Blogs We Love: Feminist Frequency

To continue the "Blogs We Love" thread I'd like to introduce one of my new finds, Feminist Frequency and it's accompanying YouTube channel.  Led by media critic Anita Sarkeesian, this site presents "a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives."

Well researched and well presented, the "Tropes vs Women" video series focuses particularly on video games and traditional media.  Videos exploring recurring "stories, themes and representations of women in Hollywood films and TV shows" include:

1. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl
2. Women in Refrigerators
3. The Smurfette Principle
4. The Evil Demon Seductress
5. The Mystical Pregnancy
6. The Straw Feminist

Video game related topics have included:

• Damsel in Distress (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Ms. Male Character
• Women as Background Decoration (currently Part 1).

Sarkeesian does a wonderful job presenting well balanced and well organized evidence for each "trope" gathered from both media sources and academic research.  I found the identification and naming of specific "tropes" to be an empowering approach as it ultimately offers targeted avenues for change.

The site also links to Ms. Sarkeesian's TEDxWomen talk regarding online harassment, a variety of other videos, and lists of games, TV shows, novels & comics, films, blogs, nonfiction books, etc. that might be of interest.  It's definitely worth checking out!

Article Hit List: Depictions of Women in the Media

My brain is on vacation this month so here are a few stories that caught my eye over the past few months.  They're all loosely related to depictions of women in the media.

A. Entrepreneur Barbie

Mattel recently unveiled "Entrepreneur Barbie," described as follows:

"Entering the entrepreneurial world, this independent professional is ready for the next big pitch. Barbie Entrepreneur doll wears a sophisticated dress in signature pink that features modern color blocking and a sleek silhouette. Her "smartphone," tablet and briefcase are always by her side. And luxe details, like a glam necklace, cool clutch and elegant hairstyle, are awesome extras for a smart, stylish career woman. Includes dressed-for-business Barbie doll and stylish accessories: clutch, briefcase, tablet, and smartphone."

This just looks like a professional woman to me, but apparently children need a doll to believe they can be professional women. . .

B. Empowering Stock Images

Women & Energy: An Important but Underappreciated Dynamic

Last week, as I read through a scholarly article about social science-based energy research, I was surprised to see “Gender and Identity” in the list of promising though underdeveloped research areas.  I shouldn’t have been surprised.  While under-appreciated, gender interacts with energy in many important ways.  Women throughout the world spend hours collecting fuel before using it for cooking and other chores.  Energy also shapes our practices, cultures, and communities.  For example, the article notes how communal cooking fires can act as havens “where women can gather to discuss their personal issues without the presence of men.”  Of course Schwartz Cowan’s link between technology and gender roles (see the More Work for Mother posts) also applies to energy.