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.


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Disabled Mannequins

Recently I came across a video in which a sculptor had taken store mannequins and re-shaped them to resemble the bodies of those with disabilities - in particular those with muscle dystrophy and missing limbs. Before watching it I had an adverse reaction to this idea - why would anyone want to measure these people and recreate their figures, showing them further proof that they are different? Then, after watching the video, my whole impression was changed. The idea of this video is to do the opposite - to show that these people are not remotely different to anyone else. It didn't occur to me before watching this that every single person - with or without a disability - who walks past a shop window looks absolutely nothing like the mannequin modeling the clothes. None of us have legs that slender, tummies that flat, and are over 6 foot 5 all at the same time, so why should one person be considered more "perfect" than another. This video shows that in non of us being perfect, we are all perfect. The expressions on the faces of these models as they reveal their mannequins is priceless, and gives a whole new meaning on what perfection is. This video takes a stab at the consumerism that makes people - especially women - feel as though they are not good enough, it redefines the word "model, and embraces the idea that we are all a perfect array of shapes and sizes.
Here is a link to the video, and a screenshot of one of the models:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2518194/Pro-Infirmis-advert-creates-mannequins-based-bodies-disabled-people.html

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