Comments on: What is Feminist Fiction? http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:38:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bes http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48487 Bes Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:25:57 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48487 The whole liberal male feminist notion was a great big fail. If they introduced other activities for their female characters it was only to have more ways of sexualizing women. So female athletes were sexualized, female executives were sexualized. And of course all female crime victims die nude and posed sexually. What I don't get is with more women than men graduation from college how is it that almost all movie and TV writers are male? They must work hard to exclude women from their ranks. Also I have been disappointed by "entertainment for women" so many times that I no longer expect to be entertained by TV or movies and I especially think all channels "for women" will suck if not be out right offensive. I read, visit with friends and family or play on my computer for entertainment. I have wasted as much time as I care to on lame TV and Movies. So at this point something truly feminist probably couldn't succeed simply because women have been let down so many time by corporate media we no longer listen. The whole liberal male feminist notion was a great big fail. If they introduced other activities for their female characters it was only to have more ways of sexualizing women. So female athletes were sexualized, female executives were sexualized. And of course all female crime victims die nude and posed sexually.

What I don’t get is with more women than men graduation from college how is it that almost all movie and TV writers are male? They must work hard to exclude women from their ranks.

Also I have been disappointed by “entertainment for women” so many times that I no longer expect to be entertained by TV or movies and I especially think all channels “for women” will suck if not be out right offensive. I read, visit with friends and family or play on my computer for entertainment. I have wasted as much time as I care to on lame TV and Movies. So at this point something truly feminist probably couldn’t succeed simply because women have been let down so many time by corporate media we no longer listen.

]]> By: Kiuku http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48429 Kiuku Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:13:02 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48429 It's unfortunate that shows with male leads would ever be marketted as "for women" while at the same time considering shows with male leads "for everyone". Actually video games with female main characters are very popular among males. Men like to, and actually want to be women. The roles men force on us is hte role they imagine they would like being if they were a woman; rather than simply considering us human beings. Theres male feminism and then theres actual Feminism. Male Feminism (when men try to be feminist) is always male oriented, and therefore, not feminist, such as the sexualizing of women as a reaction to the prudish sexual repression of women and of the stereotypical housewife. There are some feminist aspects to the women in 80's movies, when dehumanizing women was mainly by oversexualizing her, the liberal male Feminist left, but this period also brought up important Feminist notions of female athletics, and freed women to pursue athletics; at the time very Feminist because it was unwomanly prior to that. If you see in movies like Die Hard, and in movies like Total Recall, the Feminist woman, the athletic woman who has her own opinions and agenda is selected for. So the movies have many cultural dimensions unlike popular TV shows today like CSI where you have mainly one dimensional, stereotypified characters and a lot of female victims, sexualized victimhood. It's like a liberal male psychologist wrote the script for everyone one, and he probably thinks he's a feminist. It’s unfortunate that shows with male leads would ever be marketted as “for women” while at the same time considering shows with male leads “for everyone”. Actually video games with female main characters are very popular among males. Men like to, and actually want to be women. The roles men force on us is hte role they imagine they would like being if they were a woman; rather than simply considering us human beings. Theres male feminism and then theres actual Feminism. Male Feminism (when men try to be feminist) is always male oriented, and therefore, not feminist, such as the sexualizing of women as a reaction to the prudish sexual repression of women and of the stereotypical housewife. There are some feminist aspects to the women in 80′s movies, when dehumanizing women was mainly by oversexualizing her, the liberal male Feminist left, but this period also brought up important Feminist notions of female athletics, and freed women to pursue athletics; at the time very Feminist because it was unwomanly prior to that. If you see in movies like Die Hard, and in movies like Total Recall, the Feminist woman, the athletic woman who has her own opinions and agenda is selected for. So the movies have many cultural dimensions unlike popular TV shows today like CSI where you have mainly one dimensional, stereotypified characters and a lot of female victims, sexualized victimhood. It’s like a liberal male psychologist wrote the script for everyone one, and he probably thinks he’s a feminist.

]]> By: Kay http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48420 Kay Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:43:39 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48420 You forgot Buffy! Definitely feminist--all of the female characters are three-dimensional, strong, interesting, and different. One of my favorite tv shows of all time :) You forgot Buffy! Definitely feminist–all of the female characters are three-dimensional, strong, interesting, and different. One of my favorite tv shows of all time :)

]]> By: anna http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48409 anna Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:34:55 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48409 Hi Yttik thanks for that u-tube link. just bythe way, my 9 y/o daughter who is going to music camp and learning to play clarinette, moon dance and what not told me, that next year she wants to be enrolled in adventure camp with the boys. why? they go rock climbing and shooting. Hi Yttik thanks for that u-tube link.
just bythe way, my 9 y/o daughter who is going to music camp and learning to play clarinette, moon dance and what not told me, that next year she wants to be enrolled in adventure camp with the boys. why? they go rock climbing and shooting.

]]> By: Bes http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48400 Bes Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:06:58 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48400 yttik: Good to see a female character display a little realism. Karen: Well maybe I will give the Closer a watch again sometime and I will be sure it is season 2. That totally nude, bloody female crime victim in the first few minutes of the show was breathtakingly stupid of them since they spent so much money on marketing the show as feminist and then to have the lead shot be a sexist cliche. I always ask myself did none of the women in the show or on the set recognize how stupid that was and say something? Or do women in Hollywood really have that little power. It always cracks me up when you read that some movie maker hired an expert in native culture, or an expert in medicine etc, to make sure their show was authentic, did it never occur to them to hire an actual woman to make sure their portrayal of women is first not offensive and hopefully authentic? Apparently not. "The Closer" concept as marketed was attractive even though the show didn't live up to it's marketing (until possibly the second year). yttik: Good to see a female character display a little realism.

Karen: Well maybe I will give the Closer a watch again sometime and I will be sure it is season 2. That totally nude, bloody female crime victim in the first few minutes of the show was breathtakingly stupid of them since they spent so much money on marketing the show as feminist and then to have the lead shot be a sexist cliche. I always ask myself did none of the women in the show or on the set recognize how stupid that was and say something? Or do women in Hollywood really have that little power. It always cracks me up when you read that some movie maker hired an expert in native culture, or an expert in medicine etc, to make sure their show was authentic, did it never occur to them to hire an actual woman to make sure their portrayal of women is first not offensive and hopefully authentic? Apparently not. “The Closer” concept as marketed was attractive even though the show didn’t live up to it’s marketing (until possibly the second year).

]]> By: yttik http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48399 yttik Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:44:44 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48399 I thought this was funny and clever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys-jKCF6u5w I'd be happy if TV would stop portraying women as helpless victims and stop celebrating violence against us as the country's number one form of entertainment. I thought this was funny and clever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys-jKCF6u5w

I’d be happy if TV would stop portraying women as helpless victims and stop celebrating violence against us as the country’s number one form of entertainment.

]]> By: Karen http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48394 Karen Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:10:36 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48394 As far as I remember - and I have seen nearly ALL of the episodes - that was the first and only time Closer had a nude female victim. I cannot recall any other instances. The first season was like an experiment in learning how to be feminist. The creators genuinely wanted to be feminist/pro-woman, and they succeeded very well in the second season. The second season was much better, and each season was just better than the last, so I hope it will continue to maintain its high-quality. I am always nervous every season. As far as I remember – and I have seen nearly ALL of the episodes – that was the first and only time Closer had a nude female victim. I cannot recall any other instances. The first season was like an experiment in learning how to be feminist. The creators genuinely wanted to be feminist/pro-woman, and they succeeded very well in the second season. The second season was much better, and each season was just better than the last, so I hope it will continue to maintain its high-quality. I am always nervous every season.

]]> By: Bes http://www.thenewagenda.net/2010/07/23/the-makeup-of-feminist-fiction/comment-page-1/#comment-48393 Bes Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:37:01 +0000 http://thenewagenda.net/?p=21475#comment-48393 I am happy to see one of your articles this morning, Karen, as I love media stories and you always bring out the comments. I remember when the Closer premiered and they did a real marketing push that it was a show for women. I went out of my way to Tivo it and looked forward to watching it. Within the first 5 mins of the first show there was an extended close up of a nude bloody dead woman, that did it for me, I stopped the show, deleted it and haven't watched another. I have always wondered why attractive women always die nude and posed in TV/movie world. It is a malecentric convention I can't swallow. But I do agree that shows can be more woman positive than average and still not feminist. Jurassic park was a good example. I also refuse to watch shows where the lead female character works as a prostitute or stripper, so that rules out another 75% of movies for me. I am happy to see one of your articles this morning, Karen, as I love media stories and you always bring out the comments. I remember when the Closer premiered and they did a real marketing push that it was a show for women. I went out of my way to Tivo it and looked forward to watching it. Within the first 5 mins of the first show there was an extended close up of a nude bloody dead woman, that did it for me, I stopped the show, deleted it and haven’t watched another. I have always wondered why attractive women always die nude and posed in TV/movie world. It is a malecentric convention I can’t swallow. But I do agree that shows can be more woman positive than average and still not feminist. Jurassic park was a good example. I also refuse to watch shows where the lead female character works as a prostitute or stripper, so that rules out another 75% of movies for me.

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