Course Description

At the core of the course is the question how feminism has become a demonized and ridiculed “F-word” in an age when issues of gender and sexuality are at the center of constant, often explosive political debates. These debates often connect media representation and political representation but tend to do so in simplistic ways that bypass or distort decades of sophisticated feminist theory and practice. We will trace back such representations through the decades around case studies that encompass film, video, television and new media practices. The case studies come from the United States and beyond, taking into full account the global interconnectedness of media production and consumption as well as the transnational travel of feminist ideas. The main goal of the course is to evaluate how useful feminist thinking is to understanding the relays between media and political representation; and to develop a lasting critical apparatus to analyzing the politics of gender and sexuality in the media.


Monday, October 21, 2013

characteristics of lesbians represented in current television

The readings by Negra and Press allow me to see television as more than just a form of entertainment but as an influential medium within American Society. Tv's early depiction of the family and gender in the 1950's became visual icons of socially accepted norms and behaviors. Within this "golden age"period, tv worked to unify and capture an American majority which is a long way from today's tv that "reflects our increasing cultural recognition of the true diversity of gender roles and family forms that constitute our culture"(Press). The major change seen in women in tv is their freedom  to make choices from work and family.  Both Negra and Press describe the extent in which images of family, gender, and sex have developed over time and will continue to develop to fit the changing role of women and family structure. TV series have come very far in challenging social norms and representing women with more accurate freedom but still are unable to break freely from conventional norms. Sex and the City for example portrays strong women living on their own and making their own experiences but the fact they are all white, middle class and living in a luxuries life misrepresents all single women and those within other geographic locations. Shows like weeds, desperate housewives, and girls are similar in that they portray women with freedom to make "choices" as tall, thin and beautiful sending a false representation that beauty is needed to live an eventful life seen in each show. This also makes me think of Orange is the new Black, in how the main character is tall blonde and beautiful as she retells her lesbian encounter and experiences with her sexuality. I feel that by having such perfect characters normal people with flaws and who look nothing like the girls on the screen will find it harder to relate their own personal situation too to the show. More importantly, I cant help but get the message thats "its ok to be lesbian as long as your pretty' or it gives the message that lesbians have to be girly and act a look a certain way when in reality lesbians are diverse just like everyone else
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