Feyminism

“Feyminism” 

“ The advocacy of women in media and society in general. Largely inspired by Tina Fey, the comedienne who made great strides for women in comedy.”

I wish I could say I was clever enough to come up with that word.

(However, I found the definition on urban dictionary.)

I thought this week I would take a break from all the numbers and statistics and highlight a woman in the film and television industry who many people admire…

Tina Fey

Tina Fey is a role model to many and she has made huge strides for females in the comedy world.  Many look up to her as she has emerged as one of the funniest people in Hollywood. (Notice I didn’t say woman)

Because like I’ve mentioned before a joke should be funny no matter who says it.

She’s conquered the world of comedy in every facet. She’s an Emmy winning writer/producer of “30 Rock”; she’s been the head writer of “Saturday Night Live”; and is the screenwriter of some hilarious films such as “Mean Girls”, and “Baby Momma.”

She has worked her way up a very long ladder, especially in a male-dominated industry.

There are still people who are very uncomfortable with female comedians and think that women aren’t funny.

Fey says that there are people who continue to insist that women are not funny. 

“You still hear it,” she says. “It’s just a lot easier to ignore.”                   http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/04/funnygirls200804

And that’s exactly what Fey has done. She’s ignored it and rather than stand on top of a soap box she’s made thing s happen and has proven to be extremely successful.

I mean, “The greatest revenge is proving them wrong.”

For example, her memoir Bossypants was number one on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s a hilarious read that talks about her journey into the world of comedy. She provides hilarious anecdotes about her childhood and brushes upon issues in the industry.

Fey is a role model to many but some feel that Tina Fey is a woman filled with contradictions.

For example, she is a strong female character in her show 30 Rock but some argue that her self-deprecating humor  diminishes her power and makes her play the role of a “fragile” woman.

Some feminists think that Tina Fey has not taken a bigger stand on the gender issues that exist in the entertainment industry and that she should serve as a bigger advocate for women’s issues. 

She does address these gender issues, but she uses humor to do so.

For example she talks about the difference between female and male comedy writers:

 “The men urinate in cups. And sometimes jars. Not all of the men at SNL whizzed in cups. But four or five out of 20 did, so the men have to own that one. Anytime there’s a bad female standup somewhere, some idiot Interblogger will deduce that ‘women aren’t funny.Using that same math, I can deduce that male comedy writers also piss in cups.”      http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/03/07/tina-fey-the-new-yorker-men-urinate-in-cups/

I think this lighthearted and humorous spin on things makes her likeable in that she’s not victimizing herself and she doesn’t alienate herself from the male population by bashing them.

She doesn’t need to talk about how great she is, all she has to do is show them how great she is. (And if her Emmys aren’t proof enough, then I don’t know what is.)

Let's Talk Numbers!!

I got into a very interesting discussion the other day with someone who had read my blog. (No, not my mom. Although that reminds me I should call her.)

 The person I was talking to said they thought I had made some interesting points about the gender inequality that exists in film and television, but that I couldn’t really argue that it’s unfair that there aren’t enough women behind the scenes, because he said not that many women are pursuing film.  

It did get me thinking. I wondered what the statistics were of women trying to break into the industry. So, I figured I would look at the core of where the young Hollywood minds begin (no, not porn)…FILM SCHOOL!!! 

It’s the factory where some of the best directors, writers, and producers are born. 

So just as a reminder, currently ….

for every one working female director, writer, or producer, there are 4.9 working males in the same above-the-line gate-keeping positions.  Stated in another way, only 8 percent of directors, 13.6 percent of writers, and 19.1 percent of producers were female across the 100 top-grossing films in 2008.   http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/2011/04/exclusive-hollywood-gender-gap-persists-in-100-top-grossing-2008-films/

So let’s compare these industry numbers to film school.

 I looked at the demographics of one of the top film schools in the nations, USC. The 2010- 2011 student body statistics reveal that 

59 percent of undergraduate students are male, while 41 percent are female. http://cinema.usc.edu/admissions/statistics/index.cfm

Although there is still a large disparity, it still doesn’t match up with the industry numbers.

According to the number of males and females in film school there should at least be 4 females to every 6 males, rather than one female to 4.9 males (as it currently is).

So maybe there isn’t exactly a 50/50 division of women and men pursuing jobs in the industry, but there are definitely more women trying to break in to the industry compared to the current representations. 

So one can’t justify the low numbers of women behind the cameras by saying that they’re not interested in film and television, because women are well-represented in film schools.

So the question remains…why aren’t there enough women behind the cameras?

One reason is sexism. 

Women aren’t welcome into this male-dominated world. The boy’s clubhouse still hasn’t taken down the “no girls allowed” sign.

Discrimination in certain work environments could discourage women from seeking employment there.

Oh you want proof….well here it is:

The recent Writers Guild Report shows that the median for female film writers' self-reported income in 2007 was over $40,000 less than the median for male film writers. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacy-smith/female-directors-writers_b_480848.html

If that’s not discrimination I don’t know what is.

Why should a woman who does the same job as a man be paid less? 

(Go ahead…try to come up with something…..I’ll wait…..still waiting…..still waiting…….)

Frankly, there’s no reason it should be happening. It just doesn’t make sense to me, nor should it make sense to anyone.

But the reality is…it’s happening!

If women were paid equally and had equal opportunities to direct, write, and produce certain projects then more women might be inclined to pursue this industry. 

Even one of the most successful female screenwriters claimed she encountered pay discrepancy.

I attended a panel discussion with well known screenwriter Linda Woolverton, who wrote Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and Alice in Wonderland (2010). 

She acknowledged that she is being paid less than male screenwriters. However, she stated that in the grand scheme of things she is overpaid in compared to many working class people, and that she would rather take a lower paycheck and get her story told and have the opportunity to send her messages through film.

Although I think it’s great that she is passionate about telling great stories and ensuring that they be told, I think she is well known and established enough that she can negotiate and demand for higher pay and her persistence and advocacy could create a ripple effect in the industry.

One woman standing up for her own paycheck could have profound effects on all women in the industry.

If the boy’s have a club, we should too!!

Females MARVEL at the box office

Hollywood is an industry all about networking.

You hire who you know, who you’ve done business with before, who you owe a favor, and who’s blackmailing you.

Some say it’s just business and it’s not that men are deliberately excluding women but that it’s about the connections you have. Some industry executives say it doesn’t matter who they hire for the job, whether man or woman, just as long as the job gets done.

I disagree that that’s what’s actually happening. 

 Personally, I think some men are still uncomfortable with having a woman in a high-up position. They don’t want a woman bossing them around. (OH NO!! That would be embarrassing, emasculating. People will snicker, point and stare, talk about you behind your back, all because a woman was in charge.)

There are times however, when they’re dying to hire a woman.

Whenever there’s a rom-com or drama they go a knockin. 

Females have been pigeon-holed into making and writing these same genre films.

These films have the same story…

“Woman has a great career, but something is missing in her life. Woman meets man, they fall in love, her life is now fulfilled. The End. Cue: Etta James.”

If a studio decides to make an action, superhero, or war film they rarely will go to a female director.

Many believe that female directors don’t bring in as much revenue as male directors.

This might be so, but I’ll tell you why….

Like I said women are relegated to directing rom-coms and dramas, which have a lower production value than action and superhero films.

Films with lower production value, meaning they are not as expensive to make, generally don’t make as much money at the box-office.

So as you can see it’s a tangled web, where it’s a lose lose scenario for women.

Executives claim it’s just business and they want directors that will bring in the most money, but if they only let women direct rom-coms and dramas, which generally make less money than how can we prove that we can make successful box-office hits.

Frankly, it takes one person willing to give women the opportunity to do this.

It might be happening... as Marvel has hired Patty Jenkins to direct Thor 2, making her the first woman to direct a superhero flick.

She is my superhero. (I hope she wears a cape on set.)

This announcement came as a surprise to many (because she has two X chromosomes).

(I wonder how many comic book nerds cried at this announcement)

The discussions surrounding this decision are quite interesting, as many wonder whether she is qualified or not and whether they think a female can direct a superhero film.

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of...THOR!"

(I guess the other male directors couldn’t lift the hammer). Hazah!

(Frankly, I think it’s sad that in the year 2011 she is the first woman to direct a superhero film.)

She’s best known for directing, Monster which Charlize Theron won an Oscar for.

When someone claims that a female director is a poor choice for a specific genre, one needs to look no further than Kathryn Bigelow, who won an Oscar for the military thriller Hurt Locker. http://movies.yahoo.com/news/patty-jenkins-direct-thor-2-female-director-fit-183300290.html

Had Hurt Locker made a bigger splash at the box-office this movie might have paved the way for allowing women to direct various genres.

Many agree  

that it’s long been a problem in Hollywood: a lack of women who move on from film school to take the helm of major motion pictures. http://www.screened.com/news/could-thor-2-help-shift-hollywoods-attitude-towards-women-directors/3029/

Hopefully this will help change Hollywood’s attitudes toward female directors. Since Hollywood cares about box-office moolah more than anything else, then women-directed films hitting it big will only lead to more women getting the same opportunity.

Let’s make it happen!!

“For Odin For Asgard”

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (Hold the Sugar and the Spice)

You’re a boy- you get blue!

You’re a girl- you get pink! 

(But what if I like green? TOO BAD)

From the day you’re born your identity has already been constructed by the society you live in.

Boys get cool toy cars and tool sets, while girls get easy bake ovens and dolls. (They’re already training us to be mothers and to be the chefs of our home.)

( I for one will not be the only one who cooks in my house when I get older, frankly because I hate the idea that because I’m a woman it’s assumed that that’s my job. It’s going to be an equal partnership. 50/50)

From a young age we’re already been assigned gender roles.

Just flipping through a children’s toy catalog you can see the radical differences of types of toys that children are marketed. (Basically boys get all the awesome toys).

Society constructs a world that creates a set of rules for what roles boys and girls should have.

 A main contributor to this worldview is the media. Ads, commercials, television, and films create standardized roles of women and men.

I’m going to take this even a step further by saying that the media perpetuates a world of sexism.

(Yeah you heard me correctly).

The media sexualizes, demeans, and objectifies women and children are extremely impressionable. They imitate what they see and the images they view in the media impacts how they think of themselves, their body image and their relation to boys.

I recently came across a great trailer for a documentary that addresses many of these issues.

The film, Miss Representation examines the gender discrimination that exists in society.

Its garnished great reviews by the press, universities, and elementary schools.

The Hollywood Reporter stated,

A relevant and important doc that deconstructs the insidious role of visual media in the widespread, unbalanced depiction of women and girls.

It shows how women are misrepresented in the media and in the political world. It brings up some great points about how the media pokes fun at powerful and important women in our country such as Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Palin and how if the media can’t even take the strongest women in our country seriously then what does that say about our society?

The film shows us some saddening statistics on women in the film industry and in politics.

• ·         Women only hold 3% of positions of influence in entertainment, publishing, advertising and telecommunications.

• ·         Of the top 250 grossing films, only 7% of directors and 13% of writers are women.

• ·         The US is 90th in terms of women in national legislatures in the world.

• ·         Women make up 51% of the population yet hold only 17% of the seats in the House of Representatives.

 It also shows us statistics on the influence that the media has on body image.

• ·         Cosmetic surgery performed on youth 18 and younger tripled in the ten years between 1997 and 2007. For the same period, liposuction nearly quadrupled and breast augmentations increased nearly six-fold.

• ·         65% of American women and girls have an eating disorder.

Hopefully the film will bring awareness to the depictions of women and can have a significant social impact on people.

(I mean media has a huge impact on people, but for some reason positive messages seem a lot harder to get across…strange right.)

I hope because of the praise this film has gotten that people will see it and recognize that a change needs to occur.

(I doubt all the executives at the major studios, ad agencies, and networks will gather around and watch this film together and decide that they will change the way they portray women)

….so you ask where does the change occur?

Perhaps the change can occur in the media viewers by making them aware of the messages the media feeds them and educating them on how this is not an accurate depiction of their role as women and men.

The creators of the film have begun an initiative that would bring media literacy education to children in schools.

This may not change the industry forever but I think it’s at least a step in the right direction.

“You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” ... (Don’t call me Baby)

“Bridesmaids reaches levels of hilarity and heart that movies like these haven’t reached in over a decade” is a quote on the Bridesmaids poster.

The recently successful film, Bridesmaids has garnered praise for pushing boundaries for women comedians.

 

"Bridesmaids" does seem to be giving writers more courage to push the boundaries, specifically when it comes to big comedic set pieces and raunchy talk that was previously reserved for the boys."

There’s a double standard that exists in comedy for men and women. 

Men can get away with doing outrageous things and making inappropriate jokes (often times, the raunchier the better.)

But for female comedians there’s almost a taboo that exists. Why?

(Because women aren’t supposed to be raunchy? Because they’re supposed to be well-behaved ladies relegated to the kitchen?)

It’s the 21^st century for goodness sake.

Society is still extremely uncomfortable with the woman's body and with womens bodily functions.  Male comedians doing fart/poop/puke jokes is the standard but almost unheard of for women.

To those that find such raunchy humor funny it should be funny no matter who performs the joke, whether a man or a woman.

The film did extremely well at the box-office earning a domestic total of $169,106,725. (Beat that Superbad).

These box-office numbers show that women can be funny (gee, who knew) and that there’s an audience for films about women. 

So now studios are trying to latch onto this idea because as we all know Hollywood isn’t about new and innovative ideas but rather copying a successful concept, and if a film about women sells then they’re going to jump on that bandwagon.

Previously studios thought that if they made films about women and that if they were marketed as “chick flicks” that men wouldn’t go see these films. 

But I think the box office numbers prove that an all female cast can be highly successful.

Why is there a stigma that men can’t see a movie with females in it? Even one of my own male friends asked me “Is it the kind of movie a guy can see?”

I could have answered numerous ways.

(“Yes, you have the viewing capability to see the movie on screen. The screen does not discriminate against sexes.”

“No, no boys are allowed. The ushers at movie theatres were informed to not allow any testosterone into the theatre.”)

What is it they fear? One of their male friends will spot them entering the theatre? They will be castrated inside the theatre? 

Or even worse, THEY MIGHT LIKE IT!!! (Gasp)

Previously studio execs would have passed on a film that contained an all female cast.

Usually the pass would have sounded something like: "It's hilarious; I was cracking up. But I can't get that made. No one wants to see women do that!”

(Think again boys!)

And now that studios are aware that women comedians are funny there is talk about “The Bridesmaids effect.” This film may have sparked an onslaught of other films that are about women.

ABOUT TIME!!

I think it’s great that female comedians will soon be given the same admiration and recognition as male comedians and that the number of female speaking characters will hopefully increase.

Researchers at USC did a gender analysis that looked at the 100 top-grossing theatrically released fictional films in 2008.

Across the 4,370 speaking characters coded with an identifiable gender, a total of 32.8 percent are girls or women.  So just over two boys/men appear on the silver screen to every one girl/woman. (Women comprise 50% of the population and should be represented so on-screen.)

So a film that contains six lead female characters is a rarity. 

The only thing I fear  about this increase in female based films is that numerous studios will try to repeat this women centered formula, but if it does not garner as much money they expected then that will be the end of that. 

They’ll defend their decisions by saying, “We tried, and it just didn’t work.”

One unsuccessful female film could set us back again. 

Another thing I fear is that studios will simply try to beat out the other by making their female center films even raunchier then the next. 

And as a result, the substance and depth of the female characters may diminish and then women are there only as props for the raunchy gags. 

One way to ensure the integrity of the characters remains intact is to have diverse voices create media images. (Another important reason there should be an increase in the number of women green lighting films about women.)

For now, we will be on the lookout for films that allow female comedians to break barriers. I guess we have Kristen Wiig to thank.

Kristen Wiig has made one small step for woman, one giant leap for Hollywood!! (hopefully)