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 7, 2013

Leilani Graham- Teaching Project: Celebrity and Perception, The "Crazy Girls"

Hi all! One of the things that we have discussed in class that really stuck with me was our talk of the female pop-culture celebrity and what the line is between originality and just being explicit.  I would particularly want to look at several of the most vocal (by their own choice or by circumstance) women currently of prominence: Britney, Miley, Lindsay, and Amanda. I specifically want to know if their home lives or their limelight-lives contributed more to wanting to grow out of their traditional child star roles. I’d like to look at their lifestyle choices and why “we” as a public decide that some are worthy of praise and others not.  How are “we” qualified in our own lives to make such judgment calls? 

I would also want to look at why most of these women have been slut-shamed so heavily when their male counterparts, and even collaborators, are glossed over.  Have we simply accepted that rap lyrics with explicit content or music videos with naked women are the norm?  It seems not, considering the backlash to “Blurred Lines,” yet was 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop” any less explicit or presumptuous?  It certainly plays in to whether or not “we” feel that these women, especially in regard to their male counterparts, have made conscious choices to affect how they are perceived.  Are these prominent figures tactically eliciting a response, exploiting their far-reaching influence, or simply just trying to live their lives and how/ why do we judge them for it?

Let me know if you are interested! I'm very much open to narrowing or adding to the focus of this topic and would love input. 

Leilani
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 13, 2013 at 9:23 AM

    Love this topic Leilani!

    I think it would be particularly interesting to compare/contrast the downfall of say Charlie Sheen and the critical comments made about him and also his comeback versus Miley and Lindsay.

    I am definitely interested in teaming up :)

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  2. UnknownOctober 14, 2013 at 5:35 AM

    I love this topic too!

    I think this perfectly adds up relevant discussions and questions we've encountered week by week into current times and shows how these gender divisions still continue to translate throughout time within its own ways. I immediately think of "hung" when reading your comment in that we often shame women for doing the exact same thing as a guy. Why is it that our society has such strong double boundaries? Also you can analyze what are the defining factors and characteristics that separates celebrities from being heavily criticized to being idolized for essentially doing the exact same thing.

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