Category Archives: Feminism and the Arts

On the “Screaming Fan Girl” as IP Creator

The Atlantic has an excerpt adapted from Kaitlin Tiffany’s forthcoming book, Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It. Here is an excerpt: We have seen so many screaming girls. Every time … Continue reading

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Faith Ringgold: “You asked me why I wanted to become an artist and I said I didn’t know. Well I know now. It is because it’s the only way I know of feeling free.”

The retrospective “Faith Ringgold: American People” leaves the New Museum of Contemporary Art on June 5, 2022.  The exhibit reveals how multi-media artist, activist, feminist, academic and writer Ringgold has made an indelible mark on the Black feminist movement within … Continue reading

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Black Women and Non-Binary Writers Paying Tribute to Toni Morrison #CiteBlackWomen

Dr. Tara L. Conley (Communication, Montclair State) has compiled a list of online essays written by Black women and non-binary writers in tribute to Toni Morrison in the wake of her August 5 death. Dr. Conley’s list is here. She … Continue reading

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Dargis on What the Movies Taught Me About Being a Woman @ManohlaDargis @nytimes

Manohla Dargis discusses film and its messages for female viewers, here, in a piece for the New York Times.

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Inspiration from Audre Lorde: “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing”

The day feels put together hastily like a gift for grateful beggars being better than no time at all but the bells are ringing in cities I have never visited and my name is printed over doorways I have never … Continue reading

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Murray on “Editing the Wiktionary for ‘Female'”

Yxta Maya Murray (Loyola-LA) has posted to SSRN her essay Editing the Wiktionary Entry for “Female,” Berkeley J. Gender, Law & Justice.  It is one essay in a series of pieces about “legal fictions” and the intersections of law, language, … Continue reading

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Boo-hoo! Male Artists Fret About Depicting the Female Form

In a think-piece with the title Who’s Afraid of the Female Nude?, over at The Cut, author Michael Slenske asks, “Is it still an artistically justifiable pursuit for a man to paint a naked woman?” He proceeds: To answer this … Continue reading

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Gap Between Ideas of Susan Sontag and Adrienne Rich

Interesting essay by journalist Michelle Dean in the New Republic, here. An excerpt: I learned as I suspected that the gap between Rich and Sontag was not so very wide as it looked. In Sontag’s archive at the University of … Continue reading

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Carol Rosetti’s “Women” Series

Brazilian visual artist Carol Rosetti talks about O Projeto Mulheres/The Women Project at her website here.  Here‘s an excerpt: The Women Project began in a very spontaneous and unpretentious way. My initial goal was just to practice my technique with … Continue reading

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Law and Film Events At the AALS Annual Meeting, January 2-5, 2015

If you are planning to attend the AALS Annual Meeting in January 2015 you may be interested in two law and film AALS Film Committee-sponsored events taking place during the conference. The first, on January 2, at 7:30 p.m. (the first night of the conference), … Continue reading

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How Not To Review Women’s Writing

Over at The Toast, Mallory Ortberg writes: I have gone back and forth several times over the last few days on whether or not it would be worth addressing Adam Plunkett’s New Yorker.com review of poet Patricia Lockwood’s latest book … Continue reading

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Death of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou died today.  Here is an excerpt from her obituary in the New York Times. Maya Angelou, the memoirist and poet whose landmark book of 1969, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” — which describes in lyrical, unsparing … Continue reading

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Gender Disparity In Book Reviewing and Related Occupations

The New York Times’ Julie Bosman reports on VIDA’s annual survey of book reviews appearing in leading publications. VIDA: Women in Literary Arts reports that these reviews are overwhelmingly written by men. Ms. Bosman reports that Ruth Franklin at  the New … Continue reading

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“Hip Hop and Feminism” Syllabus and CFP

Over at the blog of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South, this post that includes a link to the syllabus for Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry’s “Hip Hop and Feminism” course at Tulane University: Throughout … Continue reading

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A Creative Photographer’s Birthday Gift to Her 5 Year-Old Daughter (and the Rest of Us)

Texas-based photographer Jamie C. Moore wanted to take pictures of her daughter Emma on the occasion of Emma’s fifth birthday.  She writes (here) on her blog: So my amazing daughter, Emma,  turned 5 last month, and I had been searching … Continue reading

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“Life Story” Interpreted by Lynne Wintersteller

 I love Lynne Wintersteller’s interpretation of “Life Story” from the Maltby-Shire Closer than Ever.   It is an especially beautiful song and a beautiful version. -Bridget Crawford

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Interview with cartoonist Cathy Guisewite

Here. “Cathy was the first widely syndicated humor strip created by a woman. The strip was pretty revolutionary at the time not only because it starred a female, but also because it was so emotionally honest about all the conflicting … Continue reading

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Staten Island Borough President Calls Lady Gaga a ‘Slut,’ Manhattan Borough President Defends Her, Pace Law Professor Wishes Politicians Would Simply Leave Artist Alone

Brief news account of slut calling by James Molinaro here. Response by Scott Stringer here. The Pace Law Professor who wishes both of them would focus on making NYC a better place for all citizens and let Lady Gaga get … Continue reading

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Daniel Tosh and Rape Jokes

Daniel Tosh’s assertion during a recent appearance at the Laugh Factory that rape jokes are “always funny” has caused a certain amount of comment and controversy, particularly since a woman in the audience challenged him on his opinion. She responded … Continue reading

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One More Reason to Love Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor is currently serving as a spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  Here‘s the group’s announcement: For more than three decades, “I Will Survive” has been a beacon of hope for countless victims of domestic violence … Continue reading

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Jessica Gonzales v. United States: Blog Resource and Film Announcement

Filmmakers April Hayes and Katia Maguire are in the process of producing Jessica Gonzales v. United States, a documentary about one woman’s legal battle on behalf of domestic violence survivors.  Here is the producers’ description of the film: In 1999, … Continue reading

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Cartoon History, Woman Suffrage and the Kewpie Doll

Comicbookgrrrl has an informative post (here) about cartoonist Rose O’Neill: Rose O’Neill is regarded as the first woman cartoonist (1874-1944). Self taught, and from a poor family, her parents ensured she was never without paper to draw on, and her … Continue reading

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Phoebe Hart, “ORCHIDS: My Intersex Adventure”

A documentary by Australian filmmaker Phoebe Hart aired on Showtime earlier this month.  Here’s the distributor’s description of the film “ORCHIDS: My Intersex Adventure”: Gen X filmmaker Phoebe Hart always knew she was different growing up – but she didn’t … Continue reading

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Menstruating in Public

Sarah Maple in her Studio; Photo by Andrew Hassen Folks with an interest in feminist art will want to check out the work of Sarah Maple, a visual artist based in Sussex, England.  In a recent article in the (UK) … Continue reading

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“A Civil Remedy” by Kate Nace Day

Suffolk University Law Professor Kate Nace Day‘s documentary film A Civil Remedy will be shown on Saturday, April 26, 2012 at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square.  If you’re in the Boston area or planning to be there, the screening … Continue reading

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Yxta Maya Murray, “Feminist Engagement and the Museum”

Yxta Maya Murray (Loyola-LA) has posted to SSRN her article Feminist Engagement and the Museum, 1 Br. J. Am. Leg. Studies (2012).   Here is the abstract: One day in the summer of 2011, Los Angeles law professor Yxta Maya … Continue reading

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Yxta Murray on “Rape Trauma, the State, and the Art of Tracey Emin”

Yxta Maya Murray (Loyola Law School Los Angeles) has posted to SSRN her article Rape Trauma, the State, and the Art of Tracey Emin, 100 Calif. L. Rev. __ (forthcoming 2012).  Here is the abstract: Prosecutors use “rape trauma syndrome” … Continue reading

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The Eye of the Beholder?

From CNN: a discussion of the impact of documentaries such as Miss Representation and America the Beautiful on today’s youth. If you still wonder whether the image of women and gender in pop culture is still relevant, take a look … Continue reading

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Woman Suffrage, Lady Gaga-Style

In honor of International Women’s Day, here’s a clever Gaga-inspired music video from Soomo Publishing that (loosely) is about the 19th Amendment.  Yes, all of the people in the video are white – an important reminder that the Woman Suffrage movement … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and the Arts, Feminist Legal History | 2 Comments

“Are You a Feminist or a Womanist?” Staceyann Chin Responds

Staceyann Chin responds with poetry: “I am never any one thing or the other….” -Bridget Crawford

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Coming to Social Consciousness Through Hip-Hop

Over at Rhymes and Reasons: The Stories of Hip-Hop, Chicago-based community organizer Jasson Perez talks about one song’s influence on his intellectual and emotional development: I picked Tupac, “Keep Ya Head Up,” mainly because, well,  it’s a great song, and its … Continue reading

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When Kurt Vonnegut Said, “I Worry About Women”

Over at Letters of Note, there is a beautiful post about a letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote in response to a 36-year old widow and mother of three.  Marianne Brown explains, “For some reason I wrote to Kurt Vonnegut and thanked him for … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and the Arts | 2 Comments

The reason

Interviewer: So, why do you write these strong female characters? Joss Whedon: Because you’re still asking me that question.

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Posted in Feminism and the Arts | 1 Comment

Documentary “Miss Representation” Tonight on OWN

One of the hits of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival takes to the small screen tonight.  The Oprah Winfrey Network will show the documentary film Miss Representation at 9:00 p.m. (eastern).  Here is a description of the film: Like drawing … Continue reading

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Is a Book Like Sex?

In an interview with the UK Guardian (here), author Maurice Sendak says of e-books: “I hate them. It’s like making believe there’s another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of book! A book … Continue reading

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“From Cleopatra Jones to First Lady Michelle Obama: Exploring Feminism in Film & Media”

The 14th Annual Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival will take place this coming weekend in Brooklyn, New York.  Here’s an overview: Reel Sisters Film Festival will screen more than 25 films directed, produced or written by women of … Continue reading

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Financial and Other Support Requested for Documentary Film Advocating Justice for Sex Trafficking Victims and Survivors

Professor Kate Nace Day (Suffolk) was one of the organizers of the “Human Rights and Sex Trafficking” Film Forum, held last December in Cambridge, Massachusetts (previously blogged here and here). A collaborative team — including Professor Day, practicing lawyers, law students, … Continue reading

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Masturbation and Female Empowerment in Photos (and the Law?)

In The New Republic Ruth Franklin asks, Is Female Masturbation Really the Last Sexual Taboo? That’s the title of her review of a book of photographs by Will Santillo called La Petite Morte: Female Masturbation, Fantasies and Orgasm (Taschen 2011). Open any … Continue reading

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Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Real Woman Behind the Unreal Man (Or: Truth and Death)

This from the Op-ed section of [June 14th]’s New York Times: The novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, born 200 years ago today, was an unlikely fomenter of wars. Diminutive and dreamy-eyed, she was a harried housewife with six children, who suffered from … Continue reading

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Film About Loving v. Virginia at Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film festival begins next week.  Included in the film line-up is Loving Story, a documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving.  Here is the film description: Loving v. Virginia was a watershed civil rights case in which the United … Continue reading

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New Documentary on Women, War, Family and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Women Make Movies is distributing a new documentary film by Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel.  Here is the description of “Pushing the Elephant“: In the late 1990s, Rose Mapendo lost her family and home to the violence that engulfed the … Continue reading

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Posted in Acts of Violence, Feminism and the Arts, Immigration, Sisters In Other Nations | 1 Comment

Fatal Charmers

Kevin Nance investigates the disappearance of the femme fatale from our screens. “For all her lying,” he says, “the femme fatale was a truth-teller, a bad woman whose real crime was to introduce a man to his own innate badness. … Continue reading

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Karlyn on “Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers”

This new book announcement from the University of Texas Press caught my eye: Unruly Girls, Unrepentent Mothers, a companion to Kathleen Rowe Karlyn’s groundbreaking work, The Unruly Woman, studies the ways popular culture and current debates within and about feminism inform … Continue reading

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Isabelle Caro, Model, Anti-Anorexia Campaigner, Dies

Daniele Gouzard-Dubreuil Prevot, model Isabelle Caro’s acting teacher, announced that Ms. Caro died (Los Angeles Times obit) last month and was buried November 24. Ms. Caro, who suffered from anorexia, posed for the famous anti-anorexia ad labelled “No Anorexia” in … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts, Women's Health | 1 Comment

When Maya Angelou and James Baldwin Walked into a Bar…

Maya Angelou recently donated 343 boxes of her papers to the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.  At the accompanying ceremony/talk, she told a story about a time that she and James Baldwin went to a bar in … Continue reading

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Posted in Bloggenpheffer, Feminism and the Arts | 1 Comment

The Sisterhood on “Mad Men”

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Gina Barreca weighs in on the Women of AMC’s “Mad Men,” here. Comments Ms. Barreca, Sisterhood, smisterhood. You know what’s really powerful? Women laughing together. Really laughing. Truth-laughing. Even when it’s all not politically or … Continue reading

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Calling All Bloggers

The blog Girl With Pen is seeking assistance. See the job posting below. It’s been a little quite round here this summer.  But we’re coming back in blazes come fall.  And speaking of: Author and Founding Partner of She Writes Deborah … Continue reading

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New Study Finds Women and Girls Underrepresented and Oversexualized in Media

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has recently issued a report of the results of studies conducted about gender in media. The results can be viewed here (PDF). Among them: Study 1: G-rated movies from 1990-Jan. 2005: Fewer … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts, The Overrepresentation of Men, The Underrepresentation of Women | 1 Comment

Half of the trained artists in the U.S. are women, yet they make up just 2% of the artists with works in the National Gallery in DC; at the contemporary art-focused Hirshhorn Museum, women make up only 5% of featured artists.

Pamela T. Boll examines this disparity and its causes in her documentary Who Does She Think She Is? Via. –Ann Bartow

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Death of Lucille Clifton

The Baltimore Sun has details: Former [Maryland] state poet laureate Lucille Clifton, a National Book Award winner whose work was lauded for its “moral quality,” died Saturday at  Johns Hopkins Hospital after a long battle with cancer and other illnesses. … Continue reading

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