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.


Friday, December 6, 2013

Moving Past the Princess

I really enjoyed this week's presentation on the Disney princesses and how their representation has shifted over the decades. I've been interested in the topic in the past, and think it is relevant to discuss because the changing princesses certainly reflect changing social paradigms. However, I wonder to what extent these changes should be seen as a step towards the empowerment of young girls. Tiana and Merida, brave and groundbreaking as they are, are still princesses. The message appears to be that "even a ___________ can be a beautiful, successful princess."

 Might it be a better idea to create female characters for girls to idealize who are everyday girls and women that become extraordinary through their own merit? The idea of birthright and magic seems fairly out of touch, especially for girls today who shape so much of their identity through readily available information. I think one really awesome approach is the one taken by a mother who encourages her five year old daughter to dress up as historic women instead of Disney characters.


     

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/10/26/240899948/mother-and-daughter-play-a-remarkable-game-of-dress-up
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