The essay Producing Cosmopolitan Sexual Citizens on the "L" word is a case study that explores what lesbians do when appearing in media. Burns and Davies examine the popular Showtime television series The "L" Word based on the Cosmopolitan life styles of the lesbians represented on the show. The essay is less about representation and more about what lesbians do on screen do along with questions of production and consumption. This essay addresses they ways in which the lesbians portrayed on this show are associated with a lifestyle that limits what they can or cannot do on screen. Burns and Davies seek to illustrate how the "neo-liberal" lives that the characters lead on the show are not very realistic and that they further present an image of lesbian women that does not allow for political or social discussions to take place. The majority of the characters in the L Word are wealthy and beautiful living pretty extravagant lives . The contention of this article is that this show is more about the portrayal of these women as a part of a consumer market and not to accurately portray the lifestyle, politics and social concerns of this demographic. .
This essay points out the fact the way that the main characters of The L Word are viewed as cosmopolitan middle class to upper middle class lesbians does not allow for diversity in representation.
In an effort to understand the perspective presented in this article; I watched the first three seasons of a new Lesbian themed,award-winning online web series Venice.. Venice was created by an actor who portrayed one half of a lesbian super-couple on the US soap opera, Guiding Light. When the soap opera was cancelled in 2009, the fans of the on-screen lesbian couple wanted to see more of the couple. The two actors portraying the lesbian couples are both featured in Venice. I watched this series critically to determine if the ideas suggested in the article were evident in this series. As noted in this article the cast of Venice is also comprised of middle to upper-middle class lesbians who seem to be operating in a very homonormative setting. The central character Gina is a high level interior designer and her ex-lover Ana is a photographer. In the scene below, Gina's new love interest is a lawyer who is helping on a project to design a hotel in London. The interaction in this scene positions both Gina and her lover as clearly cosmopolitan lesbians who consider themselves to be the target demographic for the hotel they are designing.
This series takes place in Venice Beach California and most scenes are either shot on the beach or in beautiful homes or apartments. There are two actors of color in the series and one plays Gina's assistant and the other plays the waiter at the bar where everyone seems to frequent. Although both actors have slight story lines they are both clearly not in the same income bracket or of the same social status of all of the other actors portrayed in the series. The male African American character is gay and the female character of color is apparently straight and apparently has not had a date, since her last boyfriend as she put it tried to kill her. The African American assistant Michelle seems to spend 80% of her on screen time supporting her boss' life. Similar to what is discussed in the L Word case study, the actors of color are placed in the show to add depth to the white characters. In the scene below the two African American actors' interaction, dress and dialogue clearly convey a more "urban" flair.
All of the love scenes or lesbian interactions take place between the middle and upper-middle class featured actors in the show. As in the article, the lesbians portrayed in this series do not address any issues other than issues relevant to relationships, career and sex. The show additionally seems to be focused on cosmopolitan lifestyles and consumerism. What is interesting however about this show is that since it is a web series, the show receives and responds to feedback provided on line via the show's blog, twitter and email. As this show is in its third season with a steadily growing fan base, it is quite possible that since there are so few depictions of lesbians on television, fans have decided to watch the show purely for entertainment. Since the L Word and Venice seem to have been very popular with lesbian audiences even though there is little or no depth to the characters or the lesbian interactions; the reality may be that this cosmopolitan portrayal of lesbian images without a political voice is precisely why so many tune in. Maybe, the fans are watching this show just because they enjoy seeing lesbian relationships represented even if the representations aren't entirely realistic. It could be that just like heterosexual audiences, lesbians and homosexual audiences watch fictional TV to escape the reality of their lives.
The article In the Wake of It Gets Better written by journalist and blogger, Jasbir Puar is a critique of the popular viral marketing campaign aimed at addressing the increase in gay teen suicides. The campaign features various spokespeople sharing post-high school stories of how each of them--"made it out" of high school and went on to live productive happy and often gay lives. The issue that the author has with the portrayal of gay men in the video campaign has to do with the campaign's rather simple response to a complex issue suicide among gay teens. The cosmopolitan way in which the creator of the campaign and his partner present themselves along lack of diversity in the overall campaign are also problematic for Puar. She believes that the two gay men in the video represent just one aspect of the gay experience and that their cosmopolitan lives are not realistic portrayals of typical gay couples. Although I agree with some of the writer's points, I do beleive that there is some value in this campaign in that it seems to be reaching its target market.
I went on to watch several of the spots on You Tube and I found a diversity of stories and representation in the videos. Additionally, there were non-gay spokespeople addressing the overall issue of bullying and teen suicide. Based on some of the comments posted on these videos, I do believe that the target market is receptive to some of this messaging. However, Puar makes a very valid point in stating that the founder and his partner are not good representatives of the typical gay experience, they are more of a representation of a white monied, traveled and privileged couple that do not provide realistic solutions to this complex issue. Unlike the the cosmopolitan and unrealistic portrayals of the Lesbian image in shows like The L Word and Venice, these videos are not supposed to be entertaining, they are supposed to be a part of a solution regarding teen suicide. Therefore, it is important that these messages are not packaged into nice little sound byte "fairy tale" stories that all end in a simple phrase--"It gets better."--because sometimes and for some teens it does not get better and the harsh reality of that truth should be addressed by providing young people with strategies for survival and not a nice story with an unrealistic perpetual happy ending.
Media Gender & Globalization
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Monday, 20 February 2012
Lost in Translation
The article by Youna Kim Experiencing Globalization –Global TV Reflexivity and the Lives of Young Korean Women explores the consumption of global images and television by this group of women. In the article Kim asks the question “In what ways does the existence of globalization alter the very texture of the lives of young Korean women?” To address this question, Kim specifically conducts ethnographic research of the young working class and middle class Korean women in their 20’s. Kim details the ways in which globalization of television influences and becomes a part of the way these young women make sense of their lives. Based on Kim’s research, by consuming global television images Korean women are able to identify with and imagine possibilities for their own lives through reflective self analysis. The article looks at how Korean women establish ideas of their lives and experiences relative to the lives of Western women. In some cases the women idealized the images of Western women and in other cases the Korean women seem to look more critically at how the images are not necessarily realistic or relevant to the experiences of Korean young women.
The discussion of globalization regarding media images and reflexivity is also relevant to images of women portrayed in popular reality television. Specifically, it is interesting to view how the role of “wife” is reflected in the “Real Housewives” series on the Bravo cable network. The “Real Housewives” series features women from six cities across the United States of a certain social class and affluence focused on the “problems” of maintaining their lives. Watching these shows provides an image of “housewife” constructed by lavish homes, expensive clothes, friends, parties and money. The shows seem to create a narrative of shallow materialism that is often stereotypically associated with western society and with wealth in general. By using the term “real” the show’s creators imply that these are genuine stories of American housewives, as opposed to highly edited sensationalized scenes of women behaving badly simply created to generate ratings. The fact that the Real Housewives series has expanded to international markets and several of these “wives” types shows appear on a number of cable networks is a clear indication of popularity. It is difficult to understand why so many women tune in, but the ideas of reflexivity that Kim presents regarding Korean women, may also be relevant to American women and other women consuming this reality show genre as well. Since many women who serve as housewives are actually managing their homes and the lives of their families, these shows may represent some type of fantasy for women. These shows also play into women’s yearning for freedom, social mobility and individualization that Kim refers to when speaking about the Korean women’s reaction to the perceived freedom of the western women they watch on television.
On the Real Housewives series, everyday occurrences such as a wedding or birth of a child are more about “over-the-top” opulence than the way that these events actually occur in the context of being a wife or a housewife. In these shows the women are rarely actually raising children or supporting their husbands in any way.
In some ways, the actual image and role of a housewife has been marginalized by their representation in these types of shows. Interestingly enough, the Real Housewives series began in 2006 during the meltdown in the global economy, yet they have thrived and expanded despite messages of extreme excess. The series has been so successful the participants have become celebrity and the format has been replicated in 6 cities across the United States with 4 international installments (Israel, Vancouver, Athens, Brazil) with several more in the works. Last year producers of the show decided to take this model of the overspending and opulent housewife to Athens, Greece during the worst financial crisis in the history of that country. With seemingly no regard for the environment in which the show would be broadcast, “Housewives” producers launched the show in March, 2011 and it was quickly cancelled after just six episodes. The show was ultimately removed from the air because of the images portrayed and the disregard for the environment in Greece. Perhaps, as with the Korean women who found images on Friends and other US syndicated television to be unrealistic, the Real Housewives message of greed and excess did not resonate with Greek audiences. The series is currently casting in several international locations including France.
The Real Housewives Invade France!
Selling American Mass Culture
In the essay Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch, McBride details ways in which this iconic American brand employs policies and practices that promote racism and discrimination. He believes that the image portrayed by the company is constructed in a calculated way that specifically aligns itself with White America. Although I don’t necessarily agree with the severity of the accusations in McBride’s piece, my visit to The Abercrombie & Fitch Store in Paris confirmed several of the ideas presented in the article. I think the store’s marketing strategy and practices seemed to be attempting to convey a uniquely white washed American brand.
The idea of typifying “whiteness” is evident throughout the store and specifically in the overwhelmingly large mural that spans the entire height of the store. The A&F mural includes images of men in various poses and forms in varying degrees of nudity. There is variety in sports that are depicted in the mural, however, there is not any variety in the race of the men represented—they are all white. Additionally, the sports represented are typically sports of privilege with more integrated sports of football and basketball conspicuously absent.
Although there was a Black male “go-go” dancer at the front door who was Black, the Abercrombie & Fitch “look” is clearly white, thin and young. The employees were very similarly dressed in A&F clothes and they would all espouse a typical American salutation “Hey, how’s it going?” Although once I tried to engage them in conversation beyond that phrase, no one seemed to have a grasp of English.
As an American woman in Paris checking out Abercrombie & Fitch I was struck by the way in which the French customers shopping in the Paris store seemed to be mesmerized by the space, the clothes and the “look.” Their fascination with the clothes , the A&F label and the “American” lifestyle that represents an exotic “other” may provide insight as to why French customers were willing to pay $75 for a cotton t-shirt. Maybe, it’s not about the clothes at all, but about the buying and selling of American mass culture.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Jungle Fever
This week’s reading of Gender and the Culture of Empire and the Musee d' Quay Branly's exhibit of The Invention of the Savage illustrate the ways in which the other is portrayed in an "exotic" and often erotic manner. This exotic and mysterious portrayal of colonized people provided a way for colonizers to demonize the natives and prove that “they are not like us.” Perhaps by depicting the maladies and the perceived deformities , colonizers were attempting to justify their occupation and exploitation of these other cultures and people.
The exhibit explored the carnival style portrayals of the men and women that were exploited and mistreated to satisfy curiosity regarding the “natives.” The idea of savage was created by the manipulation of images and side-shows. While watching the video footage, I continually wondered about the lingering affects this type of spectacle treatment has on a person or a race of people.
I was also intrigued by the fact that in the exhibit the women of color’s bodies seem to be fair game to be captured without any regard for modesty or respect. We rarely see Western women so scantily clad or depicted nude in their natural habitat, but it seems that exploiting the nude frames of these women provided a way to prove that they were “strange” and that their nudity without shame provided evidence to that effect.
The images in the films Shohat discusses serve as some of the first and only images of this exotic “other” that were seen by the Western world. Although the films Shohat discusses are fiction based films, it is clear, that the subtext of these films defines for Western viewer the qualities of these people that were from distant lands. Shohat’s description of the Birth of a Nation truly made me think about how so many of the messages and stereotypical performances in this film reflected the ideology of the Klu Klux klan, and provide a basis for radical racist beliefs to be furthered.
I am especially struck the spectacle of difference and how many of the films in Shohat’s piece make mention of the “jungle”. This mythical jungle serves as the backdrop for a great majority of these films which clearly sends the message of primitive and uncivilized.
As an example in Shohat’s piece she mentions Brazilian born actress Carmen Miranda. Miranda’s stereotypical Latin roles in Hollywood cast her as a scantily clad” chica chica –boom boom” chic or the Tutti Frutti Girl. Miranda’s films were set in some exotic place or a proverbial “jungle”—In the duet with the Western actor he actually refers to the jungle in his verse.
Lyrics | Carmen Miranda lyrics - Chica Chica Boom Chic lyrics
Watching this video I immediately think of African American performer Josephine Baker. Although Baker had enormous appeal in Paris and in France, clearly the fascination was less with her talent, but more of an interest in the exotic other. Baker’s banana dance which was performed as a part of the Danse sauvage, with Baker wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas. As shown in the video this dance was performed for the French uniformed military man which clearly represents the colonizer. The scene is additionally set in a jungle and Baker is shown as primitive with breast bare to “entertain.”
Baker was also featured in the exhibit at the Muse De Branley as a representation of the ways in which the image of colonized islanders were depicted in film. Although both Miranda and Baker were seen as exotic and erotic “others” in cultures outside of their home culture, neither actress received roles that were essential to a narration and all roles were centered on the exotic qualities they both possessed.
In the article Exotic Puppets (Jane Nardal , Pantins exotiques, “La Depeche Africaine,1928), Nardal criticizes Baker and says that Baker’s performances reinforce French stereotypes of black people. Nardal went on to say that Baker’s primitive, exotic and sexual performances played into the sexual fantasies of the French men. Jane Nardal and her sister Paulette Nardal were intellectuals from the island of Martinique and among the architects of the Negritude movement. The Negritude movement, in France included Colony born blacks who organized to embrace their culture and to refute the racist treatment by the French. In the Baker Film “Princess Tam-Tam” Baker displays the “perpetual heat” that Sohat refers to in her article. By seductive primitive dance Baker is not only appealing to the fantasies of the white Frenchmen—she is apparently appalling to the white women who react quite differently to her performances.
Most African Americans think of Josephine Baker as an example of how the French loved black people during the time period between the two wars. Baker is lauded as an example of how race was not an issue in France. The examples illuminated in the exhibit which chronicles events through 1930’s demonstrate the ways in which race was being communicated in Franc paint a very different picture for me now. By deconstructing Josephine Baker’s actual performances including the costumes worn and the design of the set the stereotypes and primitive portrayals abound. Although the French enjoyed the entertainment of the Black Americans living in Paris, their fascination was more about the exotic other than it was about being “colorblind”. For me, this realization is quite difficult to comprehend and to accept. Viewing some of the footage from Josephine Baker’s performances and films along with clips from of the films mentioned in Shohat’s article makes me wonder what would be the motivation for directors and filmmakers to create entertainment with such clear political messages. Were both Josephine Baker and Carmen Miranda merely unsuspecting vehicles used to further the political agenda of the day and to create exotic images of the “other” that would justify oppressive and racist ideology?
The exhibit explored the carnival style portrayals of the men and women that were exploited and mistreated to satisfy curiosity regarding the “natives.” The idea of savage was created by the manipulation of images and side-shows. While watching the video footage, I continually wondered about the lingering affects this type of spectacle treatment has on a person or a race of people.
I was also intrigued by the fact that in the exhibit the women of color’s bodies seem to be fair game to be captured without any regard for modesty or respect. We rarely see Western women so scantily clad or depicted nude in their natural habitat, but it seems that exploiting the nude frames of these women provided a way to prove that they were “strange” and that their nudity without shame provided evidence to that effect.
The images in the films Shohat discusses serve as some of the first and only images of this exotic “other” that were seen by the Western world. Although the films Shohat discusses are fiction based films, it is clear, that the subtext of these films defines for Western viewer the qualities of these people that were from distant lands. Shohat’s description of the Birth of a Nation truly made me think about how so many of the messages and stereotypical performances in this film reflected the ideology of the Klu Klux klan, and provide a basis for radical racist beliefs to be furthered.
I am especially struck the spectacle of difference and how many of the films in Shohat’s piece make mention of the “jungle”. This mythical jungle serves as the backdrop for a great majority of these films which clearly sends the message of primitive and uncivilized.
As an example in Shohat’s piece she mentions Brazilian born actress Carmen Miranda. Miranda’s stereotypical Latin roles in Hollywood cast her as a scantily clad” chica chica –boom boom” chic or the Tutti Frutti Girl. Miranda’s films were set in some exotic place or a proverbial “jungle”—In the duet with the Western actor he actually refers to the jungle in his verse.
Lyrics | Carmen Miranda lyrics - Chica Chica Boom Chic lyrics
Watching this video I immediately think of African American performer Josephine Baker. Although Baker had enormous appeal in Paris and in France, clearly the fascination was less with her talent, but more of an interest in the exotic other. Baker’s banana dance which was performed as a part of the Danse sauvage, with Baker wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas. As shown in the video this dance was performed for the French uniformed military man which clearly represents the colonizer. The scene is additionally set in a jungle and Baker is shown as primitive with breast bare to “entertain.”
Baker was also featured in the exhibit at the Muse De Branley as a representation of the ways in which the image of colonized islanders were depicted in film. Although both Miranda and Baker were seen as exotic and erotic “others” in cultures outside of their home culture, neither actress received roles that were essential to a narration and all roles were centered on the exotic qualities they both possessed.
In the article Exotic Puppets (Jane Nardal , Pantins exotiques, “La Depeche Africaine,1928), Nardal criticizes Baker and says that Baker’s performances reinforce French stereotypes of black people. Nardal went on to say that Baker’s primitive, exotic and sexual performances played into the sexual fantasies of the French men. Jane Nardal and her sister Paulette Nardal were intellectuals from the island of Martinique and among the architects of the Negritude movement. The Negritude movement, in France included Colony born blacks who organized to embrace their culture and to refute the racist treatment by the French. In the Baker Film “Princess Tam-Tam” Baker displays the “perpetual heat” that Sohat refers to in her article. By seductive primitive dance Baker is not only appealing to the fantasies of the white Frenchmen—she is apparently appalling to the white women who react quite differently to her performances.
Most African Americans think of Josephine Baker as an example of how the French loved black people during the time period between the two wars. Baker is lauded as an example of how race was not an issue in France. The examples illuminated in the exhibit which chronicles events through 1930’s demonstrate the ways in which race was being communicated in Franc paint a very different picture for me now. By deconstructing Josephine Baker’s actual performances including the costumes worn and the design of the set the stereotypes and primitive portrayals abound. Although the French enjoyed the entertainment of the Black Americans living in Paris, their fascination was more about the exotic other than it was about being “colorblind”. For me, this realization is quite difficult to comprehend and to accept. Viewing some of the footage from Josephine Baker’s performances and films along with clips from of the films mentioned in Shohat’s article makes me wonder what would be the motivation for directors and filmmakers to create entertainment with such clear political messages. Were both Josephine Baker and Carmen Miranda merely unsuspecting vehicles used to further the political agenda of the day and to create exotic images of the “other” that would justify oppressive and racist ideology?
Sunday, 5 February 2012
The Power in Looking
In Hooks essay "The Oppositional Gaze" she speaks of the African American woman as a spectator. This is a very personal writing in which Hooks speaks of the African American woman's ability to shape her own image by recapturing her looking experience. African Americans historically were not able to decide or determine where they would even look, and by daring to look or even stare the oppositional gaze is one of inquisition and discernment intended to change reality. There is power in looking. Hooks contends that gaining control of one’s own looking experience through resistance opens up the possibility of agency. In her essay Hooks specifically looks at the inaccurate depictions of African American women in cinema. It is Hooks contention that African American women have a different looking experience than Black men and that those differences are important and worthy of examination. Hooks states that conventional representations of black women have done violence to the image and have forced Black women spectators to either choose to identify or disconnect. In informal ways Hooks shares how she and the African American women, in her world, experience film or “look” at film and how they respond to their own cinematic images or lack thereof.
For me, this essay was very difficult to read and I feel even more challenged to write an adequate response. I feel a great deal of passion regarding the subject of African American women in film. However, I am also beginning to realize I have been repressing my own “oppositional gaze” in an attempt to just to enjoy media or to not feel angry all the time. This article has forced me to come to terms with my own “looking away.” As an African American woman my experiences as a spectator of films is quite complex. As noted by Hooks’ friends in the article, I attend Hollywood films with very low expectations of accurate or fair portrayals of the black woman’s experience. When I do look deeply I typically walk away feeling as if the multiplicity of experiences represented by me and a large majority of African American women is not only absent, but in a very real way, I feel-- invisible.
When watching television or viewing a film whether a Hollywood blockbuster or an African American produced film, the images of Black women are typically essentially the same. She is depicted as essentially an angry, disrespectful and out of control over-sexed, foul mouthed woman who couldn’t possibly be capable of cultivating higher-level interpersonal relationships. If we do see another representation she will always be pointed to as an oddity who somehow overcame all of the above.
Cathy Hughes, an African American pioneer in media ownership in the US and the Founder, CEO and President of TVOne television network spoke rather freely regarding this inaccurate depiction of African Americans in the post below—I was a actually struck by the candor with which she spoke.
Hughes brings up an interesting point in this comment. Should black owned media be held to a higher standard? When the stereotypes and negative images are created by black owned media and for a predominantly black audience is that an even greater issue? I must say that when I find that a film or other media has been written or produced by a black film maker my expectations are slightly heightened, however, in many cases the results are the same. It seems as though we have bought into the negative images of our experiences. Furthermore very many actors and directors have seemingly decided that participating in the perpetuation of these images is almost assuredly a way to have a lucrative , and highly awarded career. The black female filmmakers that Hooks mentions in her essay and few others including directors Robert Townsend , Queen Latifah, Gina Prince Blythewood and even Spike Lee have conscientiously made films that present a wider spectrum of the African American experience.
This essay truly made me stop and think my gaze as a black woman spectator additionally I needed come to terms with how my looking experience has very often hurt , disappointed and offended me. Like Hooks, I think it’s time that I challenge these images to better reflect the multiplicity of experiences of an African American women.
Television For Women...
Len Ang’s article examines the idea of media that is specifically created for an audience of a particular gender, specifically women. This article looks at how a feminine audience is defined and how media is created specifically for that audience. Ang goes on to describe the ways that soap operas and romance novels, two media that are typically directed toward female audiences are consumed differently by women in different demographic categories. Ang challenges that the study of female audiences has to go beyond just the ways in which these women might simplistically watch television programs or read a novel. As with some of the previous readings on the subject of gender and media, Ang positions the female audience as a complex group that should not be approached as a cohesive group or unit.
When considering the female audience and what is deemed to be women’s programming many simplistic generalities are typically applied. For example the About Us tab of US cable network created for women-- Lifetime Television’s, states the following:
Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming content that celebrates, entertains and supports women. Through its award-winning public affairs initiatives, the Company also advocates a wide range of issues affecting women and their families.
The expectation would be that a network like Lifetime would be innovative and entertaining and that it would provide programming that clearly speaks to the diverse multiplicity of the female audience. A look at the line-up of shows on the Lifetime Network or on the Lifetime Movie Network for any given day , tells a bit different story. The network’s line-up is a mixed bag of reality shows, sappy films in which women are typically victims throughout , and reruns of shows from other networks. There is one talk show format program entitled “The Balancing Act” which is suppose to help women balance family and career. What is glaringly missing from Lifetime is anything relating to world affairs, politics, race, sports, gender issues, financial or economic news. Apparently the executives of this network have decided that women do not want to be bothered with substance—they just want to cry their eyes out on a good chick-flick or live vicariously through others on reality shows. Adding some meat to this trivial programming would be a good first step in addressing the female audience. This type of trivial programming is not just a US issue, American media giant and former Lifetime Television parent company, Viacom has teamed up with Netherlands based Endemol to launch a new global network for women—Blink TV
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-endemol-partner-new-female-185863
The network launched earlier this year and based on a Google translation of the Polish site, the About Us section tells the female audience member exactly what she can hope to see---
Viacom Blink! Is the new face of entertainment for women! Without counseling and educational programs, but with an inexhaustible amount of inspirational entertainment! Comedy, drama, crime, documentaries, lifestyle and reality, fashion, kitchen, medical mysteries, and real human stories.
Unfortunately, this fluff programming that is deemed “women’s” programming doesn’t do much to further the agenda of post-modern feminism in the US or internationally. The assumption that women are only interested in light dramas, comedies and reality shows denies the very complex nature of the female audience.
For me, this essay was very difficult to read and I feel even more challenged to write an adequate response. I feel a great deal of passion regarding the subject of African American women in film. However, I am also beginning to realize I have been repressing my own “oppositional gaze” in an attempt to just to enjoy media or to not feel angry all the time. This article has forced me to come to terms with my own “looking away.” As an African American woman my experiences as a spectator of films is quite complex. As noted by Hooks’ friends in the article, I attend Hollywood films with very low expectations of accurate or fair portrayals of the black woman’s experience. When I do look deeply I typically walk away feeling as if the multiplicity of experiences represented by me and a large majority of African American women is not only absent, but in a very real way, I feel-- invisible.
When watching television or viewing a film whether a Hollywood blockbuster or an African American produced film, the images of Black women are typically essentially the same. She is depicted as essentially an angry, disrespectful and out of control over-sexed, foul mouthed woman who couldn’t possibly be capable of cultivating higher-level interpersonal relationships. If we do see another representation she will always be pointed to as an oddity who somehow overcame all of the above.
Cathy Hughes, an African American pioneer in media ownership in the US and the Founder, CEO and President of TVOne television network spoke rather freely regarding this inaccurate depiction of African Americans in the post below—I was a actually struck by the candor with which she spoke.
Hughes brings up an interesting point in this comment. Should black owned media be held to a higher standard? When the stereotypes and negative images are created by black owned media and for a predominantly black audience is that an even greater issue? I must say that when I find that a film or other media has been written or produced by a black film maker my expectations are slightly heightened, however, in many cases the results are the same. It seems as though we have bought into the negative images of our experiences. Furthermore very many actors and directors have seemingly decided that participating in the perpetuation of these images is almost assuredly a way to have a lucrative , and highly awarded career. The black female filmmakers that Hooks mentions in her essay and few others including directors Robert Townsend , Queen Latifah, Gina Prince Blythewood and even Spike Lee have conscientiously made films that present a wider spectrum of the African American experience.
This essay truly made me stop and think my gaze as a black woman spectator additionally I needed come to terms with how my looking experience has very often hurt , disappointed and offended me. Like Hooks, I think it’s time that I challenge these images to better reflect the multiplicity of experiences of an African American women.
Television For Women...
Len Ang’s article examines the idea of media that is specifically created for an audience of a particular gender, specifically women. This article looks at how a feminine audience is defined and how media is created specifically for that audience. Ang goes on to describe the ways that soap operas and romance novels, two media that are typically directed toward female audiences are consumed differently by women in different demographic categories. Ang challenges that the study of female audiences has to go beyond just the ways in which these women might simplistically watch television programs or read a novel. As with some of the previous readings on the subject of gender and media, Ang positions the female audience as a complex group that should not be approached as a cohesive group or unit.
When considering the female audience and what is deemed to be women’s programming many simplistic generalities are typically applied. For example the About Us tab of US cable network created for women-- Lifetime Television’s, states the following:
Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming content that celebrates, entertains and supports women. Through its award-winning public affairs initiatives, the Company also advocates a wide range of issues affecting women and their families.
The expectation would be that a network like Lifetime would be innovative and entertaining and that it would provide programming that clearly speaks to the diverse multiplicity of the female audience. A look at the line-up of shows on the Lifetime Network or on the Lifetime Movie Network for any given day , tells a bit different story. The network’s line-up is a mixed bag of reality shows, sappy films in which women are typically victims throughout , and reruns of shows from other networks. There is one talk show format program entitled “The Balancing Act” which is suppose to help women balance family and career. What is glaringly missing from Lifetime is anything relating to world affairs, politics, race, sports, gender issues, financial or economic news. Apparently the executives of this network have decided that women do not want to be bothered with substance—they just want to cry their eyes out on a good chick-flick or live vicariously through others on reality shows. Adding some meat to this trivial programming would be a good first step in addressing the female audience. This type of trivial programming is not just a US issue, American media giant and former Lifetime Television parent company, Viacom has teamed up with Netherlands based Endemol to launch a new global network for women—Blink TV
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-endemol-partner-new-female-185863
The network launched earlier this year and based on a Google translation of the Polish site, the About Us section tells the female audience member exactly what she can hope to see---
Viacom Blink! Is the new face of entertainment for women! Without counseling and educational programs, but with an inexhaustible amount of inspirational entertainment! Comedy, drama, crime, documentaries, lifestyle and reality, fashion, kitchen, medical mysteries, and real human stories.
Unfortunately, this fluff programming that is deemed “women’s” programming doesn’t do much to further the agenda of post-modern feminism in the US or internationally. The assumption that women are only interested in light dramas, comedies and reality shows denies the very complex nature of the female audience.
Monday, 30 January 2012
And The Winner is......
We are now officially in the Oscar season with the announcement of the films and actors nominated to take home the motion picture industry’s most coveted prize. When considering Talpade’s article Under Western Eyes as well as post- modern feminism as discussed in Gill’s article one of the nominated films "The Help" strikes me as an example of the concepts discussed in this week’s readings. As I read Chandra Talpade- Mohanty's piece Under Western Eyes: Feminist scholarship and Colonial Discourse, the concepts and theories she presents immediately resonate with me. She defines colonization through the appropriation of scholarship and the feminist policy that tends to come out of that scholarship. Mohanty examines the tendency of feminist discourse to categorized and homogenize women from cultures and social economic groups that are not considered to be "mainstream" or Western.
Mohanty begins by discussing the construct of the Third World Woman—she defines this woman as complex and multilayered, however, when feminist rhetoric addresses this group it is done so in a monolithic manner that could be considered global hegemony in which Western women serve as the patriarchal figure in text and scholarship as it relates to defining and addressing the "situation" of the Third World Woman. Mohanty writes that --by the homogenization and systemization of the oppression experienced by woman, the Western feminist discourse exercises power over these very women. Mohanty contends that grouping women by their victim status or the shared experience that somehow makes them an inferior group, not only in that woman’s experiences as it relates to her local situation, but also to the implicit Western standard.
Mohanty examines the idea that women by nature of their gender have some type of bond of sameness that binds us all together as a powerless, exploited and sexually harassed group tied together as “sisters” in this struggle for equality and relief from our victim status. Like Mohanty, I believe that this assumption of “sameness” is not only historically inaccurate it allows for Western feminist to serve as international “superhero” who swoops in and rescues her sisters from their perpetual victim-hood. In American media this theme is evident in various fiction and documentary films along with television shows in which an independent powerful and intelligent White woman serves as the feminist model of strength. However in order for her to be seen as powerful and wise she has to “save” someone. Very often the object of her effort and desire to display strength and independence is a woman of a different race, or social status. In Mohanty’s writing she illustrate the idea that an image of a “typical third world woman” is derived from the Western feminist grouping women together based on their struggles and negative experiences. I believe the same could be said regarding how the media through its stereotypical depiction of Black woman against an image of the well educated, modern white woman could lead one to incorrectly believe that there is an image of a “typical poor black woman.” In my opinion the 2011 book and film adaptation "The Help" illustrates this idea in a manner that I find problematic and quite disturbing.
They Cannot Represent Themselves, They Must Be Represented,
"The Help" was written and the screenplay adapted by Kathryn Stockett. The book and subsequent film tell the story of a White empowered journalist, Skeeter Phelan, who comes back home to Jackson Mississippi after graduating from college to pursue a journalism career and to think about what she wants to do next. Once she returns to Jackson, Skeeter decides to write a book from the point of view of of the Black maids which are cleaning and raising the children of these families. Much like Skeeter in the book and film Stockett supposedly wrote the book to give a voice to the voiceless African American domestic workers of US South during Jim Crow. Stockett writes in the epilogue of the book that she wrote the book to honor her family’s maid who died before she could tell this story. Stockett felt the story of domestic workers had to finally be told and she was the only one capable of telling it— apparently, having a black maid living in her home until the age of 16 provided her with enough insight to write this story. This book and film, sparked a great debate in the African American community and beyond regarding “who” is qualified to tell the story of the African American experience.
Kathryn Stockett Is Not My Sister and I Am Not Her Help
Association of Black Women Historians-An open Statement to the Fans of the Help,
The issue that I have with the film is the fact that Stockett decides to write a book in a way that defines all of these African American women by the term that Mohanty refers to as their object status, the victimization tie that binds them. As noted in this week’s reading, if the only tie that binds this group of African American poor domestic s is their subordinate and victim status, they remain powerless without the assistance of the White woman who comes to their rescue. According to the interview below with the film’s director , Tate Taylor maintains that this film was created to “tell the truth” about this topic. Taylor speaks of how, up until this point, no one has spoken up for these poor women, without a voice.
This stance of telling the truth which is repeated in every interview by both the writer and director of this film is problematic since the plight of the African American domestic worker of the south was told in several books prior to "The Help". Works that address the this topic include : Like one of the Family: Conversations from A Domestic’s Life, Alice Childress, and Living In, Living Out: African American Domestics and the Great Migration by Elizabeth Clark-Lewis.
The book and film illustrate a theme that is quite prevalent in contemporary media, that of the powerless poor black woman that must be saved and supported by often white hero or heroine. The fact that this type of rhetoric is so often depicted in films, provides a basis for characteristics of the victim and the hero which become deeply ingrained in our minds as art depicting real life.
This stereotypical treatment of women is also relevant to the Gill article on post-modern feminism. Gill’s article discusses the fact that post modern feminism as it relates to media is a sensibility and that our ideas regarding feminism and roles is derived from the stereotypes that are reinforced. Postmodern feminism encompasses the layers of femininity that go beyond just pursuing equal rights but the concept additionally includes the ideas of race and social class. If we look at this film from the perspective of the gender/race this movie seems to reinforce the ideas of race and gender and social class that society is most comfortable with seeing. Granted this film is a period piece and certain aspects of race/gender that are portrayed are reflective of the time. In Gill’s article she specifically notes that the notion of choice and being oneself are central to the post-modern sensibility. In the film this luxury of choice is afforded to the White character, since both of the maids are fired and don’t seem to have the ability to choose anything that empowers them. The men is the film are additionally presented in ways that are quite stereotypical however the one African American man in the film is portrayed as a cruel , wife batterer who doesn’t understand or support his wife as if being poor and black and male equates to cruelty and abuse.
"The Help" is a confusing beast. Despite what several African American and Gender scholars say is WRONG with the book and film, the story continues to resonate and make lots of money. The truth of the matter is, a story does not have to be accurate or "politically correct" to get an Oscar nod. The film's story just has to be clearly communicated, entertaining and preferably something the "committee" has not seen before - original. But I am an African American woman who is the daughter and grand-daughter of a domestic worker. Unfortunatley, we lose again in our quest to shape our own image before it is broadcast to the world.
Mohanty begins by discussing the construct of the Third World Woman—she defines this woman as complex and multilayered, however, when feminist rhetoric addresses this group it is done so in a monolithic manner that could be considered global hegemony in which Western women serve as the patriarchal figure in text and scholarship as it relates to defining and addressing the "situation" of the Third World Woman. Mohanty writes that --by the homogenization and systemization of the oppression experienced by woman, the Western feminist discourse exercises power over these very women. Mohanty contends that grouping women by their victim status or the shared experience that somehow makes them an inferior group, not only in that woman’s experiences as it relates to her local situation, but also to the implicit Western standard.
Mohanty examines the idea that women by nature of their gender have some type of bond of sameness that binds us all together as a powerless, exploited and sexually harassed group tied together as “sisters” in this struggle for equality and relief from our victim status. Like Mohanty, I believe that this assumption of “sameness” is not only historically inaccurate it allows for Western feminist to serve as international “superhero” who swoops in and rescues her sisters from their perpetual victim-hood. In American media this theme is evident in various fiction and documentary films along with television shows in which an independent powerful and intelligent White woman serves as the feminist model of strength. However in order for her to be seen as powerful and wise she has to “save” someone. Very often the object of her effort and desire to display strength and independence is a woman of a different race, or social status. In Mohanty’s writing she illustrate the idea that an image of a “typical third world woman” is derived from the Western feminist grouping women together based on their struggles and negative experiences. I believe the same could be said regarding how the media through its stereotypical depiction of Black woman against an image of the well educated, modern white woman could lead one to incorrectly believe that there is an image of a “typical poor black woman.” In my opinion the 2011 book and film adaptation "The Help" illustrates this idea in a manner that I find problematic and quite disturbing.
They Cannot Represent Themselves, They Must Be Represented,
"The Help" was written and the screenplay adapted by Kathryn Stockett. The book and subsequent film tell the story of a White empowered journalist, Skeeter Phelan, who comes back home to Jackson Mississippi after graduating from college to pursue a journalism career and to think about what she wants to do next. Once she returns to Jackson, Skeeter decides to write a book from the point of view of of the Black maids which are cleaning and raising the children of these families. Much like Skeeter in the book and film Stockett supposedly wrote the book to give a voice to the voiceless African American domestic workers of US South during Jim Crow. Stockett writes in the epilogue of the book that she wrote the book to honor her family’s maid who died before she could tell this story. Stockett felt the story of domestic workers had to finally be told and she was the only one capable of telling it— apparently, having a black maid living in her home until the age of 16 provided her with enough insight to write this story. This book and film, sparked a great debate in the African American community and beyond regarding “who” is qualified to tell the story of the African American experience.
Kathryn Stockett Is Not My Sister and I Am Not Her Help
Association of Black Women Historians-An open Statement to the Fans of the Help,
The issue that I have with the film is the fact that Stockett decides to write a book in a way that defines all of these African American women by the term that Mohanty refers to as their object status, the victimization tie that binds them. As noted in this week’s reading, if the only tie that binds this group of African American poor domestic s is their subordinate and victim status, they remain powerless without the assistance of the White woman who comes to their rescue. According to the interview below with the film’s director , Tate Taylor maintains that this film was created to “tell the truth” about this topic. Taylor speaks of how, up until this point, no one has spoken up for these poor women, without a voice.
This stance of telling the truth which is repeated in every interview by both the writer and director of this film is problematic since the plight of the African American domestic worker of the south was told in several books prior to "The Help". Works that address the this topic include : Like one of the Family: Conversations from A Domestic’s Life, Alice Childress, and Living In, Living Out: African American Domestics and the Great Migration by Elizabeth Clark-Lewis.
The book and film illustrate a theme that is quite prevalent in contemporary media, that of the powerless poor black woman that must be saved and supported by often white hero or heroine. The fact that this type of rhetoric is so often depicted in films, provides a basis for characteristics of the victim and the hero which become deeply ingrained in our minds as art depicting real life.
This stereotypical treatment of women is also relevant to the Gill article on post-modern feminism. Gill’s article discusses the fact that post modern feminism as it relates to media is a sensibility and that our ideas regarding feminism and roles is derived from the stereotypes that are reinforced. Postmodern feminism encompasses the layers of femininity that go beyond just pursuing equal rights but the concept additionally includes the ideas of race and social class. If we look at this film from the perspective of the gender/race this movie seems to reinforce the ideas of race and gender and social class that society is most comfortable with seeing. Granted this film is a period piece and certain aspects of race/gender that are portrayed are reflective of the time. In Gill’s article she specifically notes that the notion of choice and being oneself are central to the post-modern sensibility. In the film this luxury of choice is afforded to the White character, since both of the maids are fired and don’t seem to have the ability to choose anything that empowers them. The men is the film are additionally presented in ways that are quite stereotypical however the one African American man in the film is portrayed as a cruel , wife batterer who doesn’t understand or support his wife as if being poor and black and male equates to cruelty and abuse.
"The Help" is a confusing beast. Despite what several African American and Gender scholars say is WRONG with the book and film, the story continues to resonate and make lots of money. The truth of the matter is, a story does not have to be accurate or "politically correct" to get an Oscar nod. The film's story just has to be clearly communicated, entertaining and preferably something the "committee" has not seen before - original. But I am an African American woman who is the daughter and grand-daughter of a domestic worker. Unfortunatley, we lose again in our quest to shape our own image before it is broadcast to the world.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
She's A Lady....But Is He A Wimp?
In The introduction of Mary Celeste Kearney’s book The Gender and Media Reader, she provides an overview of the way in which the book’s subsequent essays address the roles and images that are typically associated with the portrayal of gender in the media. Kearney shares insight into feminist based activism and gives an overview of the waves of feminist theory. Kearney also shares theories surrounding and the evolution of LBTQI activism relative to gender and media issues. Kearney provides a thorough introduction into the field of Gender Studies. In this article Kearney asks and answers the question"Why study Media & Gender?" Kearney introduces the major themes explored in the book including, feminism, queer theory, and This article provides a framework to begin considering media with a more gender critical eye. As a woman, I have always been aware of the fact that women are typically portrayed in the media in a manner that reinforces stereotypes and detracts from their power and or wisdom. However, I have not typically considered specific gender roles and consumed media from a feminist perspective. I thought it might be interesting to watch a film that I have seen before, and to watch that film through the eyes of gender roles.
I have always been fascinated by the idea of the makeover films that portray women as more socially acceptable once she becomes pretty and embraces traditional feminine qualities. Rosalind Gill refers to the makeover paradigm in the article Post-Feminist Media Culture a concept that requires women to believe that their life is lacking or flawed in some way and that they need to be reinvented or transformed by following the advice of an image consultant or relationship expert. I searched to find a film that specifically dealt with this makeover theme to determine how gender plays out in these films. This genre of films includes Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, Clueless and The Devil Wears Prada. The film Miss Congeniality is a makeover film with a gender twist, in that the central character seems to identify with men and is portrayed as heterosexual but extremely masculine in her manner of speaking, thinking and doing her job. In this clip from Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock—Bullock’s character Gracie initially displays extreme masculine qualities which seem to contribute to her seemingly lonely and pathetic life. In this clip, gender roles are blurred and Benjamin Bratt’s character Eric Mathews actually treats Gracie as a man. Gracie asks if the chief selected her for an assignment because she is a woman, Bratt’s character asserts, “We never think of you that way. “
Even though Gracie accepts the assignment, receives a makeover and learns to behave in a more feminine manner she still seems to continue to resist femininity. Throughout the film, Gracie continues to allude to the fact that displaying any feminine characteristics would make her less effective as a professional, a familiar theme with women both in the media and in reality. All of the women competing in the pageant seem to be weak and ditzy without very much depth. Although the film presents gender in a sort of reverse way throughout, it still manages to reinforce stereotypes and portray women as less intelligent and less powerful than their male counterparts. The gender reversal becomes a little uncomfortable by the end of the film and as the case with most commercial films --of course she cries and falls in love in the end as Tom Jones is singing, “ She’s a Lady”..
The Wimp Factor
In Hegemonic Masculinity, Rethinking the Concept, R.W. Connell suggests that concept of masculine hegemony should be reconsidered to allow for the incorporation of newer ideas and to consider the expansion of others. The consistent theme in the Connell piece is the idea that masculinity is complex and that not all masculinity manifests in a way that subjugates women. Connell also shares the interesting assertion that some men, especially professional athletes, have a career that is very masculine and virile, but those same men live lives outside of the job in ways that are in some ways the very opposite. In the media, especially in citizen journalism, any show of emotion or exhibition of qualities that are not typically masculine might get a man labeled a wimp.
An example of this concept that immediately comes to mind is American football star, Tim Tebow. As a fan of the sport, I am amazed by the reaction to Tebow as a man and as an athlete. As starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow’s job represents the epitome of masculinity. However in a lot of ways Tebow’s demeanor off the field seems to be the exact opposite, he is considered a humanitarian and is openly Christian. Because of his openness about his faith and his demeanor, Tebow is often criticized for not having the “killer instinct” necessary to succeed in football, he is often called a wimp for showing emotion.
The idea of a man who is sensitive or nurturing to his family being labeled as a wimp was also addressed in the Wall Street Journal article as it reviews the new television shows that aired at the beginning of the television season. In the article attached below, Wall Street Journal media reporter, Amy Chozick, labels the men of the 2011-2012 television line-up as a bunch of “wimps.”
A New Generation of TV Wimps
He is happy. He respects his wife, loves his kids, helps around the house. So how come he feels like a total loser? Welcome to the new sitcom.
By Amy Chozick, Wall Street Journal - June 10th, 2011
The shows featured this season all seem to have the common theme of men taking on gender roles that are typically reserved for women. These roles apparently did not resonate well with viewers since the vast majority of the shows listed in this article were cancelled based on ratings halfway through the season. Although these shows were initially created to be breakout comedies that would challenge our ideas about gender and a man’s place in this society, it seems that these shows missed the mark.
In the clip below a female doctor and a CBS Morning Show reporter discusses the wimp factor as it relates to men and how they deal with the common cold or the flu. The remarks made by both the anchor and the doctor would very much be considered sexist if they were made toward women by men. Therefore, in this case the women are sharing stereotypical remarks about men. Although the term wimp seems to be very carelessly used to describe any qualities in heterosexual men that remotely resemble feminine qualities.
I have always been fascinated by the idea of the makeover films that portray women as more socially acceptable once she becomes pretty and embraces traditional feminine qualities. Rosalind Gill refers to the makeover paradigm in the article Post-Feminist Media Culture a concept that requires women to believe that their life is lacking or flawed in some way and that they need to be reinvented or transformed by following the advice of an image consultant or relationship expert. I searched to find a film that specifically dealt with this makeover theme to determine how gender plays out in these films. This genre of films includes Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, Clueless and The Devil Wears Prada. The film Miss Congeniality is a makeover film with a gender twist, in that the central character seems to identify with men and is portrayed as heterosexual but extremely masculine in her manner of speaking, thinking and doing her job. In this clip from Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock—Bullock’s character Gracie initially displays extreme masculine qualities which seem to contribute to her seemingly lonely and pathetic life. In this clip, gender roles are blurred and Benjamin Bratt’s character Eric Mathews actually treats Gracie as a man. Gracie asks if the chief selected her for an assignment because she is a woman, Bratt’s character asserts, “We never think of you that way. “
Even though Gracie accepts the assignment, receives a makeover and learns to behave in a more feminine manner she still seems to continue to resist femininity. Throughout the film, Gracie continues to allude to the fact that displaying any feminine characteristics would make her less effective as a professional, a familiar theme with women both in the media and in reality. All of the women competing in the pageant seem to be weak and ditzy without very much depth. Although the film presents gender in a sort of reverse way throughout, it still manages to reinforce stereotypes and portray women as less intelligent and less powerful than their male counterparts. The gender reversal becomes a little uncomfortable by the end of the film and as the case with most commercial films --of course she cries and falls in love in the end as Tom Jones is singing, “ She’s a Lady”..
The Wimp Factor
In Hegemonic Masculinity, Rethinking the Concept, R.W. Connell suggests that concept of masculine hegemony should be reconsidered to allow for the incorporation of newer ideas and to consider the expansion of others. The consistent theme in the Connell piece is the idea that masculinity is complex and that not all masculinity manifests in a way that subjugates women. Connell also shares the interesting assertion that some men, especially professional athletes, have a career that is very masculine and virile, but those same men live lives outside of the job in ways that are in some ways the very opposite. In the media, especially in citizen journalism, any show of emotion or exhibition of qualities that are not typically masculine might get a man labeled a wimp.
An example of this concept that immediately comes to mind is American football star, Tim Tebow. As a fan of the sport, I am amazed by the reaction to Tebow as a man and as an athlete. As starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow’s job represents the epitome of masculinity. However in a lot of ways Tebow’s demeanor off the field seems to be the exact opposite, he is considered a humanitarian and is openly Christian. Because of his openness about his faith and his demeanor, Tebow is often criticized for not having the “killer instinct” necessary to succeed in football, he is often called a wimp for showing emotion.
The idea of a man who is sensitive or nurturing to his family being labeled as a wimp was also addressed in the Wall Street Journal article as it reviews the new television shows that aired at the beginning of the television season. In the article attached below, Wall Street Journal media reporter, Amy Chozick, labels the men of the 2011-2012 television line-up as a bunch of “wimps.”
A New Generation of TV Wimps
He is happy. He respects his wife, loves his kids, helps around the house. So how come he feels like a total loser? Welcome to the new sitcom.
By Amy Chozick, Wall Street Journal - June 10th, 2011
The shows featured this season all seem to have the common theme of men taking on gender roles that are typically reserved for women. These roles apparently did not resonate well with viewers since the vast majority of the shows listed in this article were cancelled based on ratings halfway through the season. Although these shows were initially created to be breakout comedies that would challenge our ideas about gender and a man’s place in this society, it seems that these shows missed the mark.
In the clip below a female doctor and a CBS Morning Show reporter discusses the wimp factor as it relates to men and how they deal with the common cold or the flu. The remarks made by both the anchor and the doctor would very much be considered sexist if they were made toward women by men. Therefore, in this case the women are sharing stereotypical remarks about men. Although the term wimp seems to be very carelessly used to describe any qualities in heterosexual men that remotely resemble feminine qualities.
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