We need more women in the media on every level and in every aspect. That’s a given.
We also need better men in the media, on every level, and in every aspect.
Women in the media still have to achieve twice as much as men to get half the respect, both behind the scenes and on screen.
Chris Rock, while remarking on Obama being the first black U.S. president, said “That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years.” This same sentiment applies to feminism. If we’re seeing more women in the media, it’s not because women have gotten better. It’s because men have gotten better. Ultimately, if we want to continue making things better for women, it’s men’s behavior that has to change. If we want to bring more women into male dominated fields, men need to stop creating hostile work environments for them.
And this is why I grow so weary of feminist media that continues to surround its female leads with Loveable MisogynistTM and Nice GuyTM male protagonists.
We need more protagonists like Steve Rogers, who accept rejection with grace, instead of treating flirtation like a sales transaction to be haggled over. We need more protagonists like Wade Wilson, a man in his mid thirties who thinks getting hit on by an woman nearly half his age is awkward and disturbing, instead of sexy, and who genuinely respects and admires his age-appropriate girlfriend who does sex work. We need more Fury Road version Max Rockatanskys, more Finn Damerons, more Peeta Mellarks, and more Raleigh Beckets.
I by no means want to devalue the importance of calling out problematic male behavior. On the contrary – it’s important to show that even well meaning men can unintentionally cause harm.
But there’s no point telling men and boys “what not to do” if we’re not also showing men and boys what they should be doing.
When the media fails to consistently portray positive male role models, the consequence of this failure is the normalization of male entitlement, casual misogyny, and other sexist micro-aggressions and macro-aggressions.
complex women defined by solid characterization rather than a handful of underdeveloped masculine-coded stereotypes.
Furiosa test.
^^
ALL OF THE ABOVE
Rey is given a luxury that comes so easily to male heroes – she simply turns a corner, finds a magical item (Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber, no less) and it awakens the Force in her. Just that. No searing infertility, no rape, no revelation of past abuse, no heartbreak, no sacrifice. No heroine whose validity is defined by what she has sacrificed, in the way of Katniss handing up her life for her sister, becoming a martyr for a revolution. In the way of Ariel, handing over her power to speak in order to walk on land. No poison apple, no needle on a spinning wheel here.
How do you know if your argument is feminist? Well, check out the basic core beliefs of feminism. Does your argument support these beliefs?
The value of women is inherent because we are human beings. Males do not assign us our value.
women do not lose value based on their appearance
women do not lose value based on how much sex we have had
women do not lose value based on our marital status or sexual orientation or number of children or ability to give birth or any other male system of objectification and commodification of our bodies
women are not “bitches” or “cunts” or “sluts” or “whores” or any other label men come up with to denote that we are subhuman and have decreased in value because of a lack of obedience to them
Women are people. Our bodies exist for us. They do not exist for male consumption. Our bodies deserve respect.
women NEVER owe men access to our bodies
women NEVER owe men sex
we do not exist to provide men with children
periods are natural and not offensive
our bodies are not inherently shameful
we deserve to be educated about our bodies
males should not control or own female bodies
we do not need to conform our bodies to male imposed beauty standards
our natural body hair is not offensive
Women are not naturally ““feminine”“ there is no such thing as a “lady brain” because women are not mentally inferior to men.
femininity is a social construct forced on women at birth
the idea of what is “feminine” is created by men and imposed on women against our will
gender does not come from inside of us, it is not natural
we suffer punishment ranging from social consequences to male violence for not conforming to male feminine ideals
brain plasticity is a thing
socialization exists and is real
how you are raised and treated by society affects how you act and behave, your thoughts, ideas, and opinions and actions
people are born as a blank slate personality wise, and develop who we are based on our surroundings and how we react to them and the consequences of how we reacted, etc.. Life events are important.
Male is not the default setting for human being.
“equality” is giving a fish and a bird the same set of standards
women need liberation from male supremacy, not a place within it where we can continue to perpetuate harmful male supremacist values such as “might makes right”
the capability of physical violence does not make someone superior to another person, especially in a species whose primary evolutionary advantage is our brains
female reality is important and should be weighed with the same consideration and respect given to male reality–femaleness is not a handicap just because our capabilities are different from those of men
women should be able to live entirely independent of men
women’s capabilities need to be respected, the things women can do well need to be valued, rather than telling women we need to do things that men value
the things men can out perform us on (such as sports) do not make men more valuable human beings than women
the things men can do are not inherently more valuable than what women can do
Actor over 40: action hero, love interest to 20-something female protagonist, superhero, dramatic lead, half of a buddy comedy duo, head of important organization, complex villain
Actress over 40: somebody’s mother
K, the younger ladies are awesome but the older ladies absolutely steal the hell outta this show. (PS Nice to see the uniforms and decorations aren’t completely off the wall)
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