups

I’ve never been one for activist groups. I remember sophomore year in high school a teacher horrified and enraged all of my friends and I at the atrocities being committed in Darfur. Under the idea we could actually end it, (yes we did actually believe we could,) we  began holding awareness meetings, which turned into a club, which turned into bake sales and t-shirt sales, which then turned into benefit concerts and more. Eventually though, we all met a reality that no matter what we did, there was some other obstacle we had to climb, a constant up-hill battle that seemed to not only get steeper but more slippery as we ascended. The club eventually dissolved the following year after we lost our hope and drive in our impact.

Most recently I came across several male activist organizations that advocate stopping sexual assault of women and sexual discrimination in general. While I knew many activist groups against rape existed, I didn’t know of ones that were focused on men’s roles and reforming men. Not only did the majority of these explain the depth of injustices our patriarchal society have caused, but also the breadth in men’s ability to change the world around him for the benefit of those oppressed by the patriarchy.

What’s Your Number?

No, I don’t mean your ten-digit phone number.  I mean that one or two-digit number (or three; unlikely, but uh, do ya thang, honey) that is an entitlement for men, and a damnation for women.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about the number of people you’ve slept with.  Had sex with.  The number that makes him a stud, and makes her a slut.

“Slut.”  That’s a fightin’ word.  What defines one?  If you were to type “slut” into Google, your first hit would be The Free Online Dictionary, which asserts that a slut is “a person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous” [italics added].  How enlightening.  At what point is sexual activity considered promiscuous, you might ask?  Our handy dandy Free Online Dictionary comes to the rescue once more, defining “promiscuous” as “having casual sexual relations frequently with different partners; indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners.”  I could continue the laborious task of looking up such words as “casual”, “frequently”, and “indiscriminate” in an attempt to pinpoint how many sexual partners a woman can have before she is deemed a “slut”.  That would be a futile task, though, and I do have a deadline to meet on this post, so I digress.

My point still stands.  The ambiguity of this definition is remarkable; it’s vague enough to mean something different to every individual who allows the dirty, derogatory word to pass through his or her lips.  Here’s the part that no dictionary definition will ever get at:  “slut” is a term used to control a woman’s sexuality.  It’s fittingly filthy and morally reprehensible:  as women, we are taught that should cherish our dignity and defend our honor.  If you have two X chromosomes, having sex in any capacity undermines that undying “truth.”  If a gal does have sex, she should keep it quiet, and keep it confined to monogamy.  If she dares explore her sexuality with multiple partners, she’s dishonorable.  She’s slovenly.  She’s a slut.

Using Sex as a Tool

We’ve all heard it before: women who are unhappy with something their partner has done may choose to stop having sex with them until the situation changes. It’s a common trick used in movies and television all the time, and if some of the conversations I’ve heard recently are true, it’s happening in the real world too.

So what’s wrong with holding your sex life hostage, you ask? The obvious answer is that it’s manipulative. Resorting to punishment as a communication technique might indicate that there is a deeper problem at play here, one that will probably require some discussion to solve. Using manipulation does nothing but show a lack of trust in the relationship, and ultimately just makes for more frustration. However, women withholding sex from their partners is also indicative of some deeper concern about the way we treat sex in relationships.

Not until the dishes are done, buddy.

Of course, anyone has the right to refuse sex with anyone else for whatever reason, whether in a relationship with that person or not. I find no issue there. However, denying sex to a partner in order to gain an unrelated advantage in an argument creates a dynamic where sex is used as a tool. And here we’ve found an issue.

Links Round-Up

This week at ShoutOut!:

Kate liked this article  from Our Bodies Our Blog, which talks about the access to our Abortion Rights. It gives a little background on what is happening nationally and within certain states.

Kelly J. found this post about Mayor Bloomberg that really made her angry. It is so upsetting, she says, that the first thing that this man made a comment about was the woman’s body, and not her opinions or personality.

What’s in a name?  Read this article, found by LadyChaotica21, featuring a Florida man who got his license suspended and accused of fraud after he took his wife’s last name.  Is this a sign that society needs to progress in terms of surname etiquette?  Read here and decide for yourself!

Links Round-Up

This week at ShoutOut!:

HannahGrace points out that history was made this week, as two same sex marriages were hosted at West Point, a prestigious military academy. The act that was made possible by two events last year, the lifting of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and the legalization of gay marriage in New York. The marriages are an emblematic victory of the long battle homosexuals have fought to be accepted within the military.

With the holiday season upon us, you might have noticed the many gendered toys filling the aisles of you local stores – pink kitchen sets, “for boy’s only” science sets, the list goes on and on. One blogger shared her frustrations with this and other misogynistic aspects of Christmas , including an interesting feminist reading of holiday classic ”Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

Classifiedsarcastic  sent in this article, which details how the feminist movement is still plagued by stereotypes and some of the negative impacts that these still have.

And this one, which argues that feminism’s work is done, that women have in fact won and the so-called “war on women” is irrelevant. Is this true??

Visionsofourfuture sent in the following:

I remember when I was younger and I used to read Seventeen magazine, so I was shocked when I heard about their new online BMI Calculator — that specifically tells teenage girls that being underweight is healthy. By telling a 17-year-old that the BMI of a 15-year-old is healthy, Seventeen Magazine is perpetuating a terrifying image standard to their young readers who are still trying to come to grasp with their own bodies.

And, if you read Fox News’ oped piece on ‘The War on Men’, you were probably just as frustrated as me to hear how women only need to surrender to their “natural femininity” to allow men to “provide and protect” for us. But don’t worry! Suzanne Venker, the author of the piece, came out and explained what she really meant by arguing that she should have written about “husbands and wives” instead of “men and women” — apparently that makes all the difference in making sweeping, harmful generalizations about genders.

JGrand50 enjoyed an article detailing how the latest Toys R Us catalogue in Sweden depict swapped gender roles for the first time ever. The advertisement shows girls playing with “boy toy” Nerf guns and shows a boy playing with a pink dollhouse. Trivial? Or an interesting sign of societal progress?

In more somber news, the Ugandan government is yet again voting on a “kill the gays” bill– legislation that would punish homosexuality with life sentences or death. Various groups are petitioning to end this idea once and for all.

Eszenyme sent in this article, which summarizes why supermodel and former French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is definitely NOT a feminist, namely, because this generation doesn’t need feminism any more….Thoughts?

And this article (comically) discusses the sexualization of young girls through Elizabeth Hurley’s swimsuit line. How young is too young for leopard? Thoughts?

The Sexualization of Halloween

So, because I’m a horrible student and push off all of my work until the last minute, I was not free to enjoy any Halloween festivities last night. Instead, I spent the evening reading an 18th century British play, studying for an econ midterm, and reminiscing on better spent Halloween’s past.

While doing such reminiscing, I was also having to think about what to write about for this blog post. And what better thought to cross my mind than Halloween costumes? Or worse — the sexy Halloween costumes that people dress up in.

“Sexy Hermione Granger”. A costume we’re all probably too familiar with.

Explaining Objectification

It seems like lately, a lot of us here at ShoutOut! are struggling to find ways to explain feminism to our friends. It can be really hard to get past that initial “oh, you’re just an angry feminazi” reaction that most people have when we even mention inequality, patriarchy, racism, or feminism. So I’m always trying to find ways to express my frustration in ways that my not-so-feminist friends will understand and appreciate. Luckily, this weekend I was able to use a popular comedy show to explain an important part of feminist theory to a friend.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a big fan of Saturday Night Live, or SNL. I grew up watching it with my dad, and have always enjoyed how it points out absurdities in our news media and society in general. So of course I was anxiously anticipating watching this past weekend’s show, especially because Mumford & Sons was the musical guest. Both of their performances were fantastic, but they brought something to my attention-the unequal pressures facing male and female musicians.

By societal standards, the appearances of the memebers of Mumford & Sons are less than stellar. The lead singer, Marcus Mumford, would be considered chubby by most standards. “Country” Winston Marshall has a bad complexion. I’m by no means trying to nit-pick, what I’m getting at is that no one is this band is perfect or “Brad Pitt”-esque. But when do you ever see this critiqued in the media? Oh right, you don’t. The only thing that matters is that these musicians are incredibly talented and write very honest, gut-wrenching lyrics.

Sick and Tired [TW: Racism, Rape, Homophobia]

Maybe it’s because I’ve been beyond stressed out lately. Maybe it’s because I haven’t slept much in the last week. Maybe it’s because I’m struggling to juggle a full-time job, a full course load, and still maintain some kind of social life.

Whatever the reason is, I am sick and tired of being a feminist. I’m tired of constantly defending myself, of trying to explain things. Like all of this:

I am tired of female politicians getting asked silly, vapid questions. As if who your favorite designer is has ANY impact on your ability to lead.

I know that feel, Hil.

I am tired of having to walk down the quad after class and listen to a group of fraternity brothers refer to people as “fags,” as if being LGBTQ is an insult.

I am tired of hearing my male friends complain about being “friendzoned.” I am tired of the idea that just because you are nice to a girl and give her a shoulder to lean on, she should automatically fall in love with you and/or enter into a sexual relationship with you.

Clearly your logic is perfect.

I’m sick and tired of listening to male politicians trying to make decisions about MY body. I’m tired of people like Paul Ryan, the VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE of the Republican Party, trying to argue that RAPE is a form of conception.

I’m tired of not being able to have a conversation about poverty in America without someone bringing up “welfare queens.” Just like Melissa Harris-Perry, I am sick of hearing that poor people are lazy, that they don’t work hard, that single mothers struggling to make ends meet just want to suck on the government tit.

I’m tired of telling people that I write and edit for a feminist blog and getting looks of disdain and dismissal. I’m tired of people assuming anything about me or my sexuality because I’m a feminist. I’m tired of being told that I make a big deal out of “stupid” things. I’m tired of being told to learn to take a joke. I’m tired of my very righteous anger being dismissed as the rantings of a silly young person who will calm down once she’s out of school.

How to Earn a Badge in Feminism

I have never wanted to be a Girl Scout. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I would rather be curled up in bed with a book than taking place in any kind of outdoor or physical activity. However this weekend (as I was in bed taking a break on my book), I ran across an interesting post on Facebook that led me to develop a deep respect and admiration for the organization.

Girl Scouts support Planned Parenthood! They support an LGBTQ agenda! For God’s sake, don’t buy the thin mints!

Sweet, I thought. I can feel good about ordering five (or maybe ten) boxes this cookie season. The whole thing seemed too good to be true, but when I did a little investigating I found out that it was even better than I had imagined.