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Blog # 7- She’s Gotta Have It (2018, Netflix)

Spike Lee remade his 1986 film into a TV show for Netflix. I didn’t watch the original film, only the show. I found it interesting

The show is about Nola Darling, who is in polygamous relationships with three men and one woman. Throughout the show, she has to juggle her artistic work, relationships, and personal transformations. She has to deal with her partners questioning her ability to take control of her life and shame her for her expressing her sexuality. At the same time, she’s an artist in Brooklyn and wants to focus on her work and not depend on her partners for too much financial and emotional aid.

Nola has many soliloquies that explain her desires and how she feels about her situations. She remains dedicated to pursuing her desires and not faltering for anyone.

At the end of the 1986 version, Nola agrees to monogamy with one of her partners, but in the 2017 one, she doesn’t do this, but instead, remains true to her desires still. This edit that Lee makes is important for changing how women’s sexuality is viewed. It is also good that Lee properly portrayed the kind of obstacles a poly-amorous women deal with in the show.

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Blog #6: Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

Akatsuki no Yona or Yona of the Dawn is an anime about Yona, a red-haired princess of the fictional Kouka Kingdom. When Yona’s father is killed by his nephew, she flees her palace with her bodygaurd. She becomes a wanted enemy of her own kingdom. To restore Kouka kingdom’s tribal, political, and social issues, Yona must find the legendary Four Dragon Warriors to aid her.

Yona is initially a very carefree girl. The only thing she ever worries about are her wardrobe options and her “unmanageable” red hair. Her lifestyle changes as she and her bodygaurd camp in the wilderness and in small villages, personally hunt for food, and try to avoid military forces. Yona realizes her privilege through her journey. She quickly sees how her lifestyle and status shielded her from the true corruptions happening in her country. Not only does Yona have a mental transformation, she also learned how to physically fight for herself. She learns how to hunt and use a bow and arrow. Throughout the anime, Yona shows unwavering determination to help others and do what she believes in.

The anime doesn’t cover this, but the show’s manga also features other women characters that Yona abides in and befriends. However, her closest support circle are all men. I also noticed that although Yona is strong and independent at times, she gets babied by her male friends. 

I definitely recommend this show (and it’s manga/book) to anyone that is used to animes that make its women characters brainless sexual props and want a taste of a more well-rounded character.

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Blog #5: There’s no feminism in Masculin Feminin

Masculin Féminin is a French film made in 1966 by Jean-Luc Godard. The film takes on a vérité (documentary) style, so it’s hard to understand how events flow and connect with each other.

The film follows a young man named Paul and a girl he’s interested in, Madeleine. Paul is a complete asshole to put it lightly. He and his friend harass the women they’re interested in with derogatory interrogations about the women’s lifestyle and romantic/sexual behaviors. The girls are obviously uncomfortable but smile through their experiences and gently turn the guys down. In other instances, Paul acts weirdly and rudely, yelling at strangers and vandalizing regularly. Madeleine on the other hand, is a singer/model and just tries to get through her daily life how she sees fit. 

The issue with Masculin Féminin is that Godard does not elude to the viewers what kind of message the film is supposed to display. Viewing the film, you can’t get a sense of whether the film wants you to favor a certain view. (I think the main reason for this is that the film is not classic Hollywood narrative style). Paul is never criticized for his actions by external circumstances or other characters in the film. Wit this, the film does not really properly address masculinity and femininity. It’s possible that the creator just wanted to show how those who are considered to fall in line with these qualities associated with men and women behave. This does not, however, help break down stereotypes about both men and women.

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Blog #4: Feminism in Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 is continuation of the first Incredibles. Unlike the first film, Incredibles 2 focuses on Helen/Elastagirl being given the task of pursuing The Underminer instead of her husband, Bob, who’s traditionally considered the head of the Increbles family in terms of superhero and patriarchal leadership.

Helen enjoys the thrill of being Elastagirl and fighting a new evil villain. This makes her husband a bit insecure in his own abilities and jealous of her freedom while he adopts her household responsibilities: Child care. Bob finally realizes the struggle of taking the role of a single mother for him and his wife’s children. Although he struggles to suppress his frustration with the kids and jealousy of his wife at times, he manages to support her through her mission. As Helen tries to focus on her job and enjoy it, she still struggles with the thought that she’s missing out on her role as a wife and mother, feeling separated emotionally and physically from her family.

To tie everything together, her family ends up supporting her capture of the villian, but Helen still maintains a critical role in doing so. (She is not overshadowed by her husband or other characters). This role reversal seen in this film is important to undoing hegemonic views. 

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Blog #3: How is Chewing Gum a feminist series?

Chewing Gum gives viewers a great look at the experience of the typical West African woman growing up in a western society. The creator and star of the show, Michaela Coel is Ghanian, and although I’m Nigerian, I felt that the show was about me! Michaela plays the protagonist, Tracey, a young adult who wants to learn more about sex while under the roof of her mother, who is a devout pastor of a makeshift church. Tracey experiments with her quirkiness and sexual desire by being very transparent. She has many moments where she directly addresses viewers about her confusion, frustration, and lust. She abides in her friend who is more experienced for advice. She struggles with the religious pressures that her mother pushes on her and is chastised by her sister who is finding her own sexuality but still holding values that put importance on women’s chastity. 

Not only is the show incredibly hilarious, it shows a dark-skinned African girl finding her sexuality (and other character’s finding their’s)!

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Blog # 2: Frustration with The Legend of Korra

The Avatar series is well known as a phenomenal kids’ show. It tackles issues of colonization, racism and ethnocentrism, ablism, and sexism. The Last Airbender focuses on a young boy named Aang, who must master the four elements to defeat the Fire Lord monarch. The next Avatar story focuses on a woman of color named Korra who’s already had a good grip of the different bending elements. 

My main frustration with Korra was how her character was written. (Mind you, she was written by men which is probably the reason behind this) Korra displays characteristics that are often attributed to men. This is not the problem, though. We need to see women characters display a range of personality traits. The problem is her personality traits also bred flaws.

She was strong-headed, but it made her act childish and stubborn at times.

She was fearless, but it made her act brashly and without reasonable caution.

I feel that the writers wanted to create a new image of women with superpowers that wasn’t overly feminine or mysterious and sexualized. However, they turned some of her personality traits into hegemonic views of “Bitchy” women. I applaud the creators for creating visibility for bisexual, non-feminine women. Outside of Korra’s romantic relationship, she was not surrounded by many other women companions.

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Blog #1: Why Girls Trip is a great movie.

At first it may appear as though Girls Trip feeds into the stereotype of the black Jezebels and ghetto loudmouths. In ways, it does, but when looking at the bigger picture the film paints, we can understand how it’s a great black feminist film.

Looking at Dina’s character, she embodies many stereotypes attributed to black women.  Looking at another women in the friend-group, Lisa, it’s apparent that her character aligns with hegemonic views of what 30 to 40-something-year-old women should be: mothers, non-sexual, prim and proper, with ‘respectable’ jobs. Having these two characters on the end of the stereotype and respectability politic spectrum be friends disrupts hegemonic views. In Bell Hooks’ The Oppositional Gaze, she says that hegemonic views by black women in films being supportive of each other, and nurturing one another through their obstacles. What’s more, that challenges that the women in Girls Trip face aren’t a direct result of them being black women. Instead, the problems they face are more situational.