PPOM - A Dirty Word

It is my firm opinion that ‘Feminism’ is a dirty word for a reason. It’s not that it’s become obsolete, and so any proponents of it are irritating shrews who don’t know when to stop flogging a dead horse. It’s not that Feminists are crazy, bra-burning man-haters, and it’s not that they ‘take it too far’ and want to run the world and make men irrelevant. In fact, all of those opinions (unfortunately held by too many people) are insidious, clever ways to undermine Feminism.

Feminism challenges the system. And to defend itself, the system has demonised and tarnished Feminism so that no one is quite sure why we ever needed Feminism in the first place. It’s no accident that I heard the word Feminist in a negative light, as an insult, long before anyone ever told me what being a Feminist is actually about. Whether aware of it or not, society doesn’t want young girls (or boys for that matter) to be Feminists, society doesn’t want people to challenge it, or tell it it’s wrong, or change it. Society wants to stay the way it’s always been thank you very much, and those who challenge it will be crushed with the mighty fist of injustice.

I’ve not used the word ‘sexism’ yet. Why is that? There is no doubt in my mind that the world is filled with sexism, but many would not agree. When we hear the word ‘sexism’ we tend to think of a time gone by, when women were lesser by law, when the men worked and the women raised children, when a man could beat his wife and be protected by law and by society, when women had to leave work if they got married, where sexual harassment and assault were “normal” parts of a workplace. For the purposes of this rant, I’m not going to get into the fact that all of this still happens. But people who argue against Feminism will say that we succeeded against all of this with laws and policy changes many years ago. But I disagree, I think it’s just become more subtle. When Feminism was fighting against blatant sexism, it was easier to point to acts and condemn them. Look, this firm has no women in it; look, this woman was beaten; look, this law is discriminatory. Feminists from that era will almost certainly disagree with me, and that’s fine, but I feel like sexism is so much more insidious nowadays, and that makes Feminism, and what it even is, even harder to understand.

Sexism manifests itself in music, in advertising, on our screens and in our books. All it takes is a quick skim of @everydaysexism on twitter to convince you that it’s still happening IRL as well. But you tell someone you’re a Feminist and you’re bound to get questions. “But why?” “Why not call yourself an equalist?” “Isn’t Feminism unnecessary now?” You have to be on the defence straight away. It should be as normal as anything. Of course we all support women’s rights. Of course we want to eliminate sexism. But it’s not. Feminism is a dirty word. Right now I think it’s dirtier than ever. And why is that? Because we still live in a patriarchal society. Because sexism is still the norm, because there are still gender roles we are afraid to change, because a society without sexism confuses and scares us. We still tell our little girls they should be pretty above all else. We still tell our little boys not to cry. We still expect boys will be better at maths and sport, we still think women who don’t want babies are weird. And Feminism challenges all of that.

If you think Feminism is a dirty word, think about why. Think about the society you live in. How is Feminism portrayed in the media? Who controls how you perceive sexism and equality? Is it the people who benefit from a patriarchal society (and I’m not just talking about men here, for the record)? Is it newspapers and Hollywood and government? Yeah, I’m bordering on a conspiracy theory here, but I think it’s legit. The system works. The system knows how to stifle challengers.

The system wants you to hate Feminism.

 

Trying to find the original source for this, if you know it, pls tell me.

August is Potentially Problematic Opinions Month. Led by Alex from Adventures in TV-Land, a bunch of bloggers will tell you about opinions they hold that might piss you off, or make you think, or be so obvious you can’t believe anyone would think them problematic, opening your eyes to a whole world of people who don’t agree with you. This is my description, by the way, and it’s possible that Alex has a completely different one. Ooooooh Potentially Problematic!

I feel like I have been sharing a lot of my opinions lately. So in some ways, thinking up opinions to blog about has been a bit tricky. And in other ways, this should be the easiest thing in the world for me, she who cannot stop telling everyone her opinions. Today’s rant kind of makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist, though, so that’s new. 

What else is happening in PPOM? (will be updated with links as they happen)

Alexandra Neill has written about how her views on feminism have changed over the last year, and how no one should be made to feel like a "bad feminist".

Britt Aylen has written about how she's a feminist who is writing a screenplay that doesn't pass the Bechdel Test.

Jessica Broadbent has written about classic books that actually aren't worth reading. 

Want to get involved? Click here. 

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by opinions, next week I'm going to write about crumpets... 

Feeling better about things.

Astute readers will note that I took a break last Sunday. It was my birthday (almost) and I was off having adventures. If you don’t follow me on Facebook you’re missing out on really important information like this, and also amusing screen shots of the things people have googled to find Hum Drum Plum so I honestly don’t know what you’re thinking of on that front.

This week I want to blog about serious things. But I’m not gonna. My brain is filled with a hundred opinions about asylum seekers and politics, atheism and education, feminism and media… but those opinions are starting to take their toll. I feel exhausted sometimes by the weight of my own thoughts and occasionally you’ve just got to have a bit of fun, sometimes you have to turn off your brain (and step away from the computer) and let the shit of the world pass you by for a few hours.

So here’s a list of things that will make you feel better about any given topic.

1.     Step 1. Cut up a banana, step 2. Stab a banana piece with a fork, step 3. Dip piece into nutella jar, step 4. Omnomnom, step 5. Nirvana.

2.     Play board games (not Monopoly) with trusted loved ones. If anyone starts getting aggressively competitive, make them sit on a tiny chair in the corner until they’ve calmed down.

This is an actual photo of me actually playing board games with my actual siblings.
It was a lot more exciting than we are making it look.

3.     Watch The Emperor’s New Groove.

4.     Use safe mode on youtube, it hides all the comments. 

5.     Buy a packet of pink Hubba Bubba. Chew each piece until it *just* loses its flavour. Spit it out. Repeat. This, for me, is a personal vendetta against adults from my childhood, who made me get my money’s worth on every last piece of quickly-flavourless bubblegum. 

6.     Use the hashtag “cleaneating” on your instagram photos of cheese, chocolate and hot chips. 

7.     Make tea in a teapot. You’re fucking worth it.

8.     Hide all the people on your facebook feed who are wrong all the time.

9.  Go for a long drive in the countryside. Perhaps you have a friend who lives three hours away and would gladly welcome you for a weekend in a small town first founded in the 1840s and known for its rich grain and cotton industries… 

10. Make a playlist of your favourite up-tempo songs. This is not a workout playlist. No, it is not a housework playlist. These are not the songs you’ll listen to on the way to work. This is your dance mix. You will dance to this list when you’re home alone. You will crank it loud, you will sing along, you will jump up and touch the ceiling, and spin around in your socks. No one is watching, and if they were, they’d want to join in.

11. Buy someone a gift for no reason at all.

12. Buy yourself a gift for any reason you can think of. 

13. If you’re the kind of person who is into this sort of thing, do your hair and makeup real special on a day you will see no other living soul. Be glamorous for the only person whose opinion matters… you.

14. Put clean sheets on your bed and go to bed early with a book. This is one of the best cures for grumpiness in the whole world. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

15.  Make something. Build it out of lego, or playdough or sand. Bake a cake if you want, or write something down. There is a whole world of tiny achievements you can create yourself. Today I picked some snow peas I grew myself and I feel like the Queen of the world.

16. Let people be wrong on the internet. They’ll always be wrong, don’t let them make you mad too.

17. When the banana is all gone, keep eating the nutella with the fork. You’re a grown human, do what you want man.

18. Write a list of things you’ve rarely or never done. And then take your own advice.

19. Tell someone you love them. 

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's an Overanalysis of Man of Steel!

So today’s blog is about Man of Steel. It doesn’t contain spoilers, as such, but if you haven’t seen it and you want to go in without my opinions bouncing around your head, maybe save reading this for later. Alternatively, my opinions are pretty good, so definitely take that into consideration.

The problem with overanalysing this film is that I decided to do so ten minutes into it, and also I’ve only seen it once. When I did Mulan last week, I stopped and started it, took screenshots, and wrote notes. Not having that luxury yesterday, I mostly spent the film leaning over to Boyfriend and making “witty” comments in an attempt to remember them. I’m sure this really enhanced his viewing experience. It certainly improved mine.

Here’s what you need to know about Man of Steel: it’s not a Superman movie. “Oh but Lizzy!” you cry, “I’ve seen the trailer, I’ve seen the poster, it has a dude in blue and red punching the air while flying. He has a cape. I know what is what.” Yeah, well, sure it has Superman themes and ideas but because the film focuses on Superman’s origin story, it’s actually an alien movie. More than that, it’s an alien invasion movie. . It follows a bunch of the same tropes as other alien invasion films, the first act of the movie is set on Krypton and there’s a bunch of dudes in suits talking about the importance of protecting earth. I love alien movies that are set in America. They always vaguely reference how other countries react (usually in front of well-known landmarks), but it still comes down to the CIA or FBI to sort that shit out.

...and this guy

The aliens look exactly like humans, except they have cooler clothes. Kryptonians are big on skintight suits and armour, and after seeing the film; I must admit I’m a convert. What a badass way to dress. We should all incorporate a little more armour into our wardrobes. But I’m less inclined to adopt their architecture… the major theme of which is genitalia. I know I’m not alone in thinking this because Boyfriend definitely nodded at one point when I whispered “are they living in a giant penis?” And when a bunch of Kryptonians got incarcerated in sarcophagi-like things, Boyfriend said, “You’ve been sentenced to dildo prison, sorry”. Given that a large part of the film is about how babies are made, and (SPOILERS, select to read) how great it would be to make them on the ashes of earth, the phalluses are more than a little off putting.

                                                                             

Now, I must come clean here and say that my Superman knowledge is limited. In fact, all of it comes from the TV show Smallville (please, don’t judge me). Perhaps I’m not the best person for this job, but hey, I’m the boss at Hum Drum Plum and I just seemed like I had a good head on my shoulders, I gave me a shot despite my initial misgivings. My Smallville watching did prep me for noticing the little references to the Superman source material. I particularly enjoyed that lots of trucks and buildings are branded with “LexCorp”. Also Clark lives in a town called Smallville and the nearby city is called Metropolis. Look, I understand the metaphorical nature of these place names but they are kind of awkward in the context of serious film called Man of Steel.

but 100% fine on the show that thought this was a good promo image

Speaking of Metropolis, you know that scene in The Avengers where they fight in New York? It’s a great, action packed ending but I spent most of it being distracted by the overwhelming concern that they were breaking New York. Yeah, well if you felt anything similar while watching that film, be prepared to be weeping for humanity as you watch Man of Steel. Sure, Metropolis is a metaphor for some other city (not New York, as Boyfriend reliably informed me, Gotham is New York), but they BREAK IT INTO A THOUSAND PIECES. I don’t think it’s spoilers to say that the day gets saved (it’s a Superman/alien film after all), but an entire city gets smashed up in order to do it. What are the repercussions of this? The American economy would be significantly effected, hundreds of thousands of people would be refugees, there’d be disease, crime, looting. How could they begin to rebuild? Would Clark Kent be held accountable? Where the hell is the Daily Planet situated now given that the entire city just burnt to the ground? These are the important questions people. I have no doubt there will be a sequel, and I really hope that the writers and directors endeavour to answer my questions in due time. I am confident they read my blog religiously.

What did you think about Man of Steel? Got some shit to say? I am happy to provide you with a platform to do so here in the comments, on facebook and on twitter. Get involved!

I'll Make a Man Out of You - Overanalysing Disney's Mulan

So it begins, after having a small crisis about what I’m doing with this blog, I’ve decided to overanalyse stuff on a regular-ish basis. After a vote on the facebook page, the people have spoken, and today’s film for brutal decimation rigorous discussion is Disney’s Mulan. If you haven’t seen it, or if it’s been a while, the basic plot is this: 

Ancient China. Mulan steals her dad’s armour and pretends to be a dude called Ping in order to join the army in her father’s place. She trains with men, “assisted” by a small dragon, Mushu and a cricket (because Disney) and goes to war. She saves the day, but is revealed as a woman, so she is scorned and kicked out of the army. But she is the only one who knows the Hun are still coming! So she saves the friggin day AGAIN and then goes home to her family. It is implied that the handsome commander man who has thus far been a dick to her marries her. The end.

I liked Mulan as a kid. I really did. I was a tomboy, and I liked the idea of a Disney Princess who did her own dirty work. No one saves Mulan, she does it all herself. She wields a sword, rides a horse, sings good songs and is quite funny. The film came out when I was 10, and I can say with absolute certainty that I admired her. In many ways I still do, but having watched the film twice this year, one of those times being this morning, I have a few bones to pick with Disney.

First of all, who approved the racism? A number of the artists working on the animation are Asian or of Asian decent, a number of the voice actors are Asian Americans. George Fucking Takei is in this film. I cannot believe that not a single one of them was like “uhhh… guys?” at some point. But nope, Disney you just went right ahead with cringe worthy racial stereotypes and shitting all over Chinese religious practises.

"A single grain of rice can tip the scale" - geez thanks Confucius, I mean Emperor

This is nothing to the fact that the basic premise of this film is “even Asians think all Asians look alike to the point where they don’t notice a girl dressed in her dad’s armour.” Raaaaaacism.

Ok, so I think we can all accept that Mulan isn’t exactly racially sensitive. In fact, it’s pretty well known that Disney regularly shits all over “other” cultures. May we never forget Pocahontas. But at least Mulan is a better role model for girls than the other princesses, right? Finally we have a female protagonist who looks after herself, who beats people up, who isn’t a damsel? Lizzy, I can practically hear you thinking, please don’t ruin this film by going on a feminist rant. Well, first of all, you’re in the wrong place my friend, and second of all, I am a big advocate for enjoying things in spite of the fact that they may be ‘problematic’. Given that I feel more knowledgeable and more comfortable talking about sexism rather than racism... 

Yeah. I’m about to tear Mulan to shreds.

In the matchmaker scene, Mulan is meant to be all demure and a “good woman” in order to impress the match maker (Miriam Margoyles by the way! Omg!). If impressed, the matchmaker will set Mulan up with a nice husband and she’ll “bring honour to us all”.  But it goes horribly wrong. In a rather hilarious, Disney style way. Stuff breaks, things spill, there’s a fire… it's fun for the whole family. But it doesn’t go wrong because Mulan isn’t a good woman, it goes wrong because the cricket Mulan’s grandma shoved up her dress gets out and causes a fire on the matchmaker’s butt. I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say here Disney. In my memory, I always thought Mulan was too tomboyish and adventurous to be a good, little demure woman. But in reality the problem is that she has a crazy grandma who shoves insects in people’s clothes? WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE? I’M SO CONFUSED.

In fact most of the things that go wrong in this movie aren’t Mulan’s fault.  When she first arrives at training camp she gets blamed for a brawl that her dragon friend, Mushu, started, she is then singled out for the rest of the training montage.  The other soldiers sabotage her at every turn, putting scorpions down her shirt, tripping her, throwing rocks at her… you know generally being jerks. Once she’s left alone, she works hard and is the only one to climb to the top of the pole and retrieve the arrow. And then she suddenly gets good at all the other stuff. Except that’s not it, is it? She always had the potential but she was just being held back by jerks who didn’t think she could do it. I know they don’t know she’s a girl but um this looks EXACTLY LIKE INSTITUTIONALISED MYSOGINY.

So anyway, she goes on to be the best at army and they set off to defeat the Hun. Mulan uses her cleverness to save them all during a battle and in particular, saves Shang, the guy in charge who she has a slight crush on, from certain falling-off-a-giant-cliff-death. Unfortunately, she gets injured, and when they are patching her up, they discover boobs!

I am not kidding, the music literally goes "Dun Dun Dunnnn" at this moment.

So even though she’s awesome (and also quite injured by the way), she gets thrown to the ground and Cunning, Sneaky Administrator says, “I knew there was something wrong with you! A woman!! Treacherous snake! High treason! Ultimate dishonour!” Are we talking about impersonating a man here dude, or just being a lady in general, I’m not 100% sure. Sexy Shang doesn’t kill her (so generous!) because he owes her his life, but they leave her in the snow. While watching this I made the following note: 

Hello you just saved all our lives and were gravely injured in the attempt. But unfortunately, you have boobs, so we’re going to leave you to freeze to death, bye!

Of course that’s when Mulan realises that the Hun are, somehow, impervious to snow? I don’t know, she destroyed them all with a giant avalanche but even though some of them are shirtless, this seems to have no effect, and they go off on their quest to destroy the Emperor some more. Being the only person who knows this, Mulan heads off to tell everyone. Of course, Sexy Shang doesn’t care that she has vitally important information, only that she insists on still being a girl. “You said you’d trust Ping, why is Mulan any different?” God Mulan, haven’t you got it yet, it’s because of your treacherous anatomy!

It’s all ok though, because Mulan saves the day yet again. And this time, she does it wearing a dress. She’s not the only one either. Three of the men dress as concubines for no real reason to distract the guards. Of course, only the comedic male characters dress as women, not the heroic love interest, because dressing as a woman is both shameful and comedic. Yay. The Emperor is super duper grateful and offers Mulan a place on his council. She turns it down though, because she misses home. Sexy Shang follows her because all of a sudden he’s decided he’s in love with the woman he has been cruel to since the moment he discovered she wasn’t a dude named Ping.

I think what’s most upsetting about Mulan is that it presents as a feminist Disney film. Or at least, it promises a strong female lead, a complex interesting person who is looking for more than just Prince Charming. But it ultimately disappoints, because there’s no real challenge of any status quo. She could only do all those amazing things by being a man, and the second she was found out, she was despised. Mulan marries the handsome man even though he was a dick to her because… why? Because Disney films don’t seem to be able to conceive of a woman who doesn’t want to get married. She can’t just be happy because you know… she saved China, she also has to get a husband, otherwise she’ll be unfulfilled.

Which is exactly how I feel after saving large Asian countries too.

If you liked this, please tell me about it! You can click the reaction buttons below, or write a comment, or like and comment on Facebook. Also available below are sharing buttons: if you liked this, your friends might too. Or they might not. Maybe you are really different to your friends, maybe you struggle to relate to anyone. Maybe you don't have any friends. Oh god I'm sorry... I'm not very good at this.