Today there are many challenges to reproductive justice. HBO’s The Last of Us raises important questions about those human rights and justice.
Tag: Women in Television
In ‘The Swimmers’ Film, Director Sally El Hosaini and Olympian Yusra Mardini Bring the Refugee Experience to the Screen
In 2015, sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, trained as professional swimmers by their father, fled Syria with hopes of escaping their war-torn homeland. During the harrowing 25-day journey, the dinghy’s motor broke and the boat began to sink—so Yusra and Sara jumped into the frigid waters to drag the boat to shore. Eventually granted asylum in Germany, Yusra began training again at a Berlin pool and was selected to compete as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Their story has been captured in The Swimmers, an evocative biographical drama directed by Sally El Hosaini and released on Netflix last month. In this Q&A, Sally El Hosaini and Yusra Mardini discuss the experience of making the film, how to tell true stories, and what they hope viewers will take away.
Our Gilded Progress: ‘Great Gowns,’ Pop Culture and Reproductive Freedoms
This year’s Met Gala invited A-list celebrities in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, racial divides, rising inflation costs, and the widening gap between the top 1 percent and everyone else.
During this event a leaked draft of the majority opinion from the Supreme Court immediately sent shockwaves, as the public learned that our highest court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to abortion. Suddenly, the extreme wealth on display at the Met Gala seemed to represent all the “gilded” hubris of an historical era that seemed more “golden” than it really was—as we are now thrust back to a dystopian and despairing future we must confront and resist at all costs.
If the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Met the Dynamic Mrs. Dennett—Sex Ed And Censorship Would Be So 20th Century
Like other fans of Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I’ll be binge-watching when the fourth season of the hit series finally drops on Friday, Feb. 18.
I can’t help but wonder if the fictional Midge Maisel was influenced by the real-life Mary Ware Dennett or what would happen if they met. From 1915 through the 1930s, Dennett’s pioneering battles against U.S. government censorship helped pave the way for the freedom of speech Mrs. Maisel relies on and fights to expand.
The Difference Between Actors and Actresses
I want to be a king. Just one that happens to be a girl.
Although words themselves are not responsible for sexism, many perpetuate the idea that men and women are so different that you must use separate words—even if they are doing the same thing.
Feminist Faves: 10 Women-Led Television Shows to Celebrate 2021
Since we appear to be in one of the dark timelines, it shouldn’t be any wonder that a lot of that good comes to us in the form of fictional media.
These 10 shows that came out this year captured my attention because of their distinctive and dynamic women characters. Most of these shows were created by women and/or employ many women as writers and directors of individual episodes. All of them feature compelling women protagonists or co-leads.
2021’s Best Feminist Pop Culture Moments
From the swearing in of our first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, to the severe restrictions on reproductive rights, 2021 has been a mixed bag for feminism. Of course, popular culture—ever a pulse from which to measure the present moment—served as a guide this year for feminist expression.
Here is a list of what got us thinking and talking about feminism in popular culture.
Asian American Studies Is Crucial for Achieving Climate Solutions
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there have been numerous reports about discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. In response, now is a chance to prioritize Asian American studies as a way to work towards both racial and environmental justice.
New Fiction, Old Reality: It’s Time We Pay Attention to the Pandemic Struggles of Black Women
Fox’s Our Kind of People makes audiences rethink their perception of Black workers, drawing attention to problems that the government has long tried to ignore.
Black women have not been able to bounce back from their steep unemployment loss that the pandemic generated in 2020.
Latinx Characters in Hightown’s Second Season: ”A Much-Needed Dose of Context and Complexity”
The second season of Hightown finally gives its diverse characters more depth, especially Jackie Quiñones (Monica Raymund), the Latina lesbian protagonist dealing with sexism, homophobia, racism and addiction. Hightown season two serves as a model for those in the Hollywood writers’ rooms as they approach diversity and character complexity.