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.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Kelly Clarkson is NOT a Feminist

In a Kelly Clarkson interview that came out today on Time.com, the singer adamantly declared that she is not a feminist. When asked if she would consider herself a feminist, Clarkson adamantly declared:

“No, I wouldn’t say feminist — that’s too strong. I think when people hear feminist, it’s like, “Get out of my way, I don’t need anyone.” I love that I’m being taken care of and I have a man that’s a leader. I’m not a feminist in that sense … but I’ve worked really hard since I was 19, when I first auditioned for Idol.”

This quote made me think back to our very first class discussion about the word “feminist” (or the F-word) still having a very negative connotation. This is a woman whose songs are based on the freedom and power of women. Even the titles of her songs, like Stronger and Miss Independent, bleed female strength. Yet, Clarkson, like other celebrities such as Beyonce, is quick to dispel the idea that she is indeed a feminist. She states that she likes having a man taking care of her. However, wanting to be taken care of, liking “leading” men and being a feminist are not mutually exclusive. I would argue that Kelly Clarkson is very feminist, working hard for her status and declaring to the world that she is, in fact, Miss Independent. Yet, this is just another example of how tainted the word “feminist” is and how women everywhere (especially those in the public eye) are not yet ready to stand up for women and declare themselves feminist.

Here’s the link to the interview:

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/30/kelly-clarkson-not-a-feminist/?utm_content=buffer31b53&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
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