Postscript

The most stressful part about creating this portfolio has come from narrowing down what I wanted to write about, and relating it to one of the given competencies. Most, if not all of the possible topics related to feminism, and I’m still not quite sure if this would somehow get off topic.

I took Communications 1 Fall Quarter and gave a persuasive speech on feminism. I briefly considered using the script as a topic, but could not quite find a place for it under any of the competencies. I wanted to keep writing forever about how “Orphan Black” is starkly underrated despite its powerful and positive messages. I wanted to try and relate each of the competencies to film or television, since this is what I am most familiar with, but I am ultimately happy with how the portfolio has turned out.

I have only now realized that I experienced frustration nearly each and every class session this quarter. I don’t believe this is an entirely negative realization, but instead a demonstration of how I have become more aware and consequently more critical of the way we operate in daily life. I have become more critical of what is considered normal and I have tried to become more considerate to open-minded ways of thinking about gender. Beyond that, I have grown more confident in challenging how men and women are meant to act by refusing to take gender roles as true and unchangeable. Moreover, I have come started to continually ask myself  why I feel uncomfortable in situations where these roles are not followed, hoping that with time, the discomfort will disappear completely. Yet, I admit that I probably will not feel comfortable speaking in the masculine style anytime soon. My conversation in the masculine style with the student sitting next to me was probably one of the most difficult I’ve had, because all I wanted to do while she spoke was nod and hum in agreement.

This class has been one of the most stressful I’ve ever taken. The readings are fairly easy to comprehend and remember, the midterm was not extremely difficult and the papers have been enjoyable to write, but sitting in this classroom, twice a week for 75 minutes has been stressful. Having to not only listen to, but discuss and accept the reality that the world is flawed in such a fundamental way that it seems impossible to change is stressful. There is so much that has to happen for things to get better that it is stressful having to just think about it. But I believe I have become wiser, and less overwhelmed by the notion that it will take time. Beyond taking a course on integral calculus or psychobiology, or astronomy, I believe that what I’ve learned, I won’t forget after taking the final exam.

Feminism in Social Media: A Cultural Approach

I am who I am today because my mother raised me with kindness and my father with a firm hand. Between the two, the details have come from the media, and I am not afraid to admit this. Film and television have had a large impact on my life. I was partially raised by Lorelai Gilmore of “Gilmore Girls”, by Evelyn Carnahan of The Mummy and by Alexandra Cabot of “Law and Order: SVU”. My mother died when I was 12, and I have since been drawn to fictional women who exhibit strength. Perhaps not always physical strength, but strength of character. These women were intelligent, compassionate, just. They helped raise me where my mother left off. Maybe I didn’t realize it until now, but I have been looking for surrogates in these characters all my life, someone to guide me because I had no other family—just my father and younger brother.

This is why I have grown disappointed and disenchanted at times when I receive messages from the media about gender that are not only inaccurate, but harmful. When I walk down the street and see advertisements that sexualize and objectify women, or when I watch film or television and see one of my favorite characters die as a plot device solely meant to highlight a male character’s suffering, it hurts. I was raised to believe that my worth as a human being is in no way impacted by the fact that I am a woman. I was raised to believe that I am whole, but the media, and the world around me often seems to argue against this.

I have been a feminist all my life, but at times it is difficult. Actually, it would be more accurate to admit that it is difficult all the time. When I hear my friends do or say something sexist–even benevolently–I am conflicted with wanting to object and wanting to avoid confrontation. Lisa Maria Hogeland’s article on the fear of feminism is one of the articles read this quarter that I will never forget. It has not only made me realize why I felt so afraid to admit being a feminist, but has helped me understand the reasons behind why others may feel the same. The article helped enlighten me on why others have been so cautious of feminism, and has moreover helped me understand why I’ve been so timid and unable to defend what I hold dear. Consequently, I feel like I may be able to speak for myself now with both calm and understanding to those I may disagree with.

Both women and men have veritable reason to fear feminism and the consequences to supporting such a subversive and arguably radical group of movements. Feminism challenges the status quo in rejecting a primarily patriarchal culture. Anti-feminists seek to keep male control by dirtying the word with negative connotations. Young women fear feminism because they fear reprisal, or are otherwise misguided into believing that feminism encompasses things that it actually doesn’t. They fear what others may do or say to them for believing in equality.

I believe that feminism in social media can be a helpful tool to not only those who are afraid of these reprisals but to those who seek support. The internet can be a space of anonymity, where one can safely approach feminism without having to risk personal consequence. For me, it has been an environment that has slowly, surely given me the courage to speak up against my friends when they, unconsciously or not, facilitate sexism by shaming women or men for refusing to conform to gendered identities.

I am a child of Generation Y, I learned how to type alongside learning how to write cursive. The internet is as familiar to me as the back of my hand. I believe most of what I have learned about feminism has come from the internet, though I also understand that this medium is not always accurate. Yet, now more than ever have I witnessed other men and women trying to educate those who may have the wrong idea. The internet and social media are powerful and cogent tools with which to approach feminism. It has raised feminist consciousness and allowed discussion and debate over what feminism does and does not stand for by providing commentary on real life events, whether major or everyday.

One of my favorite platforms of this is Tumblr, a micro-blogging site where users can “reblog” what others have written and posted. There is an entire community of men and women who identify as feminists and who casually, and often times tactfully spark discussion of feminism by commenting on how American society operates.

Following is an image gallery of photos, quotes, and other posts I have come across Tumblr in the past few weeks. Clicking each image enlarges it and shows an accompanying caption.

A campaign by UN Women to raise awareness of sexism even within google searches. The website where these images are originally posted offers the description below.

A campaign by UN Women to raise awareness of sexism even within google searches. The website where these images are originally posted offers the description below.

A campaign by UN Women to raise awareness of sexism even within google searches. The website where these images are originally posted offers the description below.

A campaign by UN Women to raise awareness of sexism even within google searches. The website where these images are originally posted offers the description below.

Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker, is the only woman EVER to win a Best Director Oscar. Only 4 women have ever been nominated. Women made up only 6% of Directors for the top movies of 2013. There were NO female nominees for directing, cinematography, film editing, writing (original screenplay), or music (original score) during last year’s Academy Awards.

the hashtag #YesAllWomen has grown in popularity since the UCSB shootings last month, detailing the notion that, while not all men are guilty of harassment, all women have been victims of it.

Posted on the walls of a high school by a student protesting dress codes targeted solely towards female students.

Posted on the walls of a high school by a student protesting dress codes targeted solely towards female students.

Posted on the walls of a high school by a student protesting dress codes targeted solely towards female students.

Posted on the walls of a high school by a student protesting dress codes targeted solely towards female students.

A critique on the pressures of violence and power in American society. It refutes the notion that harming others does not demonstrate strength or masculinity.

Jackson Katz, who narrates a film seen in class, Tough Guise, once more addresses the consequences of normalizing gender violence

This came up sometime after watching “Tough Guise” and I recognized it almost immediately. It was one of the most memorable moments of the film.

a critique on the sexism faced by women with breast cancer

The Media and Gendered Identity: Orphan Black

Women make up 50% of film and television audiences, and yet are largely underrepresented in popular media. This medium of entertainment carries enormous influence over our cultural attitudes towards gender and gendered identities, and much of the messages we receive are ripe with misrepresentation. In an infographic by the New York Film Academy is a series of statistics detailing the stark under and misrepresentation of women in recent film history. The statistics are as follows: of the top 500 films produced between 2007 and 2012, 30.8% of speaking characters were women, 28.8% of women wore sexually revealing clothes, and 26.2% of women actors get partially naked. The few women who appear in these films are limited to a sexualized and objectified identity. Only 10.7% of these 500 films featured a balanced cast where half of the characters are female. I believe that this is important because Hollywood is a mirror. Entertainment is a reflection of a society. How frequently and in what ways women are represented says a lot about our culture. And presently, American culture seems to be saying women are worth less than men.

The Bechdel Test is a gauge of female presence in film and television. There are 3 criteria to pass: 1) there must be 2 named female characters, 2) they must speak to each other, 3) they must speak to each other about something other than a man. This test was initially created as a joke in the 1980s by comic book artist Alison Bechdel. Since then, it has become a very real feminist tool used to highlight the pervasive lack of women doing more than simply appearing in the media. 30 years later, and less than half of 2013’s Oscar nominations for Best Picture passed this test. I feel that this sends a message telling audiences that women are inconsequential. Women are unsubstantial. The female identity focuses on the notion that, as John Berger states in his book “Ways of Seeing”, women appear, while their male counterparts act. It perpetuates the gendered identities that are facilitated to us from cradle to grave, from advertisements and music videos, and perhaps even our own parents. The media seems to be telling us that men and women must fit within the boxes of masculinity and femininity (respectively) and that failure to do so is aberrant.

Yet, the media also has the ability to empower. It has the ability to subvert these ideas and to provide a space with which to critique and learn from the messages the media sends and how to ameliorate this situation. “Orphan Black” is a television series that airs on BBC America, currently broadcasting its second season. It is perhaps one of the best shows I have ever watched (and I confess that I am a TV addict; I have seen many to compare the show to). Not only is the plot, the acting, cinematography, editing, and directing fantastic, but the show overwhelmingly passes the Bechdel Test. Each and every female character of “Orphan Black” possess agency. She is her own individual, with faults, ambitions, fears, strengths, and eccentricities that vary across a rich spectrum of diversity. She is not a plot device, or an object of male fascination, but a human being. Beyond this, the show’s central focus revolves around identity and I believe that after taking this course, “Orphan Black” deserves discussion.

Tatiana Maslany plays multiple versions of herself.

The show enters with a street hustler named Sarah Manning, who witnesses the suicide of a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to herself. She decides to take the woman’s wallet and begins to impersonate her. The story unfolds quickly and with complexity, but one message is clear: Sarah Manning is a woman of her own devices.

“Orphan Black” focuses on claiming one’s identity and challenging what others have set for you. It refutes and subverts gendered identities in not only passing the Bechdel Test, but failing the reverse. There are no instances in which a man speaks to another about something other than a woman. But this isn’t a show solely for women. “Orphan Black” is a series that caters to many demographics, one that has garnered both critical and cult acclaim, and yet one of the things that I have truly come to admire after taking CS 110, is that the series takes the female perspective. It has garnered Critic’s Choice Award nominations, is in the run for an Emmy nomination, and is perhaps one of the only female-centric shows to do so as of late. Berger asserts in “Ways of Seeing” that, as an audience, what we view in the media is not from a neutral perspective. Instead, what we see is often from a male’s point of view. We are given the male gaze as cameras focus on the female body in a sexual manner, once more supporting the notion that the female identity focuses on women as objects to be used. “Orphan Black” subverts gendered identities as deftly as other forms of popular media perpetuate it. It is subtle, but visible to those who know what to look for, and taking CS 110 has sharpened my eyes. I have grown to learn that “Orphan Black” is more than a show about clones (as is revealed in its pilot episode), but instead a testament to how easily the media can open a channel of representation for those who are so often left on the back-burner.

The following is taken from a review by the website btchflick.com on the series that I find to be particularly cogent because it addresses the lack of a female’s perspective shown in the media, and how “Orphan Black” responds.

“Orphan Black contains quite a few shots of naked bodies, but no obvious gratuitous “boob-shots,” and where there is female sexualized nudity there is also male sexualized nudity. As an example, in the first episode when we see Sarah jumping Paul’s bones in the kitchen (to avoid conversation that would tip him off that she is not Beth) we get to see actor Tatiana Maslany’s naked body for a moment, but it is followed up in the next scene by shots of only Paul’s naked body. The camera lingers on Paul, as Sarah’s gaze lingers on his body. This allows the audience the female gaze — for a change.”

 “Orphan Black” challenges gender roles and other societal norms and instead embraces the multitudes of complexities found within each character. It is a series I admire, and have grown to appreciate more since taking this class and realizing that there is more to “Orphan Black” than its plot. I recommend “Orphan Black” to everyone with an interest in television. The actress behind its main protagonist, Tatiana Maslany is outstanding and perhaps one of the best things about the show. Here is a short trailer of the first season. 

Power and Violence: North Country and The Whistleblower

I watched North Country when I was 11. I don’t remember why I chose to, whether I picked it up at the video store or if it was on television, but I sat through the entire film regardless, in awe. What I do remember is that it is perhaps the first time I have ever cried out of frustration. It is one of the first conscious encounters I ever had with sexism and the reality that the world did not operate as I believed.

It has been several years since Charlize Theron and Director Niki Caro began to radically change how I viewed the world. However, I believe taking CS 110 and seeing the film listed as a recommendation to supplement our discussions on how the pressures of power and violence operate in our society is cause to reflect. I watched North Country for the first time as a form of entertainment, but have since learned that the film has a function beyond this. North Country educated me, it was a cathartic experience that has few parallels. Learning that Josey Aimes and her attackers were based on living human beings had a tremendous impact on me. I grew disenchanted, but eventually motivated. Josey Aimes became a hero to me.

The film is inspired by the Jensen v. Eveleth Taconite Company class action suit, a chronicle of Lois Jenson’s experience as a coal miner who filed a lawsuit against a company that would not protect her when pervasively and maliciously sexually harassed. Charlize Theron plays the protagonist Josey Aimes–based on Jenson–who would go on to suffer harassment measures worse than before she attempted to fight back.

The Whistleblower is a film I watched more recently, a little while after it was released in 2010. I had not thought to relate it to North Country until they were recommended alongside each other. Like North Country, The Whistleblower centers around women who are abused as sexual objects, though perhaps tackles a much more heinous truth. Rachel Weisz plays the protagonist Kathryn Bolkovak–based on the actual Kathryn Bolkovak–who seeks to uncover the truth behind an illicit sex trafficking ring in Bosnia. The ring is in part protected by UN peacekeepers, and throughout the film, Bolkovak  attempts to deliver justice to the multitudes of victims forced into sex slavery. Bolkovak and Aimes are both met with grim backlash and consequence to fighting a society that aims to perpetuate gendered violence and male dominance. Both are bullied and receive little support from others. This treatment worsens until both have their lives threatened. But they do not retreat.

What I find so remarkable about these films is the notion that the women are the subversive characters. Though the narratives are clear with regard to who remains in the wrong, how Aimes and Bolkovak are treated by those who work to perpetuate the status quo leave much to fear. They are brave, courageous, and measures more resolute than I could ever hope to be.

There is a scene in North Country that I will never forget. In the midst of her lawsuit, Aimes is attacked at work. She is not beaten, but instead locked in a portable toilet by several of her male colleagues, undeniably guilty of sexually harassing at least one of their nine female colleagues. They surround her stall and tilt it back and forth until it topples over and drenches her in urine and fecal matter. Aimes does not back down, though I will never look at a porta potty in the same manner again.

Josey Aimes, played by Charlize Theron and based on Lois Jenson, winner of the class action suit.

Both films demonstrate that violence against women has become so commonplace, so normalized, that acting against this crime is what is considered aberrant. Moreover, both films feature instances of gender intimidation–where an individual fears being raped or assaulted for being a certain sex–and sexual assault that are largely unanswered for. Though Aimes was successful in her suit against the company, her aggressors were left unpunished. Similarly, Bolkovak’s efforts go unnoticed as many of the peacekeepers involved in the sex trafficking ring are simply sent back to the UK without ever having to appear in court due to immunity laws.

North Country and The Whistleblower are both testaments to how violence against women have grown to become normalized. Sexual assault and sexual harassment are often given little response, as is true today, where an estimated 60% of sexual assaults go unreported, with a much smaller percentage receiving time in front of a judge and jury.

I do not think of these films in the same way that I did when I first watched them. Instead I am more horrified and disappointed in how our culture has failed to address such a severe problem. I am horrified by how these crimes so often go unanswered because of the notion that this behavior is normalized. Yet I am also motivated because I believe that it is possible to slowly but surely dissolve these pressures. I am motivated because individuals like Lois Jenson and Kathryn Bolkovac exist, because I know that they are not alone in fighting back.

We are peacekeepers who came to protect the innocent, but now prey upon them in the worst ways possible. We may be accused of thinking with our hearts instead of our heads, but we will have our humanity.

Kathryn Bolkovak, The Whistleblower