Thursday, November 29, 2012

Entertainment Weekly Review: Brave

My contribution to the Brave discussion comes in the form of this, a review of the movie by Entertainment Weekly magazine's Lisa Schwarzbaum.

The first thing to notice about the review is that Schwarzbaum brings up one of the main things we talked about in class: Merida's hair.

Schwarzbaum explains that, despite Disney Princesses almost always (Snow White being the exception) having long, flowing hair to represent their femininity, Merida is different:

"Merida is defined by a huge unruly tumble of long bright-red curls that, in its refusal to be combed, let alone pinned down, signifies the opposite of ladylike passivity. Her untamed tresses are a Samson-like manifestation of her strength and independent spirit."

Suzanne Collins is Writing a Picture Book

Autobiographical Suzanne Collins Picture Book Slated for Fall 2013
Bestselling author Suzanne Collins will examine the effects of war for a much younger readership than that of her Hunger Games series with the autobiographical picture book Year of the Jungle, which Scholastic will publish on September 10, 2013. The book, to be illustrated by Collins's longtime friend (and Hunger Games dedicatee) James Proimos, follows the struggles of a girl named Suzy while her father is serving in Vietnam

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54928-autobiographical-suzanne-collins-picture-book-slated-for-fall-2013.html

Women, Power, and Compromise in Brave

Hanna Rosin's article on the movie Brave caught my eye because its title: "Critics Are Missing What's Radical in Brave." Written by a woman with an 11-year-old daughter, the article went into depth with themes of female power in the movie. However, it did not just focus on questions of leadership (as the author states,"it’s perfectly clear that the Queen is the only legitimate leader."), but rather explored raw female power, edging into violence, in the film.

We associate dominance with physical force, a typically male quality. However, Merida channels pure force, always moving and shooting arrows and fighting her mother, her wild red hair moving just as much as she does.
The juxtaposition of power and compromise is fostered with the inclusion of the bear themes. As Rosin relates, "in original fairy tales, bears are a mortal threat to girls ... [However,] in Brave, females and bears merge in a whole new strange way." Fairytale tropes assign bears to the role of antagonists and monsters. While Brave's Mor'du is in all instances a villain, we see a softer, protective side of animalistic ferocity with Elinor's transformation.
In addition to these notes, what sticks with me is the moment just after Mor'du's demise. His spirit rises up and gives a nod of thanks to Merida before shifting into a will o' wisp. The raw violence of the film can be frightening, but the terror is always reconciled through compassion and understanding.

I looked through a few other articles to see positive, empowered reviews of the movie and came across Amanda Marcotte's review, "The Shocking Radicalisim of Brave." Her article emphasized instances of compromise in the film.

I see the film's overarching theme as one of responsibility - to your country, to your family, and to yourself. Merida struggles to find the balance between all three, and I think that her position as a princess highlights the relevance and importance of her choices.

She finds that her individual actions can make a situation worse, and at the heart of the story, compromise and understanding are most important. I agree with Marcotte when she states, "Only when the female characters start to work together—to take the collective action so beloved by progressive organizers—does actual change occur."

It interests me that a movie can at once be so forceful in its character and dynamic plot, yet at the heart have lessons for compromise and understanding.


Marcotte, Amanda. "The Shocking Radicalism of Brave." The American Prospect. The Prospect, 3 July 2012. Web. 29 Nov 2012. http://prospect.org/article/shocking-radicalism-brave

Rosin, Hanna. "Critics Are Missing What's Radical in Brave." Slate. Slate Magazine, 20 June 2012. Web. 29 Nov 2012. http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/06/20/pixar_s_brave_a_princess_with_raw_physical_power.html

Target cashes in on promoting cute over clever (err, pretty before brave)

http://jezebel.com/5913959/beauty-comes-before-bravery-for-target-girls

Gender inequality in family films

Findings from a massive study of gender inequality in family films commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute

Does _Brave_ pass the "Smurfette Principle" test?

http://www.feministfrequency.com/2011/04/tropes-vs-women-3-the-smurfette-principle/
"The Smurfette Principle was named two decades ago by Katha Pollitt [in a NYT article], when she noticed that there were a disproportionate amount of male characters in programming aimed at young people.  Even in adult programming, when women do appear in the primary cast of a television show or movie, they are usually alone in a group of men. Sadly, this trope has made its way into the 21st century."

Ms Magazine: "The Bold and the Brave"

"Brave, Pixar’s 13th feature film, is indeed rather brave. Yes, it strays from the romance focus; yes, it gives us a strong female lead; yes, it questions hetero-monogamous-marriage as the happy ending. But the real derring-do comes from the fact that it is woman-centered and focused on a mother-daughter relationship. Less overtly, it also supplies a witty visual onslaught of gender as performance, particularly via the body-swap portion of the narrative in which Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) acts out her uber-feminine ways in big bear drag."
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/06/21/the-bold-and-the-brave/

"The war on women begins with girls"

http://ideas.time.com/2012/03/19/why-fathers-must-speak-out-against-sexis/

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The vibrator or WORST Clitoridectomies

Interesting article about the vibrator and clitoridectomies. Some man once thought it was good to remove the female clitoris, what nonsense? How would he have liked it to get one of his testicles removed? Not such good idea  now uh? The removal of the female clitoris isn't something that is done in the United States on a regular today from my knowledge, however is it being taking place in other countries. What are your thoughts about that?

http://jezebel.com/5914350/vibrators-and-clitoridectomies-how-victorian-doctors-took-control-of-womens-orgasms?tag=genderal-interest

Is Merida Gay?

Interesting article I found when looking for articles about Brave. This article brings up the question and explores the topic about Merida being Gay. Now that Merida is not stereotypical, social constructed female, does that make her gay? What foolishness someone brought? Constantly judging and making accusations an empowering female character.

http://theweek.com/article/index/229891/is-braves-heroine-gay

Looking at the Real Reflected Complexities in Brave

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomwatson/2012/07/06/brave-is-actually-quite-brave-pixars-fantastic-feminist-document/

I really like this article because (a) it's in Forbes, which is a pretty mainstream and widely read site, so yay! discussing feminism in the mainstream! (b) while it addresses some of the critiques of Brave, it's main point (and one that I thought was awesome about Brave when I watched it) is that the story reflects the complexities of a real life, and that there is very rarely a totalizing "win" in the end for any situation.

This article discusses the fact that compromises, alliances, politics, etc are all very much a part of the real world, and Brave very much speaks to that. I think that being grounded in some kind of realism actually makes Brave more empowering because it can teach viewers lessons that they can actually use to accomplish something instead of just moral goodness or a self-esteem boost (not to devalue those either...).
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I'd also like to discuss in class the fact that Brave shows princess-obsessed little girls another side to being a princess. It shows the politics and power of the role of "princess,"it shows that princesses don't get everything they want, it shows that princess can be tough and still have to wear a dress, that princesses have annoying little brothers (that they still love), that you can fight with your mom and still love each other in the end, and that princesses screw up sometimes too, and I think that's pretty cool.

Review: Pixar's 'Brave' Is A Powerful But Wobbly Feminist Fairytale

This article, published on the blog "indiepower" discusses how a different plot line would have created even a stronger character in Merida than was already presented in the movie. While the article gives the strong points of the movie, it also discusses its weaknesses in creating an empowering heroine.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/review-pixars-brave-is-a-powerful-but-wobbly-feminist-fairy-tale-20120611

"The power of bravery starts within each of us..."

http://www.gender-focus.com/2012/07/02/feminist-review-of-brave/

This article by Jessica Mason McFadden of gender-focus.com not only touches upon a couple of topics that we discussed yesterday in class, but also addresses a number of matters that we have yet to consider/reserved for tomorrow's meeting. Here, a summary of the main points made by McFadden in her assessment of Brave:

1. Bravery belongs to all of humanity (as opposed to some singular group such as feminists, warriors, etc.), and it "propels us towards action and progress"

2. Brave is not about the journey of ONE character, but rather of two: Merida and her mother, Queen Elinor

3. Marriage and tradition are the surface issue in the film; relationships and acceptance are the core of the film

4. Listening is the key to learning; this is one of the film's strongest themes

5. "Individual growth cannot happen without simultaneous community growth"

6. The witch--and the role of magic, in general--represents escapism. Escapism "is not without suffering"

7. "Lastly, and of particular interest to self-identified feminists, Brave fearlessly but indirectly asserts that gender convention is a source of family discord."

The last 5 paragraphs of the article (continuing on from the quote I included as #7!) are particularly insightful. A teaser:
        "Bravery is facing the reality that change is not instantaneous, that it does not occur in a vacuum."
        "There are ways of reconciling traditional gender roles with progressive ones."
        "The power of bravery starts within each of us but is only realized when it is actualized in our  relationships with each other."

I think that McFadden's discussion of what "bravery" entails is a particularly important one, and one that very few reviews (that I've seen, in any case) have attempted to have. To be further discussed tomorrow, I hope...check it out!



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Brave: A Mom's Review

I stumbled upon this review of Brave by a mother and I found her discussion of the film to be very interesting:
http://impressyourkids.org/brave-movie-review-pixar-mom/

First, she discusses some of the elements of the film that she enjoyed, including the lack of a romance or love-interest for Merida and the strong mother/daughter relationship presented. Then, she goes on to list several reasons why you and your kids might not want to watch this movie together. Her reasoning for this is based on Merida's "bad attitude" toward her mother as a "rebellious daughter" as well as the crudeness and scariness involved in the plot.

Overall, the author of this review really did not approve of younger children watching this film due to the way that Merida disobeyed her parents and put herself and her own desires first. I think it's really interesting that she sees Merida's defiance of traditional gender roles as a bad example for children. Though it is important to respect one's family, finding one's own sense of independence and happiness is the more significant message to take from Merida's disobedience.  

One Perspective on Brave


Mary Pols believes Brave was a "halfway embrace of female empowerment."

Main Points from the article:
1. Although Pixar finally created a movie with a female lead role, the story line is simplistic and does not show much of Merida's true strength. 
2. Merida does not transform into an empowering character. She becomes less of a tomboy and more of a pragmatic princess. 
3. Why does Merida need to be a princess? According to the article, we are back at chapter "one of what girls can be."
4. Merida was undirected, floating through life without a clear direction. 
5. Pols hopes the movie does well enough that Pixar will create more movies with female lead roles.

I think this article is relevant to our class discussion about Merida's relationship to her mother and how she used the system to get what she wanted. Pols's includes a few quotes from Peggy Orenstein as well. Her discussion reflects that Brave can be an empowering movie, but cannot accomplish everything a feminist could want. Hopefully we will see more movies with female lead roles (maybe some not even in the fantasy genre!) and we will have a plethora of feminist role models for children and adults. 

Pols, Mary. "Why Pixar'€™s Brave Is a Failure of Female Empowerment."Http://ideas.time.com. Time Magazine, 22 June 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/22/why-pixars-brave-isa-failure-of-female-empowerment/.

A more contemporary example of girl's hairstyle as self-determination

http://feministing.com/2012/11/27/quick-hit-the-smiths-believe-in-raising-a-girl-in-command-of-her-own-body/

Peggy Orenstein on Mother/Daughter dynamics in Brave

http://peggyorenstein.com/blog/at-least-shes-not-dead-brave-mothers-day-trailerhttp://peggyorenstein.com/blog/at-least-shes-not-dead-brave-mothers-day-trailer

Brave, Heteronormativity, and Gender Roles

I found this article on Feministing about critics' responses to Brave. The author questions why comments have been made regarding Merida's sexual orientation, as well as whether mother-daughter conflict is a creative, or feminist, theme for a film. The comments at the bottom (specifically in addressing the latter) are particularly interesting. http://feministing.com/2012/06/26/brave-has-a-gender-problem/

Friday, November 23, 2012

The "Pleasure Paradox"

..."we do our girls no favours by refusing to acknowledge the raw complexities of their own sexual desires."

I recently stumbled upon an article (hyperlinked below!) that revisits a course theme we haven't discussed in a while. While it only provides one solution to the "Pleasure Paradox," its proposal is certainly an interesting one; and, generally, it has some interesting/insightful comments on the "unspeakable" topic of masturbation/the idea that a girl can possess a "healthy libido." It is a refreshing piece on sexuality, regardless of its somewhat narrow focus. If nothing else, the comment section offers food for thought that is also relevant to our course material...and while we haven't recently addressed this topic, the article highlights the necessity of reframing girls' sexuality and eliminating the cultural stigmas that surround it: a topic that will be relevant until it no longer exists as a "topic."

http://jezebel.com/5950658/if-its-not-a-secret-its-not-safe-girls-boys-and-the-pleasure-paradox?tag=genderal-interest

Feminist Frequency on _Hunger Games_

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8428XSejp0&feature=relmfu

Monday, November 19, 2012

Fan Fiction + Howl's Moving Castle

     In a July 2011 issue of TIME magazine, journalist/novelist Lev Grossman wrote: “Fanfiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They don't do it for money. That's not what it's about. The writers write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They're fans, but they're not silent, couchbound consumers of media. The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in its own language.”
      Though I don’t read fanfiction on a regular basis, I find it to be a fascinating subculture and enjoy exploring/taking note of available works from time to time. As fanfiction based on literature often springs from fantasy novels (think Harry Potter, Twilight, etc), it is perhaps unsurprising that there are thousands of fanfiction works based upon Diana Wynne Jones’ book Howl’s Moving Castle and its movie adaptation. Many of these works develop the romance between Howl and Sophie, satisfying many readers’ desires to see them “together” in a more concrete, sexual sense; however, many of them also tell the original story from a different perspective, develop particular plotlines, provide alternate endings, elaborate on topics felt to have been glossed over in the original text, place the original characters in different situations, etc.
     I encourage a perusal of this site: http://www.fanfiction.net/anime/Howl-s-Moving-Castle/ !! It is interesting to see the personality traits (of Howl, Sophie, etc) that writers (fan readers) have latched on to, as well as to see what plotlines they were not satisfied with or burned to develop. Many of them offer commentary on the themes that we addressed in class, often providing unusual, creative, and thought-provoking insights. Though fanfiction is an often-discredited cultural movement, it shouldn’t be; we stand to learn a lot from fanfiction writers who “talk back to the culture in its own language.” Check it out for yourselves!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Bella Swan Cullen--Superhero?

Just in time for Thanksgiving, food for thought.... Also, who among us will admit to wanting to see this film?

Monday, November 5, 2012

100 Young Adult Books for the Feminist Reader

Check out this list released by Bitch Magazine in 2011 for their top 100 recommendations for Young Adult books for feminist readers! Many of them are already included in our syllabus and author presentations but there are also some new ones that are worth checking out!

http://bitchmagazine.org/sites/default/files/bitch-young-adult-list.pdf


Katniss BARBIE® doll!!

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/hunger-games-katniss-doll-w3320

Is nothing free from being Barbified? If you are intrigued (curious, outraged, I recommend reviewing the postings on our Blog from March and April of 2012 on Hunger Games). Also, some Denison students from last semester posted excellent commentaries to an online academic discussion board, In Medi Res, the week it featured Hunger Games:
http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2012/03/26/girl-youll-be-woman-soon-gender-politics-mother-daughter-bond
http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2012/03/27/adapting-trauma-novel-screen

http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2012/03/30/hunger-games-and-disruption-reality-tv

Thursday, November 1, 2012

College Men and Women's Rights

"Frat-talk": conversations on a topic that college men don't seem to fully grasp...

http://captainawkward.com/2012/09/12/350-lets-crowdsource-some-feminist-sex-ed-for-frat-guys/

also, here's something about consent:


Consent is…
            Non-coercive: If you’re cajoling, threatening or otherwise trying to “convince” someone to engage in a sexual act with you, you are breaking consent. If you asked 16 times and got 15 No’s and 1 Yes, you still did not adequately obtain consent. Also, you’re a weak individual.
            Not fixed: What I mean by this is you shouldn’t take for granted that after asking once for consent that you now have consent forever. It’s not like landing a gig as a Supreme Court judge. You don’t have consent for life. It should be continuously negotiated.
            Dynamic: Related to the above note, consent for one act does not necessitate consent for all acts. Consent is not an EZ Pass. It should be re-addressed constantly for different acts.
            Conscious: Yeah, I want to believe I don’t have to explain this one. Bad enough I had to list it. But ok, yes, an inebriated/asleep/passed out or otherwise not fully coherent person cannot consent. There, you can’t say no one ever told you.
            Unambiguous/Explicit: Assume all of the following to mean “no.” — “Maybe,” “I’m not sure,” “Not yet,” “Kinda,” “Wait a minute,” …I could go on.
            Not contingent upon sexual interest nor sexual arousal: We know. Blue balls are a motherf**ker. Still no excuse. Neither your NOR the expressed/implied interest of any potential partners is an invitation to any act. Also, neither your nor the (assumed) arousal of anyone you might want to have sex with is an invitation. Yes, someone might be aroused and still not want to f***. Crazy times. I know.
            Not compensatory: Yeah, that dinner and a movie were nice. Still not an invitation to f***. And if you thought it was, you’re a world class a**hole.
            Not something that requires a qualifier: No one needs to explain why he or she is not granting you consent. No is enough.
Via: girlebony.tumblr.com