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Released in 1999, I had never seen The Cider House Rules until a few weeks ago.  I’m not usually into period pieces or Tobey Maguire, so I didn’t expect much.  However, there were some powerful lines about the importance of a woman’s right to choose and to have safe medical treatments available to her once she’s made her choice.  Furthermore, there were some powerful examples of times that removing that choice is truly cruel, regardless of your political beliefs on the matter.

The Cider House Rules is the story of Homer, an orphan boy who never made it out of the orphanage, and has been trained as a doctor by his mentor and father figure, Dr. Larch, who runs the orphanage.  In addition to delivering the babies of women giving their children up for adoption, Dr. Larch offers safe medical abortions to any woman who asks for it.  He doesn’t advertise this service (as it is illegal), and he doesn’t suggest it to women no matter how many times he’s delivered their unwanted babies, but he won’t turn away a woman in need.  When Homer accuses him of playing God in this way, Dr. Larch responds:

Dr. Larch: I have been given the opportunity of playing God or leaving practically everything up to chance. Men and women of conscience should seize those moments when it’s possible to play God. There won’t be many. Do I interfere when absolutely helpless women tell me they simply can’t have an abortion – that they simply must go through with having another and yet another orphan? I do not. I do not even recommend. I just give them what they want.

Read the rest of this entry »

I did not watch the SuperBowl.  Proudly.  But my stance on professional sports is a topic for another discussion.  Anyway, if there’s one thing that the SuperBowl is known for (besides hypermasculinity and large men in spandex trying to kill each other in addition to rubbing up against one another and grunting in a totally non-sexual way – wait, another post, right) it’s envelope pushing advertisements.  These are being covered all over the place today, so here are some links to get you thinking about the fallout.

Woes Of Bros: Super Bowl Ads Star Pathetic Men — And The Women Who Ruined Them [Jezebel]

Knowing that Super Bowl Sunday is the only day of the year in which TV viewers actually care about commercials, you’d think ad agencies would have tried to reach the men and the women watching at home, right? Wrong.

Superbowl Sexism: Spineless, skirtless edition [feministing]

I’m sensing an anxious masculinity theme for the Superbowl commercials this year. I mean, we get it, dudes: You’re worried about being castrated by lavender scented candles and shopping with your lady friend. Go kill something, quick! And for the love of god, stop being nice to your girlfriend.

The Super Bowl and Madison Avenue Misogyny [feministe]

Superbowl ads are sexist. This is well trod ground: Marketers objectify women and play up stereotypes in order to sell things to (heterosexual) men. But we knew this year was going to be special. This year there was going to be some extra anti-feminist flavor… There were fewer half-naked women and dick jokes this year. Instead, the 2010 Superbowl Ad Mantra seemed to have one common theme: “Feeling castrated? . . . by women? Man up.”

The Critics On The Super Bowl Ads: Boring, Misogynistic [Jezebel]

• From Time’s James Poniewozik:

Wow, Super Bowl ad men really hate Super Bowl ad women this year, don’t they? …. Why would CBS turn down a Super Bowl ad from a gay-dating service, then run a bunch of ads with the message that men can’t stand to be around women?

• From  Slate’s Seth Stevenson:

Is it me, or was this year’s dose of casual misogyny a little rawer and angrier than usual?

• From The Washington Post’s Tom Shales:

An oddly recurring theme had to do with men asserting their masculinity, or attempting to assert it, as well as the perpetual male fear of emasculation.

• NOW via the Los Angeles Times:

NOW president Terry O’Neill said it glorified violence against women. “I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it,” she said.

Looks like a big mess.  Did I miss any good critiques of last night’s ads?  Feel free to leave your own responses as well as links to more posts in the comments.

Law & Order: SVU has quickly become my newest obsession (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Thank you Netflix Instant queue! – I should get paid for this), and I have been thrilled to learn that actress Mariska Hargitay is every bit as awesome as her character, Detective Olivia Benson, who could probably fill a 10 Reasons of her own.

1. She’s got her head on straight when it comes to body image:

“I’m a size 8, and I feel proud of that because it’s healthy.  I’ve never felt compelled to be a skinny actress.  I think I’m a very attractive person, but that’s not where I get my esteem.  A guy at ABC told me to change my name and get a nose job.  I said, ‘You get a nose job.’”

2. Although SVU is often challenging, it has inspired her.

“It’s opened my eyes to the plight of victims. And helped me find new ways to make a difference in the world. Without SVU, I would’ve never started the Joyful Heart Foundation.”

3. Yeah, about that Joyful Heart thing…

“I used to call myself the “accidental activist.”  No more.  I have fully engaged in this mission.  It is part of my path, one of the reasons I am here.”

4. She is proud of her character.

“I thought the character was extremely complex and would be a challenge for me as an actor. The second I read the script, I was drawn to Olivia’s strength, passion, humanity, and her desire for change. But what most intrigued me was her past and how she could use it to help others face theirs.”

Click here for 6 more reasons to love Mariska

I’ll admit that I typically don’t give crime shows a fair chance.  Something about horrific crimes as entertainment rubs me the wrong way, and when sex gets rolled into the mix it seems like a recipe for disaster.  But I gave Law & Order: Special Victims Unit it’s chance, and let me tell you – I was pleasantly surprised (thanks Netflix instant queue!).

I still believe strongly that sex and violence are a dangerous cocktail, but SVU handles the topics with class.  The violence, although sexual, is never sexy, and the bad guys are almost always clearly bad (exceptions include child perps and false accusers).  Stranger rape, date rape, marital rape are all treated with equal seriousness (a level of respect we often can’t even expect from our own local news), and more controversial topics such as sexual orientation, sex work, and patient-doctor confidentiality and spousal privilege are handled with care.

Furthermore, the female characters on the show are complex, intelligent, and self-sufficient.  On top of this, their counterparts are possibly the most decent men I’ve seen on television in a long time.  Detectives look out for each other regardless of gender, and there is a sense of camaraderie and caring that has nothing to do with genitalia.  For instance, knowing Detective Benson’s sensitive history with her father (all she knows about him is that he’s the man who raped her mother), Detective Stabler calls out a coworker who made an inappropriate joke about the subject.  He does this discretely and out of a desire to protect his partner, not a poor sensitive woman, and Det. Benson watches Stabler’s back with an equal amount of respect and concern when his buttons are pushed.

Although Det. Benson is still in the minority as a woman detective on the unit, she is quickly replacing Special Agent Dana Scully as my favorite woman in uniform.  She is always the defender of justice, warmly and kindly comforting the victims of the atrocities featured on the show while giving the Ice Queen a run for her money when she gets alone in the room with a perp.  The various ADAs across seasons (nearly always portrayed by women) are equally cool and collected and fantastic at their jobs.

One of the most unique themes that I’ve noticed in watching, however, is the clear and direct condemnation of misogyny.  Many of the perps on the show target women (prostitutes, girlfriends, wives, strangers) because they are women.  One of the ADAs sets out to be the first lawyer to successfully convict a rapist of a hate crime.  The hatred and loathing these criminals (and occasionally cops) have for women illustrate the most vile misogyny that can be imagined – and they way that it is portrayed is as disgusting and loathsome as it really is.

Although there isn’t a great deal of ethnic diversity on the team and no significant address of ablism, the competent women on the show are a breath of fresh air, as are their respectful and admirable coworkers – men as allies in “women’s issues” fights are too sparse on television.  The women are still held to a higher standard as far as the limited variety in body image portrayed and the requirement that they are still able to demonstrate a sensitive and nurturant side that is more acceptably absent in male characters, but I’m willing to argue that Law & Order SVU is a pretty feminist-friendly show.  And with 11 seasons under its belt, I’m impressed that it has been given the chance to put these images and messages out there for so long.

Shoutouts to the post at Bitch blog that addressed this a little while ago.  Follow their (and my) advice and give it chance if you haven’t yet!

I have fallen in love with Lady Gaga over the past month, and this post from Jukebox Heroines on the feminist themes in her music was too awesome not to share.  If you are interested in cross-posting or guest-posting at feministhemes.com, please contact me with your ideas at misswizzle@feministhemes.com.

Lady Gaga – The Fame (2008) on (Streamline/Konlive/Cherrytree/Interscope)

Part 1:

Oh snap. Yes, I just said it. Lady Gaga’s music is feminist. Why do I say such things? Because I can back it up. And because I love her music, videos, and persona. She is the reason I have actually started to listen to pop music again. So, let me tell you about feminist music….

Why do I say that her music is feminist? Whether or not she herself claims to be a feminist, her work criticizes gender, sexuality, the body, pop culture’s representations of women, and the nature of power. This in itself is a feminist act. Now, feminism, I guess we must define in some form, considering most representations of it are: man hater, bra burner, lesbian, ugly, want power over men, bitchy, hate children…..not true. Feminism is the political and social movement for women’s social, political, and economic equality. In that social part lies music, and Lady Gaga knows exactly what she is up against in the music industry. Feminist Music therefore, can be made by anyone, male/female/trans, as long as it fulfills the goals of fighting for equality and justice based on gender.

How does she present feminist ideas? I will give you a few examples. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately I’ve caught a bunch of these Broadview Security commercials, and they kind of make me want to mace the advertising advisers.  But, Current’s Sarah Haskins covers this better than I could hope to.

So, to all of those of you who aren’t white women, enjoy your new year.  For those of you who are white women, COWER IN FEAR or buy a Broadview Security system.  Or, you know, take a self-defense course, join a neighborhood watch, carry a cell phone and/or can of mace, or…

If you know me, you know I love the Beatles almost as much as life itself.  This week I’ve been working on a T-shirt quilt of shirts than needed to be retired (some of these have been with me since middle school), and the Beatles have been my soundtrack while I work.  In ironing and sewing and dancing, I began noticing some disturbing material, especially that from early in the Beatles career.  Here’s a quick look at three troublesome Beatles songs.

You Can’t Do That – 1964

Despite the Lennon-McCartney traditional tagline, John deserves most of the credit (or blame) for this one.  An early Beatles tune, the song is about a jealous boyfriend who warns his girl that if he catches her talking to another guy again, he’ll leave her.  Posessiveness is so romantic.  I know that the Beatles were serious aphrodisiacs for teens and young women (my generation had the Backstreet Boys, this generation has the Jonas Brothers), but the wild screaming during a song about a pretty unhealthy, jealous, possessive and threatening relationship is a bit disturbing.

You Like Me Too Much – 1965

This one is a George song, and if you know the outcome of his relationship with Pattie Boyd, this little dedication collage is kind of disturbing.  This song is sung from the manipulative male partner to his lover, who likes him “too much” to leave him, though it’s all that he deserves.  He sings about following her if she leaves to bring her back where she “belongs” and admitting that he was “wrong” in order to convince her.  I love George (in theory, I guess), but I feel like we should have listened to this song at our domestic violence crisis line training.  This is exactly the kind of thing that is operating when it takes women (on average) seven attempts before leaving a dangerous relationship.  But when its sung by a Beatle, its “romantic.”  Yikes.

Run For Your Life – 1965

Of these three tunes, this is probably the one that you are most likely to know.  Kudos to John again, this time upping the ante with death threats on top of the possessive manipulations.  John Lennon, the “peace icon,” tells his “little girl” she better “hide her head in the sand” rather than be seen with another man, as he’d rather see her dead.  In a choice verse he announces: Well I know that I’m a wicked guy / And I was born with a jealous mind / And I can’t spend my whole life / Trying just to make you toe the line. John has always made my stomach turn, but I think anyone in their right mind would be hard pressed to defend this one.

So, there you have it.  My favorite band, the classic and timeless Beatles, as manipulative, misogynistic music makers.  I guess sometimes Love isn’t all you need.  Any other rough tunes I missed, or Beatles favorites of yours that redeem the band?

I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for SyFy original movies.  The wild plots, hyper-hyperbole, and fantastically noticeable CGI crack me up and hook me at the same time.  Two of my personal favorites include Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus and High Plains Invaders (which happened to star Buffy’s James Marsters as a wild-west sharpshooter killing giant alien-insect-robots in shoot’em ups).  But I’m willing to argue that their recent Alice in Wonderland tribute was actually pretty good, and not just for laughing at.

I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland. Alice is typically portrayed (and pretty accurately to the book) as a little girl whose adventures in Wonderland primarily consist of her allowing things to happen to her or eating and drinking strange items simply because their labels tell her to.  At worst, this makes her appear foolish and as though she needs a protector, at best this makes her a compliant little girl.  But something about the fantasy and adventure and the fact that Alice is rarely shaken by her experience has always appealed to me.

SyFy’s Alice takes it to a new level.  Alice is now a young adult teaching karate classes and navigating the dating world.  When her new boyfriend Jack gives her a special family ring, she finds herself falling through the looking glass into Wonderland.  Here she sets out (with the help of the Hatter) to rescue Jack and escape back to her world.  Although Hatter really wants to be Alice’s hero, she often ends up using her karate skills to help them escape and really holds her own throughout the movie.  Hatter just wants to save Alice, but Alice is set on saving Jack (a nice twist on the “damsel in distress” trope). Spoilers, more analysis and a little bit of romance after the jump.

I’m always cautious to post about my own life, because those are the areas that are so much more sensitive – the places where invalidation (or just plain lack of validation) is too hard to make it worth the risk.  But talking about the places where political meets personal is kind of the point, and if I can’t talk the talk when it relates to my own life, I’m not really walking the walk.  So here goes another personal anecdote.

This week in a professional meeting one of my superiors made a comment about an overweight woman that caught me so off guard that I wasn’t even able to put my thoughts together about it until now.

He asked “I wonder what it is she’s trying to hide with her fat.”

I immediately crossed my arms over my stomach and tried to situate myself in such a way that the majority of my midsection would be protected from any passing glances.  I wanted to melt into the wall.  And although I could certainly stand to lose a few pounds, I’m not in any significant health danger or out of control. And I have a lot of privileges because in the grand scheme of things I’m still relatively thin.

Weight sucks.  Maybe some excess weight is occasionally an emotional defense – a physical barrier to protect the individual from the (cruel) world around them.  But sometimes it’s a product of genetics.  Sometimes it’s a product of being an adult with an adult metabolism but the eating and exercise habits of a teenage couch potato.  Sometimes it’s a result of a physical condition (thyroid problems, anyone)?  Sometimes its a product of SES and not being able to afford the foods health magazines suggest or not being able to go to the gym instead of working that extra shift.  And sometimes its just a matter of having better things to do than work out to make my body look like you think it should.

But as much as I tell myself these things, I still wish I was that thin girl I was at 16.  People would rather listen to a thin, beautiful woman talk about how its okay to look however you look than a slightly overweight, average woman say the exact same words.  And so I can rationally say that the woman in question’s weight has nothing to do with anything, and I can sincerely not care if she’s 120 or 220 or 320, but I can’t convince myself that my extra 30 pounds are acceptable.  WTF.

So I didn’t say anything.  And I talked to a colleague of mine afterword who reported she had the same shocked and insulted reaction.  And this man walked away from that meeting thinking he had asked a thought provoking and insightful question.  And he has power over us.

Anyway, it’s just been one of those weeks for me and with Thanksgiving coming up food and weight issues are here to stay though the holidays (my dad once recommended I see a doctor when my teenage metabolism retired and I gained those freshmen fifteen, and my grandmother has been known to poke my stomach and ask “what’s that?” when my mother or partner aren’t there to slap her hand away).  I’d love to hear how you cope with the social double standard regarding women’s weight issues.

I also recommend these posts at Adventures of a Young Feminist and Deeply Problematic on the topic, as well as the BMI project slide show.  They’ve helped me in the past.

After all the hype, coverage, and controversy regarding Teeth around the feminist blogosphere, I had to add this to my marathon list.  I’ll admit, I was worried.  Would it be as scary as I had convinced myself it would be?  Would it be overly gross?  Would there be too much sexual assault?

Whether or not Teeth has been the scariest film I’ve watched for our Halloween Movie Marathon, it has certainly been the most disturbing in many ways.  It made me laugh, it made me cringe, it made my stomach turn, it made me feel empowered, it made me feel angry.  Consider this your warning: Brace yourself for some pretty graphic themes and plenty of spoilers after the jump.

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