Stripping a Pro-feminist Act?

It's a simple question: is stripping pro-feminist or does it reinforce negative and suppresive gender stereotypes? However, this question is more complicated than one may think. Sarah Katherine Lewis, a writer and adult entertainer (a.k.a stripper), argues in her article posted on AlterNet, that stripping offers good pay for many working class women. Lewis's mother is a 1970s feminist, who was strongly opposed to Sarah's occupation as a stripper, so Sarah quit. She went back to working minimum wage jobs, such as waitressing, working long hours and feeling objectified by her menial work and low pay. Sarah could barely make rent each month when she wasn't stripping. So finally she went back to it. She says that stripping in itself does not give her a feeling of empowerment, but the ability to pay her bills and the freedom that comes along with that does make her feel empowered. She believes that her stripping does not affect the way that society already views women, so while she doesn't necessarily believe that her stripping makes her a better feminist, she feels that it doesn't make her a worse feminist either.

Read Sarah's article in the link provided. What do you think about stripping? Is it pro-feminist or anti-feminist? Does stripping reinforce negative female stereotypes and set back other women in our society? If a woman can pay to provide shelter and food for herself or pay for college tuition by means of stripping, is it okay? Is it then empowering?
http://www.alternet.org/sex/51408

'Educate a woman ...'

Has anyone seen these Albright promotional videos from the 1950s? I found them fascinating, especially the comments on educating women. It would be great to see promo videos from each decade, no?

What do you think about changes in the college and views of men's vs. women's education? How do these videos reflect the histories we've covered?

Part I (See 4:45 especially)

Part II (See 2:50 especially)

-- Prof. Lehman

Designing the New 2009 BMW Z4

Up until the twenty-first century, there has been notable progress in the professional careers afforded to women. However, it seems as though the traditional ideals surrounding women’s work have not changed. Cheryl Jensen’s article titled, “It’s Macho, Without the Men” says reporters were surprised to find out that the designers of the new 2009 BMW Z4 were women. Nadya Arnaout designed the new BMW Z4's interior and Juliane Basi was the exterior designer. I myself was even surprised to discover that the designers for the new BMW were women. I never really gave much thought to the idea of women designing for a company like BMW because one would assume that the company is dominated by men. Furthermore, society associates men with cars and vice versa. In addition, I was surprised to find out that a woman, named Yrma Rico is President of Weber BMW which is located in Fresno, CA.

I asked several people whether they thought a male or female designed the car and their response was overwhelmingly female. When I asked them why, most agreed that the design of the car was feminine because it had smooth and round shapes. Others agreed that the car’s design was sleek and would be appealing to the female consumer. Overall, people tended to generalize and go along with the traditional ideals surrounding women’s work being feminine. On the contrary Ms. Blasi said, “if you look at the car you should not be able to see whether it was designed by a woman or a man.”

Do you think the traditional ideals surrounding women’s work have or have not changed? Do you think women as the presidents and CEO’s of companies are acknowledged in the same context as men? Does it surprise you that the designers of the new 2009 BMW Z4 are women?

Feminism, Sexuality and Empowerment

According to Douglas, the early 1960s marked the beginning of what came to be known as the Sexual Revolution. Before the sexual revolution women were encouraged to be pure. In the past girl’s have received mixed messages about women’s role in society and women and work. Girls began to receive confusing messages about sex with the emergence of the sexual revolution. Different types of media such as, magazines were suggesting that females were not interested in sex. However, other magazines were saying that some women liked sex and premarital sex was not as rare as people thought. As a result, the mass media was blamed for the emergence of the sexual revolution.

Media ranging from magazines and books to television and film began to emphasize the idea that female liberation came through sex. The pregnancy melodrama emerged at the beginning of the sexual revolution. The majority of female characters in the pregnancy melodramas represented a broad range of female sexuality, from prim and proper to promiscuous. Furthermore, the pregnancy melodramas demonstrated that there was a conflict between traditional, American beliefs and the sexual freedom available to women. Today, television shows such as, Sex and the City represent the fact that feminism is dependent upon a person’s ability to make individual choices. The four characters in Sex in the City constantly make choices that challenge traditional ideas concerning heterosexual feminism. The women are never punished for being sexually active; instead they openly discuss their sexual experiences.

Do you think that sexual freedom and pleasure are central to women’s political liberation or do you think sexuality is a site of oppression and danger to women, or both? What do you think was responsible for the emergence of the sexual revolution? Do you think third wave feminism depends upon people’s ability to make individual choices?

Female Directors

I know this isn't a blog that I signed up for but I did a presentation in my other class on female directors. There is an article and a few youtube clips that go along with it.

Outside the U.S. females in the movie business
· The first African woman film director to gain international recognition was the Safi Faye with a film about the village in which she was born (Letter from the village) 1975
· Mira Nair, Aparna Sen, Deepa Mehta and Gurinder Chadha are among the best known Indian women filmmakers
· Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, a writer and a director, is probably Iran's best known and certainly most prolific female filmmaker.
· Marta Rodriguez is a Colombian documentary film maker
· Elvira Notari was a pioneer of Italian cinema
· Marta Meszaros has been making important films for decades in Hungary.
· Sally Potter is a prominent British feminist film maker. British filmmaker Ngozi Onwurah explores the legacies of colonialism

Sofia Coppola- director
· Leading female director in Hollywood
· Wrote and directed The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette

Facts:
· Women’s achievement in filmmaking devalued
· Although the statues of directors grew in the 1960’s and 1970’s, recognition of Hollywood features remained rare.
· In the history of the Academy Awards only 3 women have received an Academy Award nomination for directing a feature film:
o Lina Wertmuller in 1976 à Seven Beauties
o Jane Campion in 1993 à The Piano
o Sofia Coppola in 2004 à Lost in Translation
· Female directors outside the U.S. often receive more funding opportunities for film development
· When women in the U.S. get such an opportunity it is often because their popularity as actors has given them the power to produce or direct. Barbara Streisand, Jodie Foster, Penny Marshall, and Sally Field are examples
· Even by the late 1990’s among major studio executives only a few women held top jobs
· An independent film maker Julie Dash has argues that the a woman’s best chanced of controlling the movie process aside from acting, is to stay outside of the Hollywood system.
· Twilight's $70.5 million amounts to the best opening weekend for a female director ever. Not only did she break Mimi Leder's (Deep Impact) record of $41.1 million, but Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke destroyed it -- bringing her all the way up to the 29th best opening weekend in history (according to Box Office Mojo)


Article

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23626505-details/slumdog%20s%20female%20director%20should%20be%20able%20to%20share%20oscar/article.do

· Slumdog’s female director ‘should be able to share Oscar’
· Slumdog Millionaire is at the centre of a dispute over gender equality.
· While director Danny Boyle is nominated for an Oscar, co-director Loveleen Tandan is not. Now American campaigners are urging Boyle to “make history” if he wins by sharing the honor with her.
· Tandan was initially appointed casting director, but was named co-director by Boyle after her contribution to the shoot became “indispensable”.
· Jan Lisa Huttner of Women in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now has launched an online campaign to urge Boyle to insist Tandan share his name on the Academy Awards ballot paper. She said: “Women find it harder to be able to make films and have their films seen. That's why this is such an important issue.” No woman has ever won an Academy award for best director and only three have ever been nominated. Academy rules state only one individual can be named on the ballot paper.

Female Directors at the Box Office
· 01 $182 million What Women Want (2000) Nancy Meyers
· 02 $144 million Doctor Dolittle (1998) Betty Thomas
· 03 $143 million Mamma Mia! (2008) Phyllida Lloyd
· 04 $140 million Deep Impact (1998) Mimi Leder
· 05 $140 million Look Who's Talking (1989) Amy Heckerling
· 06 $126 million Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Nora Ephron
· 07 $124 million Something's Gotta Give (2003) Nancy Meyers
· 08 $121 million Wayne's World (1992) Penelope Spheeris
· 09 $119 million Twilight (2008) Catherine Hardwicke
· 10 $115 million You've Got Mail (1998) Nora Ephron



Clips from Youtube


· 2nd Annual Focus on Female Directors
This program heralds the work of industry heavyweights, cinema pioneers, actresses-turned-directors, festival darlings, and the brightest stars emerging from film school.
January 18, 2007 at 7:30pm in the Egyptian Theatre. Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood California
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4HbBjM6gws

· 3rd Annual Focus on Female Directors
Same description as above. It took place January 10, 2008 at 7:30pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ4wlfNfvLg&NR=1

Feminist Profile

I was having some problems coming up with a new original idea. Everyone has been posting some really great things, and all I've been able to come up with were similar TV shows that are exploiting women. So I decided to make things more positive and do a mini profile on an active feminist singer who has influenced many women (including myself). The punk music scene is almost completely male dominated, even to this day. Kathleen Hanna and her band Bikini Kill helped set the stage for more women to be involved in the Punk movement in the 1990s. In many of Kathleen Hanna's songs she brings up feminist issues such as violence against women, exploitation, and also addressed the issues within the punk scene and violence against women at these shows. (Punk music has the tendency to be violent on its own. With the lack of women in this movement, women unfortunately sometimes get abused and beat up at concerts. Thankfully, this does not happen as much today, but it still happens!) At Bikini Kill concert, Hanna would urge all women to come forward to the stage to sing and dance. Women like Kathleen Hanna have helped many women musicians find the courage to start their own bands and speak their minds.

*Below are some sample lyrics and a clip of a documentary with Bikini Kill in which they describe the beginning and ideas behind their band.

Double Dare Ya

...Don't you talk out of line

Don't go speaking out of your turn

Gotta listen to what the Man says

Time to make his stomach burnBurn, burn, burn, burn

Double dare ya, double dare ya,

double dare ya Girl fuckin friend yeah

Double dare ya, double dare ya,

double dare ya Girl

You're a big girl now

You've got no reason not to fight

You've got to know what they are

Fore you can stand up for your rights

Rights, rights?

You DO have rights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLYSWlVKbIE

Blogging Schedule

Just to refresh your memory ... if you happened to miss your turn at blogging or discussion, talk with me about signing up for a new date. Also a reminder that blog posts are due Thurs. and comments by the following Tues.

This is your 4th Hour of Rigor, and I am expecting active participation EVERY week -- that is, comments on another student's post -- if you're not the one posting the main blog for the day. So get commenting! ;-)

Blogging:
Feb 19 Erika, Stephanie
Feb 26 Sylvie, Chrissy
March 5 Amanda Foulds, Mary
March 12 Molly, Gina
March 26 Erika, Stephanie
April 2 Molly, Amanda F.
April 9 Shannaya, Gina
April 16 Shannaya, Sylvie
April 23 Tara, Chrissy
April 30 Amanda Hunter
May 7 Amanda H.

Discussion Leading:
Feb 19 Mary
Feb 26 Stephanie
March 12 Molly
March 26 Shannaya
April 2 Erika
April 9 Tara
April 16 Amanda Foulds
April 23 Chrissy
May 7 Sylvie
May 15 Gina

Ideas for topics/approaches

Hi all,

Based on your evaluation comments last week, some of you would like more guidance on the blogging. I'll be giving you some personalized observations and feedback, but also wanted to offer some ideas for those of you who may be stumped on topics and approaches.

Some tactics you might take:

1. Respond to the film/TV screening from the previous week, or the readings for the upcoming week. What did you find relevant, interesting, important? What would you like to talk about more in class?

2. Connect course material to what's happening in the community or on campus. The feminist group SHADOW, for instance, will hold a "Take Back the Night" event on April 8, and the Vagina Monologues was performed on campus and will be performed in the community. How do such events make feminism relevant, interesting for a new audience? What can we do to raise awareness about violence?

3. What's happening in media news this week, and how does it concern gender/feminism? (You can go to Yahoo Entertainment news for starting points)

4. What media did you consume this week, and how did it affect your thinking about feminism/gender? Offer some examples and analysis.

5. What about the men? As our class tends to focus more on women, what do you think the media is conveying about masculinity? Post your ideas and observations here.

6. Write about your own research paper in progress. What are you learning? What questions is this raising for you?

What happened to love letters and love songs?

Many women in the media are portrayed as less than human in many aspects. In movies and television we see them dressed promiscuously and used as sex objects. They are “arm candy” for men or trophies that men show off to build their self-esteem. It is almost as if women are the property of the male race. When we watch music videos on MTV or online (YouTube.com, etc), we are witnessed to the little clothing that wardrobe requires the women backup dancers/ singers to wear. I’m sure flashing off a woman’s body in such a way does sell albums, but at the same time it teaches an explicit message. It says that if a man talks, acts, and treats women the way they do in a particular music video, then they too can get women like those seen in those videos. The lyrics of certain songs strongly suggest promiscuity as well as the wrong messages about women. I did some research on songs that might potentially be degrading to women, unfortunately, I found quite a few. I came across a song by T Pain called “I’m in Love with a Stripper.” A section of the song goes as follows: “There’s a hoe in the room, there’s hoes in the car. There’s hoes on stage, there’s hoes by the bar. Hoes by near and hoes by far.” He is basically calling women by a derogatory name. At the end of the song he says “Hoe bring your ass.” This made me think that at this point in the song he is saying that women are sex objects and nothing more. 3OH!3 is a Hip Hop group who sings a song called “Don’t Trust Me.” I heard this song while I was at work. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Towards the end of the song they sing “Shush girl shut your lips, do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips. This repeats two more times. This message is telling women to stop trying to have intellectual conversation so that they can please men. This is the YouTube clip of the “Don’t Trust Me” video. The section of the song that I quoted is around the 2 minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFpT2QSDWM0