My Social Bookmarking Soulmate

I recently stumbled upon my "social bookmarking soulmate"--that is, someone else researching and sharing articles related to women in film--on Diigo. Her name is Jenni Young.

I LOVE YOU, JENNI!

I know it might sound crazy, but I feel like Jenni and I are already friends. When trying to find other "social bookmakers" who also research women in film like I do, I naively thought it would be easy to find someone like-minded on Reddit. Boy, was I wrong. Shockingly, any search I made on Reddit with the tags "feminism" and "film" mostly lead to Men's Rights Activists posting disturbing and profoundly upsetting views regarding a woman's place in mainstream film or even pornography. While there were certainly feminists standing up to these bigots,  those feminists seemed more involved in general "/feminism" subreddits, and didn't cross over into the film subreddits much at all. Conversely, most of the posts in the film-related posts on the film subreddit had little to do with feminism.

All of this frantic searching for a like-minded person online really illustrates just how uncommon it is to find other people who are truly invested in studying and promoting progressive changes in terms of women's roles in the film industry. It's easy to get caught up in the liberal, educated bubble of my film school and think that everyone cares about or is even aware of these issues, but the truth is that most people don't seem to care.

On to Jenni, though...

I was SO relieved when I finally stumbled upon Jenni's Diigo profile and realized there is another person out there interested in sharing articles about women in film! Even better, her Diigo profile actually exposed me to some incredible articles I would never have discovered otherwise.

First, and perhaps most importantly, she shared a Washington Post article dissecting violence against women in movies that could actually work as a source in a paper I am currently writing about violence against women in Hitchcock's films. This provocative article essentially argues that recent films A Walk Among the Tombstones and The Equalizer use horrific violence against women as an excuse for their male protagonists to go on a quest for revenge; thus, the film employs this narrative device so that filmmakers can indulge in their most "luridly toxic fantasies" while pretending to abhor them. The article wonderfully breaks down the "damsel in distress" trope in a fresh and thought-provoking manner, providing me with some new food for thought on films that claim to be against violence against women but still allow the filmmaker and audience to take pleasure in watching it...

Secondly, she posted another Washington Post article that sheds new light on the Bechdel Test which I introduced a few weeks ago. To summarize, the article reports findings that the median gross for films that passed the Bechdel test was $2.68 for every dollar spent, whereas films that failed made only $2.45 for every dollar spent. Thus, the article adds a whole new dimension to the discussion on the Bechdel Test, now that there is seemingly no financial reason for Hollywood to be making films that are so exclusive towards women. In fact, recent hits like Gravity, Divergent, Lucy, and The Hunger Games illustrate that female-driven blockbusters tend to dominate at the box office. So, why isn't there a standalone female superhero movie yet? Why was only one summer blockbuster this year starring a female lead? We now know that money is not the answer behind these tough questions.

Finally, she shared a recent New York Times article interviewing the fabulous actress Viola Davis. This fascinating piece raises very interesting food for thought on how race intersects with the issues of gender I have been exploring. In particular, Viola Davis comments on how it is especially hard for her to find challenging, complex roles where she can play flawed, well-rounded women as a black woman over the age of 40. Considering women are already cast in mainstream Hollywood films as sexual objects/love interests, most female stars booking big roles are white, skinny 20somethings. Thus, Viola brings up an interesting part that it is even MORE difficult as a woman of color to play complex roles. As Viola puts it, "I'll never get cast as Bradley Cooper's love interest." Until her Oscar nominations, mot of her roles were as a maid, a "mammy," or a nameless cop/government employee. The interview is a fascinating read in which Viola very eloquently voices her concerns about the lack of compelling roles for black women, which adds an entirely new layer to the discourse on women in film.

Overall, it was a great experience searching for (and finding!) my social bookmarking soulmate, and I was able to discover some wonderful articles along the way. (Also: Jenni's Diigo profile has an amazing speech by Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy, on female equality you should check out, a great article on why there hasn't been a female superhero movie yet, and so many more gems...) I strongly encourage anyone passionate about women in film to connect with like-minded individuals who can help expand our knowledge of this imporant issue.

And now, drumroll...

FEMINIST MOVIE/TV RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK: TRANSPARENT

Transparent is Amazon's hot new critically acclaimed show (available to those with Amazon Prime) about Laura Pfefferman, a father who comes out to her children about her decision to start transitioning from being a male to a female. It's a touching, unique, hilarious, and very emotionally honest show about how this dysfunctional family copes with such a shocking revelation. Most importantly, Gaby Hoffmann and Amy Landecker are absolutely extraordinary in their roles as Laura's two somewhat flawed and self-centered but loveable daughters. This show has some of the best, most complex roles for women I have ever come across and it offers such a realistic, nuanced portrait of a family living in modern day L.A. Plus, it shines a much-needed light on the struggles transgendered women face, and Jeffrey Tambor is a revelation in the lead role. Check it out!