Sometimes the Master’s Tools Can Light a Fire

Dystopian and utopian texts are incredibly important for envisioning our world otherwise, a point emphasized by Ursula K. Le Guin at the 2014 National Book Awards. In her speech, Le Guin noted that we need writers who “can see through our fear-stricken society … to other ways of being,” and she named the profit motive […]

Why Couldn’t “Divergent” Give Peace a Chance?

Divergent isn’t perfect. And I am not referring to the film’s dystopian world, wherein society has been split into six “factions”—the smart (erudite), the peaceful (amity), the truthful (candor), the selfless (abnegation), the brave (dauntless) and the outcasts (the factionless). I am referring to the fact that it does not, as with most mainstream dystopian […]

Where Have You Gone, Sarah Connor?

Summer always makes me a bit nostalgic for childhood. I remember fondly the excitement of being out of school, the long days with nothing to do but read and the cool refuge from the hot Texas sun provided by a matinee of a summer blockbuster at the local movie theater. Unfortunately, this summer’s action movies […]

How to Have a Feminist Halloween

A report from England … Walking around one of Manchester’s most prominent fancy dress shops recently I was horrified at the outfits it had to offer. It’s not that the stock was scarce or anything, its just that with all the lycra nurse outfits that look as though they would only just fit a child, […]

Yes, I’m Buying The Katniss Everdeen Barbie For My Daughter

When Mattel unveiled the new Katniss Everdeen Barbie this past week, I expected another hyper-sexualized Barbie that looked like Jennifer Lawrence. Eh. But who am I to dismiss a feminist Barbie? So I took another look. The characteristics are standard Barbie. Swathed in mascara? Check. The waist of an unrealistic waif? Check. Slightly resembles a […]

The Hunger Games, Hollywood and Fighting Fuck Toys

The Hunger Games should serve as a wake-up call to Hollywood that women action-hero movies can be successful if the protagonist is portrayed as a complex subject–instead of a hyper-sexualized fighting fuck toy (FFT). In its first weekend, The Hunger Games grossed $155 million, making it the third highest opener of all time (behind the last Harry Potter film and The Dark […]

A Whitewashed Hunger Games

Do I think Jennifer Lawrence is a phenomenal actress? Yes. Do I delight in her astute, feminist commentary? Yes. Do I love the fact she rejects the Hollywood pressure to be toothpick-thin and proudly proclaims her love of Philly cheesesteaks? You bet. But part of me still wishes that an actress of color would have […]

Eating Up the Hunger Games, Romance and All

Given Hollywood’s fondness for saturating films with romantic storylines–especially female-driven films–I feared what the cinematic version of Suzanne Collin’s novel The Hunger Games would do to my beloved Katniss Everdeen and her refreshing lack of interest in romance. While I was dismayed when the love triangle meme reared its sappy head in the trilogy of […]

Will the New Hermione Please Stand Up?

Don’t hate me, Potterites, but I would have preferred the Harry Potter series had been instead the Hermione Granger series. Sure, Harry is great and all, but, given that men protagonists still vastly outnumber women ones, I wish J.K. Rowling had chosen to frame her saga around a woman character. Thankfully, many recent popular sagas […]