Top 10 Awesome Things for Feminists in Pop Culture, 2015

If you're like me, the end of the year can bring you down. If you're like me and pay attention to the state of our culture, the end of the year can seem like a never ending list of awful. So I just challenged myself to come up with this list to remind myself that not everything is the worst.

 

Honorable Mention. "Harry Potter"

So for years now, fan art on the Internet has race-bent the Harry Potter series. And finally, someone seems to have listened. The next Hermione Granger that fans will see is a black woman, albeit on the stage instead of in a movie. This is fantastic news for fans, not just because Noma Dumezweni is an exceptionally talented actress, and even though the nature of the stage means fewer people will see it. Women of color who read these books and loved them, who identified with Hermione as the level-headed, crazy-smart, talented character she is finally get to really imagine themselves as her. It may seem arbitrary to some, but the same could (and has) been said about women in general seeing female characters doing everything the male characters do. Honestly, you don't know how much you need it until it exists, in front of you, and you hear other people cheering on a character that looks like you.

I realized while making this list that almost all of the examples I have are white women. That, quite simply, sucks. Feminist progress must include women of color. I also realize that there is a segregation of interest at play here, too. That the pop culture marketed toward me is mostly white, and as such a lot of strides made by women of color pass me by. And it is my responsibility to pay more attention. That said, this awesome casting is a small triumph, and should be celebrated.

10. "Hamilton: The Musical"

I know people will get angry that this is ranked so low, but here are my reasons: a. while I recognize its import and extreme popularity, I don't actually like it (for reasons that mostly have to do with my general qualms with musical theatre), and as this is my stupid blog, that gets taken into account; and b. while I love the fact that women of color get to play strong, intelligent white women of history, the roles of the three sisters are still defined in relationship to the male of the story. That said, it's a huge, important juggernaut of 2015 pop culture, it is a huge opportunity for female actors of color, it proves that race-blind casting can actually work, and it deserves to be recognized here.

9. "Life is Strange"

Indie games, like indie music, aren't little pockets of limited consumption anymore. "Life is Strange," a narrative game focusing on the experience of two high school girls caught up in abusive relationships, power differentials, and everyday high school politics, won the award for "Games for Change" at the Game Awards this year, and it's no wonder why. To have a powerhouse like Square Enix distribute this story to the masses means that gamers of all genders get to play as a female hero who isn't the sexed-up OG Lara Croft-type (side note--Square Enix is also the creative team behind the new, richer, less sexed-up Lara Croft). And the story, while sometimes written with cringe-worthy teenage angst, quite frankly feels like being a teenage girl.

What I find most remarkable about the mechanics of the game, which involve you rewinding time in order to alter decisions you've made with the knowledge of the outcome of other choices, is that, like in the real world, there are no safe choices. Every decision you make will have both positive and negative consequences. And doing the right thing often comes back to bite you in the ass. Everybody has to do this in life--assess the risks to yourself of advocating and helping others--but there's a particular way that women have to do this. In a world where female testimony is mistrusted so much that a woman was tried, convicted, and fined $500 for having the audacity to report her rape to the police, doing "the right thing," often requires the bravery of a high-level whistleblower. It can feel like "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers," where seeking the help of the authorities only reveals the complicity of the authorities in what is happening. And this game forces you to live in that world. Forces male and female, and gender-fluid players to consider that experience. For all of its flaws, this game deserves the accolades its received.

 

8. Her Story

Another indie game darling that won two awards at the Game Awards this year and has made a number of "best of" lists, including Polygon's #1 Game of the Year, this game puts you in the shoes of an investigator, watching video clips from a woman's testimony and trying to piece together the story of whodunit. What's fascinating about the game (besides trying to imagine for a second how they fucking wrote this script to make it work) is that you, as a player, are in charge of deciding what's important and what isn't. Watching a twenty second video clip, you pick what you thought was significant and enter that as your next search. At least, that's how I played it. And that's very much how it's designed to be played. But you don't have to.

And that's the beauty of it. You bring yourself to the table. Sure, you can type in random words, or find some other strategy unrelated to the narrative, but the nature of the game doesn't reward you for that. And it shouldn't. Because by doing so, you are relegating her words to an incidental status. Conversely, if you play the game with an assumption of suspicion on her part, you may get to a point where you think you know what happened, but I very much doubt you'll get the whole story. A game that trains you to listen, and pay attention, to a woman's story? Fuck yes. Thank you.

7. Viola Davis

"You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there." A-fucking-men. What an amazing woman, and an amazing moment. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just watch. Grab a tissue.

6. "Master of None"

This show is what male feminism looks like. Not Dev. He's a character. But the show, and what it does. Obviously there's one episode in particular I'm referring to (spoilers ahead). And what I love about it is how imperfect Dev is. He does the right thing and stands up for the women around him, but the show lets you see him resent the fact that doing so cost him his role in a commercial. The show also lets you see him fail to stand up for the women in his life at the end. And it's so perfect, because it's so true of a lot of male feminists (or allies, or whatever). When it comes to the more obvious scenarios, men are more likely to speak up, because it's more visible, because there's an element of heroism in it. But the subtler, everyday slights--recognizing them often feels like you're splitting hairs, or being too sensitive. Standing up for women in those instances does not often win you any points, or friends. And it is remarkable to have an episode of television begin with the main character saying, "if guys only knew what women deal with every day, they'd flip" and end with him failing to hear what his girlfriend and his friend are telling him about their everyday experiences. And the fade-out has him jokingly refusing to concede an argument, letting us be witness to the shortcomings, the almost-theres, the so-close-but-oh-so-fars. Aziz, thank you for letting us see that. Thank you for thinking it was a subject worth writing about.

5. Amy Schumer

"12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer." 'Nuff said. I mean, I can't say enough, though. I know her perspective is very much that of an affluent white woman, but it's so raw, so brutal, and doesn't put on a false bravado of "this shit doesn't affect me," but instead lets us see how this shit does affect women. It hurts, and if we let it rule us, it can turn us into one of her neurotic characters.

4. "Broad City"

Abby and Ilana are a mess, and they love it. They have sex and aren't ashamed. They are gross and aren't ashamed. They are selfish, rude, loud, demanding, and real, and at the end of the day, they agree that they are, in fact, awesome. And so do I.

3. "Mad Max: Fury Road"

The first of two massive action movie blockbusters that proved audiences will go see a woman kick ass. It might as well have been titled Mad Max: Beyond the Patriarchy, it was so chock-full of feminist ire. Sure, it falls short in some respects--we fight for the hot sex slaves, but not the milk slaves, etc., but damn did it it feel good to not just be in an audience where everyone was rooting for a female hero, but to know that they were rooting for her cause. Witness me!!!!

2. "Jessica Jones"

I can't begin to describe how many ways this show gets it right. It's ridiculous. Jessica Jones is angry, rude, defensive, an alcoholic, and often very selfish. There are plenty of things she should feel bad about. But being a victim of mind-control and rape is not one of them. This show gives us a real look (yes, even in the Marvel-verse) at the PTSD, the self-hatred, distrust, resentment, and intense anger that victims go through. It puts the victim's stories in their own hands. It lets us see and hear their experiences, and it refuses to let those stories be erased, as they so often are. (Spoilers ahead)

When Hope hospitalizes herself in an attempt to abort Kilgrave's baby, she says explicitly that "every minute it's inside me, I feel like he's raping me again." I cannot tell you enough how much that moment felt like a tightness loosening from my chest. That this simple emotional fact, that an unwanted pregnancy from rape can feel like a continued violation, was presented so bald-faced and honestly, that it wasn't questioned, that we didn't see or hear any male voice protesting her right to feel that way--it was a first for me, as a viewer. I heard that line, and almost looked around, as though someone was gonna bust in and tell me "You can't have that!" This is something that women, even if they have never been in such a situation, can immediately empathize with, but men are taught to doubt or to ignore. And the moment felt, because of the pacing of the story, because of your emotional involvement with the characters, and and because it was a scene comprised of entirely female characters, that there was no ignoring it, no doubt. It was amazing.

And that's just one example. Jessica Jones has thousands. Which is why, when male friends of mine compare it to other Marvel shows, like they're part of the same conversation, I'm like, "nope." It's not just another good superhero story. It's important, a word I wouldn't grant to most of the genre.

1.     "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

This gets top billing for a number of reasons. First, the fact that I can unequivocally say that the most anticipated blockbuster of the past two years stars a female lead hero, and it broke the damn box office. J.J. got some flack for the way he worded his comments on the male-centeredness of the Star Wars fan base, but after seeing it, it makes sense. "The Force Awakens" doesn't bring women into the fan base because women were not already fans, but rather in its casting, in its story, and it's depictions of women, it considers women as potential fans in a way none of the previous films have. (Spoilers ahead)

Second, because Rey is the chosen one. She isn't the "woman behind the man." It's her. She's the hero. In the end, she takes the light saber and bests Kylo Ren. And seeing that moment in the packed theatre, hearing the cheers from the mostly male audience, I seriously got chills.

Third, Leia wasn't recast as a younger actress. Leia aging was beautiful to behold. It was visually arresting to the point that I reflected on why it was so visually arresting. I can't recall ever seeing Harrison Ford with an "age-appropriate" (read: still 14 years younger) love interest. It gave Han and Leia's love weight and depth. There was a maturation of their characters that was believable, real. And even though some stupid assholes on the internet had different opinions, that paved the way for reminding us all that Carrie Fisher is a badass. I also love that Leia is a general, now. I hope to see more of her bossing people around, making hard choices, and taking charge in the next films.

Fourth, and perhaps most significantly, all of the crowd scenes had women in them, and women of all different ethnicities, too. In a galaxy in which, until now, women didn't exist unless they were motherly figures, royalty/love interests, or slaves, to see women in the command centers of both warring factions, flying space ships, and giving sage advice was beautiful. I say "most significantly" because it's much more common to make a movie with a female star or costar than it is to populate the world of that movie with female extras. Central roles are the main focus of a film, generally, so it's an easier way to say "I care about female representation in film" to make a story about one woman. But to maintain your focus and dedication to considering women's roles when it comes to the background, the incidentals, the world of the film is something much more rare. Hats off to everyone involved in the casting and production. Thank you.

So you see, it wasn't all bad. Here's hoping the next year can keep it up.