Beyoncé’s VMA performance was feminism’s most powerful pop culture moment. I’m old-ish, and it’s been a while since I’ve watched the Video Music Awards.
I’m not saying that the last time I tuned in to the full broadcast was to watch Madonna hump the stage in a synthetic wedding dress, but it might have been within a decade of that. On Monday morning I woke to images of Beyoncé, striking a dramatic pose – dressed as the world’s most beautiful disco ball – in front of the word “FEMINIST” and felt like an excited kid all over again. Or rather, an excited kid in a far more thrilling pop culture universe than the one I was an actual kid in. The singer, who will be 33 next week, was performing at the end of the annual awards ceremony, just before receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award.
She sang a 16-minute medley, and ten minutes in, the words from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk “We Should All Be Feminists” – which Beyoncé sampled in her 2013 song “Flawless” – began to pop up on the screen while Adichie’s voice said them aloud. All Hail the Queen? What do our perceptions of Beyonce's feminism say about us?
Illustration by Irana Douer. Who run the world? If entertainment domination is the litmus test, then all hail Queen Bey. Beyoncé. She who, in the last few months alone, whipped her golden lace-front and shook her booty fiercely enough to zap the power in the Superdome (electrical relay device, bah!) Beyoncé's success would seem to offer many reasons for feminists to cheer. But some pundits are hesitant to award the singer feminist laurels. Petersen says the singer's lyrical feminism swings between fantasy ("Run the World [Girls]") and "bemoaning and satirizing men's inability to commit to monogamous relationships" ("Single Ladies"). Turns out, booty shaking and stamping your husband's last name on a product of your own creativity makes a lot of folks question your feminist values.
Of course, in that very same issue of GQ, Beyoncé makes several statements about gender inequity—the sort not often showcased in men's magazines. Dr. Virginie Marcucci, Desperate Housewives, miroir tendu au(x) féminisme(s) américain(s) ? Feministfrequency - YouTube-Mozilla Firefox. Content Warning: This educational episode contains graphic sexual and violent game footage.
In this episode we explore the Women as Background Decoration trope which is the subset of largely insignificant non-playable female characters whose sexuality or victimhood is exploited as a way to infuse edgy, gritty or racy flavoring into game worlds. These sexually objectified female bodies are designed to function as environmental texture while titillating presumed straight male players. Sometimes they're created to be glorified furniture but they are frequently programmed as minimally interactive sex objects to be used and abused. Full transcript, links and resources available at: ABOUT THE SERIESThe Tropes vs Women in Video Games project aims to examine the plot devices and patterns most often associated with female characters in gaming from a systemic, big picture perspective. OTHER TROPE VIDEOS:Damsel in Distress Part 1: in Distress Part 2: in Distress Part 3: Male Character: This cartoon is about me. /via tumblinfeminist.tumblr.com & @gabrielrochab #feminism-Mozilla Firefox.
Top 10 Pro-feminist Episodes of The Simpsons - Chicago Feminism and Relationships. Congratulations go out to The Simpsons, the record-breaking, brilliant cartoon that taught television how to do satire, how to be subversive, and how to start a conversation on all things in pop culture worth talking about.
Of the dozens (if not hundreds) of Simpsons episodes with feminist messages, here are the top ten, listed from oldest to newest by original airdate. 1. "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" (original airdate: September 26, 1991) When Lisa's entry is chosen for a patriotic essay contest, the family travels to Washington, D.C. so she can present her essay. Lisa's strength of character and the unwavering ethics that guide her behavior show her as a role model, not just for girls but for everyone who needs encouragement to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means wrecking their chances to win a contest. 2. 3. The new talking Malibu Stacy doll arrives in stores! 4. 5. This episode shows an enormous amount of power in the hands of a young girl. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.