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.


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Dualcasting

Sasha Stock
    
    Bravo is my guilty pleasure. Whether it is the housewives' endless Louboutins, ruthless family fueds or “singing” careers, the real estate cat fights on “Million Dollar Listing” or the “ba-nan-as” drama of Rachel Zoe, I live for Bravo. Having started this addiction only a couple years ago, reading Katherine Sender's essay “Bravo's Gay Programming and the Quest for Women Audiences” was very interesting. I have taken for granted that such a heavenly channel exists and never thought about Bravo's history within television and American history. It was fascinating to learn about the connection between the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn sodomy laws and Bravo's Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and Boy Meets Boy.


       Bravo has successfully changed it's reputation from a “artsy, highbrow tradition” (307) to a a “sophisticated” reality TV haven. Some of the original tactics in gaining young women viewers is still apparent. The Queer Eye For The Straight Guy idea that the gay men, or in Queer Eye's case the “Fab Five” are “helping” straight women and men is still apparent. Shows like Rachel Zoe, It's a Brad Brad World, Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis, Dukes of Melrose and Bethenny Getting Married have this Queer Eye idea of a gay man helping a straight women and men. In these more recent shows, gay men help straight women and men with interior design, fashion and wedding advice. Furthermore, the idea of “endors[ing] the adage that gay men are women's best friend” (309) found in Queer Eye For the Straight Guy and Boy Meets Boy is apparent in current shows like Flipping Out, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis and Rachel Zoe. Brava to Bravo for succeeding in creating a dualcast audience! 
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