I have to admit that after the week's teaching presentations I still am quite confused as to what characteristics contribute to being a feminist, according to popular opinion. As demonstrated by the presentations on Tina Fey/Mindy Kaling and popular music, it seemed that the general consensus was that many of the women mentioned were indeed, feminist. Case in point: Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling. Yes, issues pertaining to women (including those pertaining to their interests and their dating woes) are subjects of interest in both 30 Rock and The Mindy Project. However I am still grasping for a concept of why both of these women can be considered resolute feminists by simply being professionals who have positioned themselves in the industry and within the context of their television shows as the female minority. It seems to be that over the semester, many of us have defined a woman's right to call themselves a feminist based on her individualized commitments to strengthening female equality. However, based on what was presented to me in the presentation I don't necessarily get that impression from the efforts of Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling. Yes, these women have been extremely successful in the area of comedy - which has been notoriously difficult for women in the past. Also, they present themselves in their television series as having powerful occupations that are less likely for women (TV exec and lawyer). However, I feel that these are just constructs of the characters they have tried to portray as opposed to evidence of their conscious contributions to feminism. It would be interesting to read a detailed paper that analyzes their qualifications as feminists, because honestly this is unclear to me.
- Marisa Okano
Through the presentations and my own research, I also too question what characterizes someone in the public eye as a feminist. I completely agree with Marisa in trying to understand what makes Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling a feminist just by positioning themselves within a female minority role but without any other efforts as too why they would considered such. Outside of their character roles, I do not see either what they have done to strengthen women's right. Most of the class without hesitating came to agree that Tina and Mindy are feminists but I feel that we are getting their image confused with the image of the character that they represent. In addition, most of the class came to agree that Miley Cyrus for example should not be considered a feminist, even though she has claimed herself to be "one of the worlds biggest feminists". Is it up to others to characterize her as such, or if that person identifies themselves this way should they be able to be called on? I personally believe that outside of her provocativeness, her recent backlash against what people view as typical beauty is a progressive step towards empowering women. How come Tina Fey and Mindy kaling are so easily considered feminists when only the roles they play are progressive for women? I have come to learn and accept that there is no line or specific characteristics to classify one as feminist or not but I think that it takes someone who has gone out of their way to make changes in giving women more power and independence.Then theres also that question if singers, like Taylor Swift should be considered a feminist just because of the songs they sing.
ReplyDelete