girls – Feminism and Religion

Is “Barbie” Feminist Media?

Is Barbie a kind of counter-apocalyptic feminism? I am quick to embrace liminal violence in my own theories. Why not liminal joy or fun? Or, is Barbie just product placement?

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of feminist media in light of all the hype around the Barbie movie and the backlash over the fact that neither director Greta Gerwig nor Margot Robbie (Barbie) received Oscar nominations. And while America Ferrera did receive a nomination for best supporting actress, a lot of critical attention has gone to the fact that Ryan Gosling (Ken) received a nomination for best supporting actor. I see the point. I understand the feminist critique here: female power is given an “atta girl,” but her creative contribution and leadership is overlooked. All that said: I didn’t really love the movie and the performance of the “I’m Just Ken,” song was my favorite part. Ferrera’s “iconic” monologue fell flat for me. Haven’t I read those words before, all over social media? The Barbie movie leaves me wondering, not for the first time, just what is feminist media?

When Game of Thrones was at its height of popularity, I saw so many online posts about the amazing female power (read feminism) of the show. But, having read the books, I took great issue with this characterization of the HBO blockbuster. Book five of The Song of Ice and Fire features, from what I recall, a double-digit number of sexual assaults against women. Every strong female in the story uses power as violence and dominance, and then of course, they are punished for it (as I wrote about in another blog). HBO’s Girls received similar feminist (and/or “post-feminist”) cred, featuring women who were supposedly friends but clearly seemed to disdain or ignore one another. Carter Hayward’s concept of “alienated power,” runs rampant in these two shows, and we enjoy it, because, as she explains, we have a hard time seeing power as anything else in a patriarchal system.

Matot-Massei: The Question of Women’s Agency and Lives under Patriarchy.

The Torah portion for July 15th is the double-portion, Matot-Massei (Bamidbar/Numbers 30:2-36:13). Matot, meaning tribes, runs from Numbers 30:2 to 32:42 and covers vow making as well as what the spoils of war with the Midianites are. Massei, or journeys, is Numbers 33:1 to 36:13 and describes the Israelites journey through the desert after fleeing Egypt and the boundaries of the Promised Land. While Matot-Massei have so much that could be discussed including war, images for the deity, and cities of refuge, this post focuses on their women.

There are three occasions where women are specifically mentioned. The first concerns vows and their atonement when broken. Next, women are discussed as spoils of war. Finally, Matot-Massei describes what to do with inheritance when there are only daughters.

Empowering Toys and the Problem of Class Divisions by Katie M. Deaver

I recently noticed that I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about financial security, the way class systems work in the United States context, and how these types of realities inform my feminism. Part of this is no doubt due to the fact that for the first time in my life I am not a student with multiple part time jobs, but rather am a “real” adult working full time at a job that offers retirement and medical benefits.

As I’ve written about before, I grew up in a poor family in rural Wisconsin and as a result I am often hyper vigilant about my finances. While I likely go a bit overboard when organizing my budgeting, balancing, saving, and spending this type of organizing is something I can control. The simple act of paying a bill, or determining how much I can spend on groceries this week gives me a profound sense of safety because for the first time there really is enough coming in to support my basic needs.

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