‘Game of Thrones’ Season 2 Trailer: Will Women Fare Better This Season?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

 

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

When I wrote about HBO’s Game of Thrones last year, I had no idea that my critique would ignite such a fire storm.

In the 2 years I’ve been blogging, my post “Here There Be Sexism? Game of Thrones and Gender” holds the rank as my blog’s second most commented post. Readers commenting had visceral reactions to my criticizing the TV show, based on the beloved series by George R. R. Martin, and its depiction of gender and its treatment of women.

Now, while I know the TV series is pretty faithful to its source material, I haven’t read the books yet. So I can’t speak to how the books depict the female characters, only the TV show. But should I have to read the books in order to enjoy the show? Nope, I don’t think so. A TV series or film should be able to stand on its own accord. But people keep telling me to wait until season 2 as the books get even better regarding the gender roles.

Last week, HBO aired its trailer for the much-anticipated Season 2. The trailer is narrated by Varys (Conleth Hill):

“Three great men: a king, a priest and a rich man. Between them stands a common sell sword. Each great man bids the sell sword kills the other two. Who lives? Who dies? Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick, a shadow on the wall. A very small man can cast a very large shadow.”

Ugh. A dude…talking about more dudes. Yet another dude-fest.

In the very 1st teaser trailer that premiered in December, narrated by Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), Robert Baratheon’s brother who’s gunning for the Iron Throne, again it’s the voice of a dude we hear.

But Game of Thrones boasts a lot of strong, intelligent, powerful women. Luckily in the trailer, we see and hear my two favorite badass female characters. Caring yet steely Dragon Queen Daenerys Stormborn (Emilia Clarke), whose transformation in Season 1 truly was the best part of the show for me, assertively proclaims:

“I am Daenerys Stormborn and I will take what is mine with fire and blood.”

Gender-bending, spunky, sword-wielder Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), says:

“Anyone can be killed.”

Daenerys and Arya stand out as my fave characters period, regardless of gender.

Aside from them, no other women speak. Although to be fair the only other man who speaks is Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister (he’s seriously amazeballs). We see assertive matriarchs Lady Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). But of course there’s a bit of misogyny in the trailer with King Douchbag (er, Joffrey) pointing a crossbow at Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), threatening her life.

Misogyny and sexism tainted Season 1 of Game of Thrones with rape, abuse and objectification. While it pissed some people off, nudity on a show doesn’t really bother me. What did irk me was all the brothel scenes that focused on the male gaze and male pleasure. Aside from Daenerys and Arya, even the strong and powerful female characters are ultimately deferential to the men around them. It implies women’s lives revolve around men. So many films and TV series focus on men and their perspectives with women as secondary characters rarely talking to other women.

Luckily, Season 2 will see an influx of new characters, including lots of female roles. Huzzah! The “Red Priestess” Melisandre of Asshai (Carice van Houten), female warrior (!!!!) Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), noblewoman Lady Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), Ygritte (Rose Leslie), the Ironborn captain (double !!!!) Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) named “Asha” in the novels. Wait, a sorceress, warrior and ship captain?? More women in leadership roles?? Sounds promising!

But with so many new women, why did I only see 1 new female face in the 2nd trailer? Why do the trailers revolve around the men??

Now, I love Game of Thrones. Really, I do. It contains complex characters, compelling plots and political intrigue. But as stellar as the show is (and it truly is), doesn’t mean it’s inoculated from sexism. In fact, my expectations are higher because it’s so good. As I previously wrote:

 “Throughout the first season…women are raped, beaten, burned and trafficked. I suppose you could chalk it up to the barbarism of medieval times. And I’m sure many will claim that as the show’s defense…or that the men face just as brutal and severe a life. I also recognize that there’s a difference between displaying sexism because it’s the time period and condoning said sexism.

“But this IS a fantasy, not history, meaning the writers can imagine any world they wish to create.  So why imagine a misogynistic one?”

I can’t stress this enough. This is fantasy, people, NOT history. So why create a sexist world rife with misogyny?? Medieval fantasy, even while incorporating accurate historical elements, is not synonymous with history. As Blood Fiend astutely writes at The Book Lantern:

 “I want to read more fantasy. Really, I do. But I’m unable to read it when women are constantly oppressed and seen as lesser beings in a world based on fantasy. Writers, you can create a world with any rules you choose. Yet, you continue to write sexist worlds to have your characters overcome the sexism. Can a girl fight monsters without having to deal with sexism? Does every girl have to disguise herself as a boy to fight in a war? This has nothing to do with cultural or social constructs. In your world, you don’t have to have those.”

I might not be so hard on Game of Thrones if misogyny didn’t surface in almost every movie and TV show. In most films and shows, women’s lives revolve around men. Women talk to men and if they happen to talk to another woman, it’s about men. Too many films and shows sexualize women and show women subjugated by men via violence. Even when strong, intelligent, capable women exist (as in Game of Thrones), they are continually depicted as not possessing dominion over their bodies, families and lives.

If writers and directors utilize sexism to provide social commentary, that’s one thing. And not every movie or TV show must convey a profound message. But the media continually relies on and perpetuates sexism. While a fantastic series, Game of Thrones suffers from sexist tropes and would be even stronger without them.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope Season 2 is more of a lady-fest. And it sounds like it might be with the progression of Daenerys’ reign and the addition of so many new female characters. But with rampant sexism inherent in media, including in the 1st season, I’m not going to hold my breath.

Game of Thrones Season 2 airs Sunday, April 1st at 9pm, EST on HBO.

Posted in TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Top 14 Sexist Super Bowl Ads and the #NotBuyingIt Campaign

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

Super Bowl ads are big business. In 2011, the Super Bowl yielded the number 1 spot for ratings. With record-breaking numbers, an average of 111.3 million people watched this Sunday’s game. With so many people watching, “this means most women, children, LGBT” and people of color are watching too.

Yet the advertising skews to white, straight men. Men comprise 94% of the creative directors for Super Bowl ads. And it shows. 91% of women say advertisers don’t understand them even though women make 85% of consumer purchases in the U.S. and influence 95% of all total purchases.

Anticipating sexist advertising during the Super Bowl, Miss Representation launched a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #NotBuyingIt where viewers (including yours truly!) called out offensive ads in real-time. If we hope to combat sexism in society, we need to critique misogynistic media.

Most people think they can ignore ads or that marketing is harmless. But advertisements splatter across billboards, buses, magazines, TV, radio and the internet. In Jean Kilbourne’s groundbreaking book Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel, she argues sexist and misogynistic imagery bombards us, inundating our senses even on a subconscious level. Whether we realize it or not, ads impact our choices and views.

Overwhelmingly, this year’s Super Bowl ads glorified hyper-masculinity and degraded women. Playing into patriarchy, sexist ads showcase masculinity as the dominant gender. Even inanimate objects are sexualized as women’s bodies. Sexist ads normalize sexism and violence against women, bearing the message that women merely serve as sex objects for the male gaze. Sexism harms both women and men. The proliferation of sexist images contributes to our rape culture that condones and accepts misogyny.

Dear GoDaddy, Fiat, Kia, Telflora and other companies churning out sexist marketing…Google Chrome and Pepsi create fabulous ads with gender and racial diversity sans sexism. Why can’t you?

So without further ado, here’s the countdown of the top offenders:

14. CHEVROLET

According to Chevy, only men drive trucks. So clearly, only dudes will survive an apocalypse. Yeah, cause women don’t buy or drive cars.

13. DAVID BECKHAM FOR H&M

Slow shots pan over soccer star David Beckham’s buff body. For his new underwear line at H&M, Beckham wears…his underwear. Sure, he’s modeling the product he’s selling, which is a million bazillion times better than other ads where women are scantily clad and they’re not selling bikinis or lingerie. Female objectification pisses me off way more because of male privilege. And yes, David Beckham is a beautiful man. But objectification is still objectification.

12. BUDWEISER

The Budweiser ad shows different snippets throughout history, a white-washed, overly male version of history. As Shelby Knox tweeted, “So Bud travels all through history but the 1st Black woman really featured is DANCING IN A CAGE.” Dr. Marcia Chatelain tweeted, “Men move and make history, women are groupies.” Naturally.

11. NFL’s “LIVE LIKE A MILLIONAIRE”

Now I don’t know what the hell I expected from the NFL’s “Live Like a Millionaire” fantasy football contest ad. Apparently, only men play fantasy football. That’s right, cause silly ladies can’t bother they’re pretty little heads about watching football…puke. Women only exist as trophies. Oh and some asshat wears a fucking fur coat. A fur coat?! Wow, that NFL fantasy ad objectified women AND animals in fell swoop.

10. NBC SPORTS NETWORK

In NBC’s ad for its new sports channel, there’s only 1 female…a girl…and she’s dressed in pink. Gender stereotyping bullshit. What about powerful female athletes?? Apparently NBC thinks females must be girly. Oh yeah, and only men are athletes.

9. LORAX MOVIE

One of the nice things about Dr. Suess books is that the characters are often genderless. Ahhh, but the Lorax movie is going to rectify that! They took the book and of course had to make the progonist a boy. The Lorax is about to fight a statuesque woman donning a hat/hairdo combo resembling a Viking helmet. When someone says to him, “Whoa, you wouldn’t hit a woman!” the Lorax replies, “That’s a woman??” Oh great. Just what we need. More gender policing! The media constantly tells us what women’s bodies should, and should not, look like.

8. GEICO

Oh, Geico. Why did you have to jump on this bandwagon?? A trio of “popular middle school girl” follow a guy around so he can lose weight. Whenever they see him eating food, they say, “Ew. Seriously. That is so gross.” Oh, that’s right. Girls and women should think food is disgusting. You know, so they can stay super skinny and keep everyone else skinny. Eyeroll. Hmmm, so not only does the media police women’s bodies and their consumption. Now, teen girls are becoming the food police themselves. Eating disorders have risen steadily over the past few years and 95% of people who have eating disorders are 12-25 years old. No wonder so many women and girls have unhealthy relationships with food.

7. OLD NAVY

Now it wouldn’t be a Super Bowl ad if there wasn’t at least one ad aired featuring “real” men. Whatever the fuck that means. What’s up with that Old Navy “Corporado Menswear” ad?? Hyper-masculinity much?? It shows a white dude on top of a mountain, interchangeably dressed as a rugged cowboy and a golfer. Oh yeah, cause either of those things has anything to do with Old Navy’s clothing line. Then the ad tells men how they should “dress like a guy.” So dudes, you’re not really a dude unless you “dress like a guy,” whatever the hell that means. While the media constantly polices women’s bodies and behavior, they don’t forget to police men too. According to this nonsense, “real” men are white, straight and hyper-masculine.

6. DANNON

Ugh, this Dannon ad pisses me off so much. A woman and her significant other (John Stamos) eat Dannon’s Oikos Greek yogurt. At first, they take turns sharing one yogurt. Then they get territorial, culminating in the woman head-butting Stamos, knocking him onto the floor. Yeah, domestic violence in my advertisements, whether it’s towards women or men, not cool.

5. GODADDY

Ahhh, GoDaddy. A company known for their sexist marketing. What a great thing to be known for. In this lovely little ad, spokespeople Danica Patrick and Jillan Michaels start brushing body paint on a half-naked woman’s  body. Michaels says, “Who won’t notice a hot model in body paint?” What the fuck does this have to do with selling web domains?! Just what we need, GoDaddy. More sexist objectification and pornification of women’s bodies. Women’s bodies should not be commodified, used as billboards, or objectified for the male gaze. They took two powerful female athletes and turned them into sex toys.

4. KIA

So in this lovely gem, the Sandman pours sand on a snoozing wife and husband. He pours too much on the dude so his dream goes hyper-masculine. In his dream, the guy drives a race car. Model Adrienne Lima waves a flag (phallic much?) to signal the start of a race and scantily clad women cheer the dude on. As he drives around the track, “manly” things occur around him. Burley mountain man saws through a ginormous grinder (that’s a sub or hoagie to the rest of you), wrestlers wrestle and Motley Crue plays “Kickstart My Heart.” Then the dude invades his wife’s dream. She’s riding on the back of a white horse in a cartoonish meadow with some other dude. Yep cause all women just want a knight or prince to rescue them. Wow, thanks for educating me, Kia.

3. M&M’S

Mars tried an oldie but a goodie advertising tactic with their M&Ms ad. Hey, why stop at sexualizing women’s bodies. Why not sexualize food?? They they objectify the anthropomorphic food. Sigh. So many things wrong with this ad. Voiced by Vanessa Williams, Ms. Brown (who has her own Twitter page. I shit you not.) talks about the Prime Minister and wears glasses. Yes, because only women who wear glasses are smart. And let’s not forget that women (even female candy) must always be sexy. Human men at a party think Ms. Brown is naked because her shell color matches her chocolate inside. They ogle her and giggle. Then the red M&M, who also thinks she’s naked, rips off his outer shell (clothing), basically exposing everyone and then dancing provocatively near her. So the lesson here is that food is sexy and men should expose themselves?? The whole ad is weird and creepy, not sexy or funny. And it sure as fuck doesn’t make me want to go out and eat M&Ms…even if I wasn’t a vegan.

2. FIAT

Oh Fiat…you almost had the number 1 spot. This ad not only objectifies a woman’s body, it hyper-sexualizes a car as a woman’s body. Fiat asserts women and cars are interchangeable. Duh! A fast car is like a fast woman and they’re both commodities men want. So men can “own” women…you know, cause they’re just objects (oh, I mean sex objects) after all. But this ad goes a step further. The Italian-speaking Romanian model Catrinel Menghia slaps the man for leering at her as she’s bent over. In reality, women face leering, ogling and street harassment on a regular basis. But in the ad, she shifts from anger to sexuality and quickly starts seducing him. Contributing to rape culture, Fiat’s ad associates and normalizes violence with sexual arousal.

1. TELEFLORA

I swear to god when I first saw this ad, and mind you I was watching and typing at the same time, I though it was a Victoria’s Secret ad. NOT an ad for flowers. After showing “sexy” close-ups of model Adriana Lima putting on lingerie, she says, “Guys, Valentines Day is not that complicated. Give and you shall receive.” Let’s trade gifts for sex! Ugh. So we’ve got objectification. Check. And sexual coercion. Double check. So according to Teleflora, women should trade sex for gifts?? No one should ever feel obligated to have sex. No one should ever bribe or expect their partner to give them sex. That’s not romance. You know what I find sexy? Consent. Teleflora glorifies sexual aggression, coercion and obligation. Thanks for objectifying women AND contributing to rape culture. Go fuck yourself, Teleflora.

Posted in Women and Gender, TV, Advertising | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Albert Nobbs’ Explores Constrictions of Class & Gender

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

“You don’t have to be anything but what you are.” Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) tells the titular Albert Nobbs played by Glenn Close. But in a time where women possessed no status, no rights – when your only options were as a wife, servant or prostitute – how could you be yourself if you yearned for another life?

Haunting and sad, Albert Nobbs tells the tale of a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to survive in 19th Century Ireland. A “labor of love” and a “dream fulfilled,” Oscar nominee Glenn Close, who co-wrote the screenplay, tried to get Albert Nobbs made into a film for 30 years. Adapted from the play, which Close starred in on Broadway in 1982, is itself adapted from George Moore’s short story. Moore’s books were controversial “because of his willingness to tackle such issues as prostitution, extramarital sex and lesbianism.” Rodrigo Garcia’s poignant film Nine Lives, which Close also appeared in, showcasing 9 vignettes of women’s lives, is one of my favorite films. So my expectations were high for Albert Nobbs.

Was this a “jaw-dropping performance” by Glenn Close? She was absolutely outstanding. I didn’t realize at first just how good of a job she did until I realized I completely forgot that it was Glenn Close! I’m used to seeing her play strong, confident or assertive women. Here, Close plays a character shy, awkward, guarded and desperately lonely. She melts into the role. She’s as straight-laced and tightly wound as the prim and proper world around her.

It might be easy to initially dismiss Close’s performance as merely donning make-up and male garb, forever sporting a stoically immutable countenance. But Close completely lets go in Albert’s few aching outbursts of emotion. With a child-like naïveté, Close played Albert as an “homage to Charlie Chaplin.” About the role, she said:

“Albert was particularly tricky because there’s always the question of how much should show on her face because a lot of it is somebody who’s totally shut down, who doesn’t even look people in the eye. Servants weren’t supposed to look people in the eye, but she’s an invisible person in an invisible job. And then her whole evolution is slowly being able to look up – the first time she really looks someone in the face is after she’s told Hubert her story and then she kind of looks out to her dream.”

Albert’s world begins to change after she meets outgoing house painter, Hubert Page (McTeer). In her well-deserved Oscar-nominated role, Janet McTeer exquisitely steals every scene. Hands down, she’s the absolute best part of the film. I couldn’t wait until her magnetic presence appeared on-screen again. McTeer, who plays the qualities of the character, not the gender, exudes a soulful swagger and charismatic kindness. She radiates confidence, warmth and a bold assertiveness. McTeer, also playing a woman in disguise, possesses a strong sense of self, the complete polar opposite to Albert who has no idea who she is as a person. About her character, McTeer said:

“I tried to be, on the one hand, very male, by which I mean large and expansive and confident and sitting on the back of the heels, as it were, and on the other hand I wanted [my character] Hubert to have as many as what we consider to be the loveliest of the female qualities — empathy, compassion, kindness. I wanted Hubert to be a really good mixture of both.”

It’s the embodiment of these qualities that makes Hubert unique. But we also see this mélange in Albert. Helen tells Albert, “You’re the strangest man I’ve ever met.” What makes Albert so strange? Is it that she treats women with thoughtfulness, kindness and equity stereotypically lacking from the other men Helen met?

After Albert meets Hubert, she realizes she could have a life of companionship. SPOILER -> Hubert is married to a woman she adores and a beautiful scene between the two portray a tender, loving and devoted couple. <- END SPOILER Hubert gives Albert hope for a different future: a life free from the shackles and confines of loneliness. In a bittersweet scene, Hubert and Albert walk along the beach together. Albert in a dress, the first she’s worn in 30 years, runs along the beach. Reminded of her old identity, in a rare expression of emotion, she’s unconstricted, buoyed by freedom and sheer joy.

Many movies contain cross-dressing plotlines for comedic effect. But not a lot exist that focus on gender-bending from a dramatic angle. Boys Don’t Cry and Transamerica explore the lives of a trans man and woman while Yentl and The Ballad of Little Jo both echo Albert Nobbs as they feature women who choose to live as men in order to survive or pursue their dreams. An act of violence as a young girl catalyzes Albert to live as a man to protect herself and survive.

Critics have focused on the gender components in the film. But an equally important theme, class threads throughout the entire film. Albert Nobbs depicts how women contended with and endured poverty. We witness the stark dichotomy between the lavishly wealthy clients and the servile wait staff in the hotel. Servants in the Victorian Era were to be invisible, never looking the upper class in the eye. With her downcast eyes, Albert remains dutiful. Yet she begins to aspire for more. Albert has been saving her money all her life and hopes to open a shop of her own.

The film portrays relationships and courtship as an economic contract. When Albert courts the coquettish Helen (Mia Wasikowska), Helen expects and asks for all sorts of gifts and trinkets. SPOILER -> We also see class play out after Helen gets pregnant. Women needed men in order to survive financially. Women who give birth to children out of wedlock were punished fiscally, fired from their jobs. Husbands provided fiscal security. <- END SPOILER Gender and class coalesce. You realize Helen’s gender and station in life condemn her situation. Albert and Hubert would never be able to attain their dreams (and Hubert her independence) had they retained their identity as women.

I perpetually worry audiences watch period films with dangerously confining gender roles and then sit back thinking, “Phew, we’ve come so far!” Yeah, no, we so haven’t. Albert Nobbs raises so many thought-provoking questions. Why is the male gender the more “desirable” gender in society? What does it say about a society where half its population has a mere two options for their lives? How can women take charge of their own lives amidst confining gender norms? And therein lies my problem with the film. It provides no conclusions, the answers remain elusive.

It’s a slow and unassuming movie that at times moves at a methodical pace. But the more I pondered, the more I realized the film possessed many intricate layers. Throughout we see women’s perspectives and hear women’s voices. Albert Nobbs contains not one but two powerful female actors with other women in memorable supporting roles; a film rarity. Neither Albert or Hubert are defined by their gender or sexuality. They both transcend gender.

The tragic story of Albert Nobbs lingered in my memory long after I left the theatre. Its exploration of female friendship, lesbian love, class and poverty, gender roles and a woman’s self-discovery, truly make it a rare gem.

Posted in Class, Films, LGBTQ, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viola Davis Rules the Night: Women, Race & Gender at the 2012 SAG Awards

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

Lately, it seems awards shows vacillate between moments of cringe-inducing sexism and feminist clarity. And the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were no different. Stripped of pomp and circumstance, with no host, the SAG Awards focus strictly on acting in TV and films. As with most media I consume, some parts pissed me off while others delighted me.

When Christopher Plummer won Outstanding Male in a Supporting Role for his performance as a gay man coming out to his son in Beginners, he began his acceptance speech by saying he’s “had such fun in the world’s 2nd oldest profession.” Ah, a sex work joke. Then Plummer called the film’s female producers “girls.” Oh Christopher Plummer. Yeah, calling female producers “girls,” even if they are way younger than you, not cool. But he almost redeemed himself when he again thanked his wife of 43 years who “came to his rescue and saved his life.” Swoon!

Dick Van Dyke presented icon Mary Tyler Moore with a Lifetime Achievement Award. I’ll start with what I liked. I LOOOVE that Van Dyke mentioned that Mary Tyler Moore is an animal rights advocate!!! The vegan in me cheered with delight. Ah, but the feminist in me shook my head at this:

“She’s one of the few performers, women, who can do a flat out comedy scene, slapstick and still be beautiful, feminine and adorable.”

Sigh. I so wanted to like his touching speech but it pissed me off. What does her appearance or femininity matter? Who cares what the hell a woman looks like, Dick Van Dyke? And who the fuck cares if she’s “feminine?!” Ugh.

Now, I realize he’s old and comes from another era. Don’t care. When discussing someone’s work or talent, male or female, their looks shouldn’t be mentioned. Society focuses too much on women’s appearances. People often assume women can only embody one quality: smart or sexy, funny or beautiful. As if a talented woman isn’t a success unless she’s pretty and feminine too.

Luckily, the rest of the evening contained inspirational and humorous moments through a feminist lens.

When Octavia Spencer won Outstanding Female in a Supporting Role for The Help, she honored civil rights activist Medgar Evers in her poignant acceptance speech. She also said,

“Thank you for putting me in a category with so many beautiful women…It was really a privilege to work on a film that gave a voice to so many women…By honoring me, you honor them…

“I want to thank all the people out there who went to support this movie and, after watching it, felt something. You felt compelled to make a change in your lives. So I’m going to dedicate this to the downtrodden, the underserved, the underprivileged, the overtaxed, whether emotionally, physically or financially.”

I absolutely adore Spencer mentioned women’s voices as well as class. And I love that she’s getting all this attention. Just wish it wasn’t for The Help. Ugh. Regardless of my opinions of The Help, I hope this catalyzes Spencer’s career and she gets lots and lots and lots of roles. She deserves them.

Other great moments included winner Alec Baldwin giving a shout-out to Tina Fey for her witty writing on 30 Rock (damn straight) and winner Betty White thanking her 3 female co-stars, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, on Hot in Cleveland. Loving the female camaraderie!

And speaking of female camaraderie…love, love, LOVE Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy as presenters!!! The comical trio sauntered on stage to present the clip of Bridesmaids, one of my favorite 2011 films, nominated for Outstanding Ensemble. In describing the film, Maya Rudolph said,

“Our cast tells the story of strong female friendships.”

Yes, yes it does. Hilarious, raunchy, bittersweet and touching, Bridesmaids depicted a group of women as friends and one woman trying to find her way in the world. It’s rare for a movie to feature a female protagonist. It’s even rarer for a film to contain multiple female characters where women aren’t portrayed as catty and competitive but actually like and respect each other. In the funniest part of the evening, the women alerted the audience to a Scorsese Drinking Game where you drink each and every time you hear Martin Scorsese’s name uttered. Kristen Wiig said,

“Do you think Scorsese saw Bridesmaids??”

If he’s smart, he sure as hell has.

When presenters Tina Fey and John Krazinski discussed advice given to actors, Fey hilariously said,

“And I believe it was the TODAY show’s fourth hour co-host Kathie Lee Gifford who said, ‘If drag queens love you, you’ll have the longest career in the world. They know phony and they know real.’”

Ha! One of the best quotes of the night. But the SAG Awards belonged to Viola Davis who completely stole the night.

When Viola Davis won Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role, the audience gave her a standing ovation. Davis is a phenomenal actor who makes the most of any role she plays. Whether on-screen for hours (The Help) or mere moments (Doubt), her quiet strength mesmerizes and enthralls. Christ she almost made Nights in Rodanthe watchable (almost). Davis shared how she decided to become an actress at 8 years old. Cicely Tyson inspired her, and she was thrilled she could see her idol sitting in the audience as she won her award. Davis said,

“What is there but a dream? You can’t trade in your dream for another dream…Dream big and dream fierce.”

While I wish awards shows weren’t based on a binary gender divide, I often worry and lament that if they weren’t, women might never win. However this year, 2 of the 5 films nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, Bridesmaids and The Help, both boasted predominantly female casts. It’s a huge step in the right direction.

Bolstered by a female ensemble, The Help was the big winner of the evening. Not only did it win the two female acting awards. And I have to say that I’m ecstatic two unbelievably talented African-American women won. But it also won Outstanding Performance by a Cast. At first, I was pissed Bridesmaids didn’t win. Then I was even more pissed that The Help won; a film touted as showcasing black women’s experiences but actually revolving around a white woman “saving” black women. But then I let Davis’ eloquent and inspiring words wash over me.

After calling working on The Help “a labor of love,” Davis articulated:

“The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It’s all of our burden. It’s all of us. I don’t care how ordinary you may feel. We all of us can inspire change. Every single one of us.”

I sat in my living room and applauded. And cried. Davis’ speech contained THE best, most feminist declaration I’ve ever heard on any awards show. Period. Davis blew me away with her poise, grace and intelligence. I’m thrilled she addressed racism and sexism on a national platform. And she’s absolutely right.

Racism and sexism affect us all. More people must realize racism and sexism still exist, stripping people of equality. We need white allies and male allies working with people of color and women towards eradicating racial and gender discrimination. We must speak out whenever we see or hear prejudice or injustice if we ever hope to combat it. But all is not lost. We can all make a difference.

People often go to the movies for entertainment, to escape their mundane lives. But films can also inspire you to act boldly and dream big. And sometimes, awards shows can too.

Posted in Films, Race, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rape Jokes Are Taking Over TV and I’m Sick of It

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

[Trigger warning for rape]

Newsflash, rape jokes are not funny. Ever. So why are so many sitcoms succumbing to them? 2 Broke Girls, Work It, Rob, Whitney, Up All Night, Two and a Half Men, Workaholics, Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Family Guy, Glee, and The Soup (NO, Joel McHale!) have all attempted laughs at the expense of rape.

Rape jokes aren’t edgy. They’re lazy, misogynistic, insensitive and violent. And yet they are everywhere.

On Whitney, there’s a rape joke Whitney’s boyfriend had nonconsensual sex with her when she was passed out from medication. Workaholics jokes about having sex with a woman when she’s sleeping, aka “sleep assault.” Yeah, cause having sex with a woman while she sleeps is SO funny. In 2 Broke Girls, the most frequent offender, Katt Dennings says,

 “If you go back there, you’ll need a bite guard and a rape guard.”

“That’s not what rape feels like.”

“Rapists don’t knock and wave.”

“Stop fighting it, just give into it. I don’t know why I’m quoting a rapist.”

“Somebody date raped me and I didn’t think I’d live through it. But I did and now I’m stronger and uh, still needy.”

 A UFC fighter was fired last year for tweeting a joke on “surprise sex” (cause that’s uber hilarious) from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

 ”If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone like surprises.”

 Work It, an updated Bosom Buddies cancelled after 2 episodes (thank god!), aired a rape joke within the first 2 minutes of its premiere. Wow, they didn’t waste any time being assholes:

“As a woman, I’m going to have to ask you to stop comparing prostate exams to the pinball scene in The Accused. It’s not okay.”

The Accused is a film about a woman, played by Jodie Foster, gang raped. “The pinball scene?” Yeah, let’s call it what it is…a rape. Comparing a vital physical exam by a consenting adult to rape, a nonconsensual, violent crime is idiotic and horrific. And not funny. At all. Of course this is the same show spewing sexism, racism and transphobia.

 A rape joke appears in the TV trailer for the movie Horrible Bosses. In the fucking preview. Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman walk down a street when Sudeikis says, “I can’t go to jail. Look at me, I’ll get raped like crazy.” Then Bateman replies, “I’d get raped just as much as you would, Kurt.” “No, no—I know you would.”

Since when did rape become fucking flattery?! Rape is not a compliment. Not ever.

In the movie, when Charlie Day accuses “man-eater” boss Jennifer Aniston of rape she replies, “Just hold on there, Jodie Foster,” alluding to The Accused. Oh, cause it’s so much better when a woman makes a rape joke. Yeah, it’s not.

Lady T at The Funny Feminist discusses rape jokes and female comedians like Sarah Silverman’s infamous and controversial joke: “I was raped by a doctor, which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl.Jewish girl.” Lady T goes on to write that she hates jokes that imply rape is funny, trivialize rape or makes fun of victims. Yet she can “appreciate jokes that make fun of rapists or rape culture or acknowledge that rape is underreported and terrible.” But since rape jokes can be triggering to survivors, she wonders if it’s even worth it.

Are you as sick of the bombardment of fucking rape jokes as I am??

A few months ago Facebook removed rape joke pages from their site after an outpouring of protests on Change.org and Twitter. Some of the lovely page titles included, “Riding your girlfriend softly, cause you don’t want to wake her up” and “You know she’s playing hard to get when you’re chasing her down an alleyway.” It’s disturbing it took a public outcry to remove them. Who the hell actually thinks these pages are okay to put up in the first place?!

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd at Alternet questions whether rape jokes are ever OK to tell. Regarding their prevalence, she writes:

“The fact that people find these lines fun, or funny, is systematic of our society, where 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police precisely because of the perceived lack of seriousness toward rape (along with stigma and victim-blaming/shaming, among other reasons).”

Rape culture normalizes and accepts sexual violence. Society teaches us men are assertive, having uncontrollable urges (a la “boys will be boys” mentality) and women are passive, their sexuality something to control.

Wanda Sykes is one of the rare comedians broaching the subject of rape with genuine humor. She jokes about the benefits of having a “detachable pussy” so women won’t have to worry about being attacked when they go out jogging late at night. To me this isn’t a rape joke but a humorous commentary on the stupidity of trying to control women’s behavior.

And society is forever trying to control women’s behavior. In her must-read Ebony article, “Stop Telling Women How Not to Get Raped,” Zerlina Maxwell writes:

“For so long all of our energy has been directed at women, teaching them to be more “ladylike” and to not be “promiscuous” to not drink too much or to not wear a skirt. Newsflash: men don’t decide to become rapists because they spot a woman dressed like a video vixen or because a girl has been sexually assertive.

“How about we teach young men when a woman says stop, they stop? How about we teach young men that when a woman has too much to drink that they should not have sex with her, if for no other reason but to protect themselves from being accused of a crime? How about we teach young men that when they see their friends doing something inappropriate to intervene or to stop being friends?

“The culture that allows men to violate women will continue to flourish so long as there is no great social consequence for men who do so.”

Too often, people toss around the word rape or laugh off rape jokes, not fully comprehending the severity of the word or realizing their insensitivity to rape and sexual assault survivors. Rape jokes “dismiss and normalize the idea of rape.”

“Nearly 1 in 5 women in the U.S. has been sexually assaulted.” We live in a rape culture that laughs at rape jokes and too often condones rapists and abusers.  We put the responsibility on rape survivors. We blame their actions and their behavior. Rape is not a sexual act. It’s about power, control and dominating another. People do not asked to be raped and cannot bring rape upon themselves. We need to place the blame where it belongs, with the doucebag creeps who rape and abuse.

In her brilliant “Over It” anti-rape manifesto, activist and playwright Eve Ensler writes:

“I am over people not understanding that rape is not a joke and I am over being told I don’t have a sense of humor, and women don’t have a sense of humor, when most women I know (and I know a lot) are really fucking funny. We just don’t think that uninvited penises up our anus, or our vagina is a laugh riot.”

Rape shouldn’t be a taboo topic to discuss. Survivors shouldn’t be shamed into silence. We need to have open dialogue about sexual assault. While humor can be a great way to confront tough issues, rape jokes trivialize someone’s painful plight.

Like Eve Ensler, I’m so over bullshit rape jokes too.

Posted in Gender-Based Violence, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 2012 Oscar Nominations…A Sea of White Dudes

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

I love The Oscars. I eagerly wait all year for this cinema extravaganza. Well, the Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. And of course peeps are already debating the noms and snubs.

And I’m pissed off. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) overlooked too many amazing women on-screen and behind the camera. Although I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me…it happens every year.

I’m pissed the Oscars snubbed:

  • Pariah – Best Picture
  • Young Adult – Best Picture
  • Meek’s Cutoff – Best Picture
  • Adepero Oduye (Pariah) – Best Actress
  • Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) – Best Actress
  • Charlize Theron (Young Adult) – Best Actress
  • Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) – Best Actress *a long-shot but Wiig was outstanding
  • Pernell Walker (Pariah) – Best Supporting Actress
  • Kim Wayans (Pariah) – Best Supporting Actress
  • Dee Rees (Pariah) – Best Director
  • Diablo Cody (Young Adult) – Best Original Screenplay
  • Dee Rees (Pariah) – Best Original Screenplay

It’s interesting (and unfortunate) Young Adult and its protagonist, Charlize Theron, were snubbed as it features a vile yet vulnerable female character. And Hollywood doesn’t like unlikeable women in their movies. Besides The Help, no other films with female leads was nominated for Best Picture. It speaks volumes that Pariah, a brave, beautiful and touching film with lesbian women of color, should have been nominated for absolutely everything. Yet it didn’t receive a single fucking nomination. But The Help did. I call bullshit.

Here’s Cannonball‘s astute take on 5 Female-Directed Films That Deserved Oscar Nominations.

But I’m thrilled these actors and writers received nominations:

  • Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) – Best Original Screenplay
  • *Viola Davis (The Help) – Best Actress
  • Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) – Best Actress
  • Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) – Best Supporting Actress
  • *Octavia Spencer (The Help) – Best Supporting Actress

*It’s wonderful Davis and Spencer were nominated. Too bad it’s for The Help. Ugh. I wish that movie hadn’t been nominated for anything. Dear Hollywood, nominating actors and a movie for Best Film where a white woman “saves” or speaks for black women is not progressive. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Having lots of women in a film doesn’t inoculate it from racism.

As Her Film points out, the only women nominated in fields other than the ones designated for them (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress) are:

  • Kathleen Kennedy, Producer (War Horse) – Best Picture
  • Bridget O’Connor, Co-Writer (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) – Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Agnieszka Holland, Director (In Darkness) – Best Foreign Language Film
  • Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Director (Kung Fu Panda 2) – Best Animated Feature Film

The Oscars are a white male bonanza. In 84 years, only 4 women (!!!) have ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Only one, Kathryn Bigelow, ever won. In producing, only 7 women have won the Best Picture award, all as co-producers with men. Only 15 women have won Best Screenplay (7 women for Adapted Screenplay with 1 woman winning twice, 8 women for Original Screenplay). Only 4 women of color have been nominated as screenwriters. No women of color have ever been nominated as a producer or director. These stats are shameful.

The Oscar nominations are pretty much a sea of white dudes. So once again, I’ll be posting The Opinioness of the World’s Annual Feminist Oscars. Stay tuned for those nominations!

Posted in Films, Women and Gender | Tagged , | 3 Comments

‘Haywire’ Review: Is an Ass-Kicking Woman Enough to Change Gender Roles On-Screen?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

Who is Gina Carano? That question might haunt you after watching Haywire or seeing its trailer. We need more women in films, especially in the action genre. But is having a film revolve around a tough, smart female protagonist who kicks ass enough to change gender roles on-screen?

With an impressive supporting cast (Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas), Haywire centers around Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, an ex-Marine black ops expert assigned a dangerous mission to rescue a journalist. When she’s double-crossed, she goes on the run, playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to uncover the truth. Told in a non-linear narrative, the interesting plot ensnares you in the action and web of deceit.

Carano gives a solid performance in a good (not great) movie, especially considering she has practically no acting experience. Like stuntwoman-turned-actor Zoe Bell, she didn’t get her start in acting. Instead, Carano forged her career in MMA (mixed martial arts). Nicknamed “Conviction,” Carano is known as the “Face of Women’s MMA,” a title she herself refutes. In only her second film role, Carano headlines Haywire, catapulting her into the Hollywood limelight.

Director Steven Soderbergh said he was frustrated as a filmgoer. Tired of watching action movies lack visual aesthetics, he set out to create an action film “beautiful to look at.” As he flipped through the TV channels one night, Soderbergh stumbled upon Gina Carano beating the shit out of another woman in a match. She struck a chord in him and he wanted to build a project around her, an authentic action film. Rather than having a female actor undergo grueling training or hire a stunt double, he submerged Carano, a highly accomplished champion Muay Thai fighter, into method acting, including having a former Mossad (Israeli intelligence) agent ambush her outside a hair salon. Okay, that’s just ridiculous! Soderbergh asked Ryan Kavanaugh, head of Relativity Media:

“’Why is Angelina Jolie the only female action star in the world?…Because someone made her that way, and I’m going to make Gina into one of the biggest action stars in the world.”

Yes, my sentiments exactly! Why is there only one female action star in the world?? It’s about time a male director wonders the same damn question I ask myself on an almost daily basis. While many women appear in action films, they often fall prey to gender trappings and stereotypes. But women in films don’t have to be pigeon-holed as demure or dainty. Mallory, who “doesn’t like to leave loose ends” on an assignment, unwinds by drinking a glass of wine and cleaning her guns. In fact the film even went so far as deepening Carano’s voice. And women don’t have to be relegated to the sidelines as the rescued victim or the hero’s girlfriend. We need to see more empowered, competent women take charge in films.

With a Spartan script, Soderbergh puts the best thing front and center: Carano’s action sequences. Some great scenes unfold when Carano is opposite Michael Fassbender, a truly amazing chameleon, effortlessly sinking into any role. They share a very Mr. and Mrs. Smith-esque moment as two spies dressing up for a black tie affair. But of course the best scenes are when Carano fights. Or runs. There’s an incredible shot of her running as fast as she can through the streets of Barcelona. Her moves astonish. No wires, no stunt doubles. It’s all Carano herself. And that’s pretty fucking awesome.

Haywire reminded me of Salt or a grittier Alias. But the difference is Salt was originally written for a man. When Angelina Jolie wanted the role, they altered the character. The protagonist Salt was originally supposed to have a child. But Jolie said that no mother would ever become a CIA operative (hmmm not sure about that) so the child was erased from the script. When she’s trying to escape a building, she’s wearing a skirt and slips off her underwear to cover up the surveillance camera. After she’s injured, she goes into a bathroom and rips out the tampon/sanitary pad machine. Then she straps a few pads to her bloody wound. Gendered moves like these don’t exist in Haywire.

But maybe that’s a good thing. I mean, maybe it’s awesome that there’s no gender commentary but that the film simply revolves around a woman. In fact, the only time gender is mentioned happens when SPOILER -> Michael Fassbender tells Ewan McGregor, “I’ve never done a woman before,” meaning he’s never killed a woman. McGregor assures him not to think of her as a woman. <-END SPOILER I’m reminded of The Professional and how Jean Reno’s character refused to assassinate women or children. Society views women differently simply because of their gender.

The film contains some brutally graphic fighting sequences. I found the opening scene especially jarring. While I love action films, I abhor the glorification of violence against women. But it never felt like that. Instead I found it refreshing for the action scenes to not be softened because of Carano’s gender.

Irregardless of her gender, Mallory Kane is clearly the best of the best in the film’s universe. Michael Douglas’s character pays an exorbitant amount of money to take her out of another assignment in order to hire her for his own project. She combats men (and wins), chokes people with her thighs, leaps across buildings, shoots guns, rides motorcycles, runs up a wall, drives a car backwards in the snow and disarms guns from law enforcement. There’s seriously nothing Mallory (and probably Carano) can’t do.

Another interesting component happens when Mallory seduces a man. I usually don’t like when a woman has sex in an action film as it usually reduces her identity to her sexuality and her relationship with a man defines her. But here it’s unusual because you don’t often see women as the initiator, not for any other motives other than she wants to have sex. I kinda like that.

Sadly, besides Carano, Haywire is adrift in a sea of men, men, men as far as the eye can see. Her employers, colleagues, villainous foes, the guy she accidentally carjacks….all men. Salt suffered that problem too. But Hanna, another female ops action film, not only had several women in it but included female friendship and cooperation. Sadly, that’s lacking here. They could have included both her parents in the film so we at least see her interact with another woman. But nope. It’s only her dad…yet another dude.

Putting a tough, smart and capable woman front and center, Haywire is a step in the right direction. And I always love seeing fierce ladies kick ass. But we don’t live in a world that revolves around men. Oh wait, yeah we do. It’s time we changed that…on-screen and in reality.

Posted in Films, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments