Ms. Magazine: BLOG, & Oscars Deliberation
Just thought I’d give you guys a heads up that Ms. Magazine now has its own blog! In honor of International Women’s Day, they decided to give all of us the opportunity to check out the latest news via the internet (win!). Ms. began in 1972 with the help of Gloria Steinem and Letty Cottin. Since 2001, it has been owned by The Feminist Majority Foundation.
One of the first posts– Mo’Nique, Bigelow + Oscar: Mixed Feelings– explores the combination of triumph and disappointment felt by women after Oscar night. Many feel that Precious is contributing to wretched stereotypes of black motherhood. Courtney Young also mentions the conflict of race in Hollywood films– a conflict that has multiple dimensions.
Sandra Bullock’s win for Best Actress, worthy as it may be, gives me pause when I consider her recent filmography: The roles that have won her critical acclaim–Crash and now The Blind Side–are ones in which she plays privileged upper-middle-class White women who have brief or long-lasting encounters with men of color. The former film portrays blatant racism, the latter embraces a “savior” narrative, with those needing saving being poor and Black.
The blog post is an adequate query, daring to dig through the endless subliminal messages and ideals that we absorb while watching these movies. Were these nominations and wins a triumph or a setback? It seems this new wave of feminists (myself included) will have to decide for ourselves, and as always: forge ahead.
