I Embrace My Female Nerd (and So Can You)

There's something I want to go ahead and put out there: I am a nerd. Many of my female role models live in alternate universes, fight aliens in space, are spies or witches, and are, well, fictional. As this is my first official post as a contributor to Her Blueprint, I feel it is important to get that admission out of the way.

There's been a lot of social commentary written about calling oneself a nerd (or a geek) as nerd-culture has become increasingly popular with rise of Comic-Con International, shows like The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones, and Marvel Studio's super-secret plan for world domina... I mean, modestly successful franchises—it's become popular to be a nerd, and self-proclaimed "real nerds" don't like that people are jumping on their Battlestar Galactica or throwing on a Browncoat at this stage in the game.

Any discussion about who gets to call themselves a "real nerd" belongs on another blog (or better yet, on no blogs, as personally, I think it's a ridiculous conversation to have in the first place) — I bring it up as something of an introduction to myself (because I'll bring nerd things into a conversation whenever possible) and as a segue into the actual point of this post: the rising popularity of women in sci-fi.

It’s a broad topic, I know, as well-written female protagonists are hard to come by in any genre, and despite valiant attempts by comic book and fiction writers, female characters rarely translate into box-office dollars and second season pick-ups—until recently, that is. More and more, we're seeing films like Maleficent and Lucy, starring Angelina Jolie and Scarlet Johansson, respectively, put into production; both films are currently in the top 25 grossing films of 2014, with Jolie's Maleficent sitting in the #2 spot, with $747.6 million earned so far, 68% of which is from overseas markets.

Science fiction, and its sister genre fantasy, has always been the refuge of counter-culture; time travel, space exploration, dystopian futures wrought at the hands of despots and the revolutionaries that overthrow them—science fiction is where we look for change and hope. As the boom of nerd-culture sweeps Hollywood, the reach of the sci-fi genre is increasing as well. So far in 2014, seven of the top grossing films in South Africa are sci-fi, already tying 2013's numbers. In Argentina, eight of the top 20 grossing films are from the genre, up from six in 2013. Similar increases can be seen in Peru and Lebanon, with 11 and nine films so far in 2014, compared to nine and six in 2013, respectively.

And there's no lack of science fiction productions on the horizon, with films like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, Cinderella, and Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron, all coming out in the next year. And each of these films features at least one lead female character.

In 2013, the top ten grossing films earned an average of 64% of their total revenues from overseas markets; as Hollywood's sci-fi moves toward more equal gender representation, that representation can be seen reaching into international markets as well.

The landscape of television is seeing similar movements, as was evident at this year's International Comic-Con in San Diego. From events with the casts of BBC's Orphan Black and HBO's Game of Thrones, and Entertainment Weekly's Women Who Kick Ass panel, women took the lead with more than ten panels solely dedicated to female representation across mediums. Women also ruled the convention floor with gender-bent cosplay and a nerd-themed fashion show.

Katey Sagal, Sarah Paulson, Tatiana Maslany, Nicole Beharie, Maisie Williams and Natalie Dormer speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

There was a time in my life when I wanted to work for the CIA—I wanted to be like Sydney Bristow, Jennifer Garner's character in Alias, traveling around the world in disguises, stealing computer chips and taking out the bad guys. That's a lie, actually, I still want to be like Sydney Bristow, despite every one of my fiercely liberal bones telling me otherwise. Young women—all women—need positive role models, and the amazing thing about the human imagination is that the person inspiring you doesn't need to be real. For better or worse, the reach of popular culture cannot be denied; it is imperative that we continue to move toward and support more female lead characters. And science fiction is a great place to start.

Doctor Who-a threat to the political and social order? [The Guardian]
Women Totally Dominated This Year's Comic-Con International [Nerdist.com]
Yearly Box Office [BoxOfficeMojo]

CLIO TALKS BACK: Making History: Haifaa Al Mansour’s feature length film "Wadjda"

CLIO can’t say enough good things about the first feature-length film to come out of Saudi Arabia, which she saw last week. This is the story of a spunky girl on the threshhold of adolescence, who wears tennis shoes, and whose dream is to obtain a bicycle and race her young friend who happens to be a boy. In pursuing her dream, Wadjda confronts all the “religious and social strictures of a kingdom literally shrounded in sexual anxiety, misogyny and severe repression,” to quote Ann Hornaday’s review in the Washington Post. This film is “making” women’s history.

What is eerie about this film is that the ten-year-old Wadjda and her family live a lot like we do in the West – the interior of her home looks much like a middle-class Western home, the activities that take place within it seem quite recognizable. And yet – there is purdah. Wadjda’s mother tells her that she is now old enough to cover herself when she goes out: the black abeyah comes out of the closet. The beautiful mother, a working woman, is very concerned about the avoiding glances of men, even as she contemplates dressing sexier to regain the attention of her husband, who is on the verge of taking a second wife. Wadjda places her name on the family tree, only to discover that someone has removed it; she learns that females don’t count on the Saudi family tree. And so it goes…Wadjda plots and schemes to win a Koran recitation contest so that she can buy that bike--and you will have to see the film yourself to find out how it ends. It is brilliantly conceived and executed.

 In an interview for National Public Radio (with Rachel Martin), the director Haifaa Al Mansour – who had to direct from a closed van – said:

“I couldn't make a film where women are all innocent and they're all striving to be free and all that; it's not real. I think a lot of women are the gatekeepers, a lot of women reinforce the values ... For me, it was not making women all the victims, and men are the oppressors. 

I wanted also to make a film that is happy. A lot of people who make films from the Middle East, [they are] almost like a horror movie when you go. And it makes me very uncomfortable watching a film like that, and I feel helpless. I feel like a victim.  

I wanted to make a film that when I see it, I feel powerful. And I think it’s time now in the Middle East to bring films of that type. It is a hard, tough time now in the Middle East, and it is up to people to change things — if they really change at heart. Not only by changing regimes and political stuff, but also by believing in women. By believing in others and becoming more tolerant, more respectful for other cultures. ... It is time to open up the culture."

If Clio’s readers want to get insight into contemporary Muslim family culture in Saudi Arabia, this is the film for you! You can view the trailer for the film here, and the director’s NPR interview here. If and when you have seen the film, let Clio know what you think by commenting below.

On Popular Representations of Radical Women and Girls

There's been so much on my mind lately as I am constantly torn between excitement and discomfort.  It is a constant unease -- a fantasy-based (but very real) suspicion that cultural identity is heavily abbreviated before making it into popular culture. It's been on my mind lately because I've been teaching a course on popular culture for a few months now, and with each course, it is consistently challenging to get a good conversation going. I experience ups and downs when I see any sign of critical thinking or closer examination of our ready-made subjects.

Deep down this worries me. What do we see?  Is it worth getting emotional about? Is it an overreaction, which will pass eventually in light of much more important -- and less self-centered -- communal goals?

In short, can't we get over ourselves? Is everything really okay? UH, NO. Here's two examples, which pose distinct problems -- the media coverage and overwhelming support for a fair trial in the Pussy Riot case, and the deceptively positive reviews of the recent film, Beast of the Southern Wild.  

How are these two examples connected? It's because they both stirred the same succession of emotions, and I knew later that was a sign of real danger.

When I first heard news of Pussy Riot's trial, a nostalgic admiration seeped into my readings of the various articles -- punk rock in Russia!?!?  As Melena Ryzik astutely noted in a recent NY Times article that examined Pussy Riot's "successful" protest appeal as follows:

It’s been a long time since music had the whiff of danger, and longer still since it carried the beat of political change, at least in democracies. Hardly anyone would’ve expected that to come out of Russia, where both the songcraft and the messaging seem outdated, vestiges of retro power-pop and a barely concealed propaganda machine.

She's right -- it's an underdog tale made for America. Popular culture is based on the cult of the individual -- the hero who sticks to his or her ideals. They beckoned and we answered -- even the Guerrilla Girls (many young artists' first dose of anti-establishment outing of the art world) spoke back. According to Ryzik's article in the NY Times, the revered art banditas expressed solidarity from a perceived safe distance.  Kathe Kollowitz, a member of the Guerrilla Girls, expressed her solidarity:

"Pussy Riot are our kind of girls: feminist activists in masks making trouble," Kathe Kollwitz and Frida Kahlo, pseudonymous Guerrilla Girls, wrote in an e-mail.  "But, they added, "we live in a very different culture where art is not as dangerous, and we can pretty much do what we want"

Kathe is right to an extent -- but this is the part where I feel a little crazy myself -- why don't I feel safe then?  As an artist, an educator, and a woman -- why can't I trust that whatever happens in the States is relatively lighter in fare? Is our popular culture more understanding about these revolutionary musings that possess us (sorry, bad hysteria joke!) ladies every once in awhile?

August 17 sentencing for Pussy Riot members.  Photograph courtesy of Natalia Kolesnikova/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images.

This question introduces the much quieter moments of rebellion that occur; they happen when everything seems fine and there seems to be no discernible struggle.  I felt this when I watched (and cried during) Beasts of the Southern Wild. 

An Overlooked Heartbreak in "Drive"

Recently, I watched Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive -- due in part to my increasing fascination with the film's hero, Ryan "Hey Girl" Gosling. The 80s-themed font of the intro credits, the Taxi Driver vibe, and the soundtrack were slick and invited viewers into the film's atmosphere immediately. It was really a film buff's dream, and I'm simply thankful that it introduced me to the musical stylings of Kavinsky.

Refn's film is based on a novel by James Sallis and centers around a lonely figure who is defined largely by his exceptional driving skills. His persona is so mysterious and lonely, in fact, that the audience is never interred as to his actual name.

The mysterious nature of The Driver's identity is only revealed by his actions -- he works as a quiet mechanic by day and does side work as a stunt driver in films -- and he explores a darker side of society by working as a heist driver on occasion. When one of his "jobs" goes wrong after a botched robbery, he becomes a wanted man who must also protect the object of his affection, Irene (played by Carey Mulligan).

And, this is where my heart breaks a bit. Obviously, I really enjoyed this film. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went to a friend's house the very next day and pled with friends to watch it with me again. We had a good time, and the running dialogue that we contributed was a lot of fun. After I got home, I decided to research it further in order to get a better sense of how Refn cultivated such a fine work. What I read, however, regarding his casting for the film was unsettling and confusing.

No Woman No Cry: A Review

Model Christy Turlington Burns recently released the documentary film, No Woman No Cry. Inspired to learn more about women's health issues because of the complications associated with her own pregnancy, Christy and a film crew sought to cover some of the major issues affecting maternal and women's health around the globe.

In the film, Christy travels to three different countries to highlight some of the health issues facing women. In Tanzania, she concentrates on women's lack of access to health care. In Bangladesh, she shows that sometimes the problem isn't a lack of available care, but rather the stigma or other problems associated with the care that is available. In Guatemala, she focuses on the dangers associated with a lack of access to family planning solutions. Finally, in the U.S., Burns shows that even in developed countries, women are not given the care they need, often because of a lack of insurance. Such a problem indicates the true lack of concern toward women's health issues most often practiced by health care companies and law makers.

A particular strength of this film is that it highlights not only the various aspects of maternal health, but also that it recognizes the fact that these issues are not isolated to women in developing countries and rural areas within. Even in the United States, maternal health is not always given the coverage or priority that is needed.

Some of the maternal health statistics Burns shares in the film are staggering, but as she later shares in the final interview, she chose to make this film partially as a way to educate her friends on some of the things she has seen and the health challenges that women around the world face. In that regard, she is 100% correct. These are stories that need to be shared. Despite the tireless efforts of organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Every Mother Counts, and Half the Sky, maternal health issues and women's health issues are still largely ignored. The general public needs to become more aware of the challenges women face -- not only domestically, but globally.

As such, Christy Turlington Burns and the Opera Winfrey Network have posted the full length film to YouTube. (Hurry though! It is only streaming for a limited time!) Finally, to learn more about the issues discussed and what you can do to get more involved, visit Christy's foundation, Every Mother Counts.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly