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 28, 2013

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo In a Positive Light

Much like the other screenings in this course, I viewed Here Comes Honey Boo Boo while simultaneously grasping for a feminist lens to view it under. Though I've never taken the time to watch an entire episode of the series it was definitely refreshing to have done so in the context of CTCS 412.
        If not for many of the themes discussed in this class, I may have been quick to dismiss Here Comes Honey Boo Boo as humiliating and crass. Oddly enough, my initial reaction to the series last week was one of positivity as opposed to disgust. It's simple for viewers, especially female viewers, to peg the series as exploitative of a family who appears to lack education and standard concepts of hygiene. Some may even brand Honey Boo Boo's mother, June as the enemy here for putting her young daughters in the spotlight.  Oddly enough, I couldn't help but feel enlightened after watching the pilot episode of the TV series. 
Perhaps it's because - lest I admit - I am a fan of the sheer spectacle that TLC offers up on a daily basis. But Honey Boo Boo's mother June's frank methods of communication with her children and dialogue about her own body image reflected some of the most clear-cut feminist ideals demonstrated in this course so far. June knows that she's quite overweight but accepts her body type as well as the body type of her daughters. She enters daughter Alana into "natural" competitions and even after she doesn't leave with the crown, remains supportive. Most importantly, June sees the world of pageantry as an effective means of building self-confidence for Alana and her other daughters. Winners or losers, it's the process that matters to June - making many of her parenting techniques extremely admirable. Aside from allowing her daughters to eat spilled cheese balls from the floor, there wasn't much harm done here from my perspective. I would even go so far as to say that elements of June's approach to parenting could be considered very wise and to some degree - feminist. 
The reality TV genre is rife with competition between women who assert their presence with over-the-top publicity stunts, alterations to their physical appearance and material possessions. Reality favorites such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and the Real Housewives series are platforms for female reality stars who further perpetuate that a woman's primary worth in Hollywood is on the basis of the glamour, sexual desirability and material relevance they can project on camera. 
  Honey Boo Boo's premise is hugely refreshing due to none of this. June, Honey Boo Boo, her sisters and father/husband Mike are winners here because they are true to a lifestyle that makes them feel comfortable and empowered regardless of how society will inevitably categorize them. 

- Marisa Okano
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