A Crash Course in Feminism Mk. II (or, why everyone should be a feminist)

[Rissan4ever]

Ah, for Christ. I can't decide which is worse, this or the Snickers ad with the construction workers.

[Nabterayl]

I liked the Snickers ad. I get why people thought it was contradictory, but to me, the tone of the ad (particularly given the way it ends) was, "Snickers is recognizing that this is an actual problem, and we think people should be ashamed of themselves, even though we are implying the opposite if you want to be literal."

[YorkNecromancer]

Did Traci lords ever appear in anything that would actually be legal to view?

She was also in John Water's 'Cry Baby' which is kitschy fun, but if you want to see her actually act, watch 'Excision'; she's absolutely amazing in it, and it's a genuinely brilliant, brilliant film. Subverts every 'cynical teenager knows more about life than the adults do' trope in cinema, with an absolute hammer blow of an ending. Lords plays the cynical teenager's mother, and she's remarkable in every scene she's in.

I'd post the trailer, but it's pretty damned disturbing. Also, it contains mild spoilers (quel surprise!)

[eldargal]

People who made the Lego Movie (actually a film) say they wil ldo better with female representation next time:

I’m not sure our movie passes the Bechdel test entirely and I think that it’s important. We have a lot of producers [who] were female who had concerns and we were always constantly saying to ourselves: ‘Are we just a bunch of white guys sitting here making this movie from our own myopic point of view?’ We were constantly responding to that question and that helped us make Wyldstyle a better character and Unikitty a more interesting character. I think it’s forcing us to look at how we make a sequel and turn that into something that’s more powerful and special.

Bolded an important bit, when you start getting creators thinking like it's a good sign they have realised both their own privilege and the power they have to help change privilege and discrimination at a social level so well done to them.
[URL="http://www.themarysue.com/the-lego-movie-female-characters/"]Source[/URL]

[eldargal]

If you feel like playing film critic misogyny bingo when America’s first round of Winter Soldier reviews are published this week, I recommend looking out for the phrases “leather-clad” and “ass-kicker.” These are an easy way to weed out any reviewers who weren’t paying attention to the movie, because neither phrase describes Black Widow’s actual role.
For one thing, Black Widow is not “leather-clad.” Not unless you’re talking about the casual leather jacket she wears in a handful of scenes, anyway. Her official uniform is no tighter than Captain America’s was in The Avengers, and is similar to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s artificial fabric jumpsuits. By comparison, the Winter Soldier’s signature look involves leather body armor, ’90s grunge hair, smudged eyeliner, and a black rubber mask.

Spider-Man’s spandex costume is probably more salacious, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t wind up being described as an homme fatale by anyone with a Pulitzer.

Honestly, this kind of catsuit-focused review says more about the reviewer than the film itself. Apparently the mere concept of Scarlett Johansson in a tight outfit is so dazzlingly erotic that it bypasses some male reviewers’ conscious minds and causes them to ignore everything she says and does for the rest of the movie. The result is a series of reviews from highly respected film critics who, given the opportunity to describe each Avenger in a single sentence, replace Black Widow’s summary with the announcement, “I AM A HETEROSEXUAL MAN AND SCARLETT JOHANSSON’S BOOBS ARE AWESOME.”

….

This unrelenting focus on Scarlett Johansson’s appearance, coupled with the assumption that her only non-decorative role is that of an “ass-kicker,” indicates a fundamental inability to see Black Widow as the well-rounded character she actually is.

[URL="http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/black-widow-reviews-wrong-captain-america/"]Source[/URL]. I think I posted the link already but not the quote. Bolded some bits which emphasise how cultural sexism work. These men (and some women) genuinely can't see what Black Widow accomplishes despite it happening literally right in front of them because they are trained to see women as eye candy. Simplifying it immensely obviously but that is the gist of it in this case.

[Wildeybeast]

You did, but in the Captain America thread I think. Still worth repeating here though.

[eldargal]

I thought so. Actually saw someone on a forum with a James Bond avatar explaining how a Black Widow film couldn't work because you couldn't make a spy film that would hold peoples interest. I also complained to (not at, not their fault) the manager of a large toy department about the lack of Black Widow Winter Soldier toys and she said [URL="http://marveltoynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Captain-America-The-Winter-Soldier-Marvel-Legends-Black-Widow-Figure-Packaged-e1386996985561-620x1024.jpg"]there is a figure of her[/URL] but US only so far she thinks and stores only get a handful and they sell out isntantly basically. A few on eBay for 3-4 times retail. Says something about the toy companies priorities when they pack boxes of film toys with the villain of the first film and not the high selling female protagonist of the film.

[Wildeybeast]

I'd be tempted to argue that WS is a Black Widow film. She's in it virtually as much as the cap, does just as much bum kicking and is as integral to the story as him.

[eldargal]

Yup, Marvel made that argument but if the ywanted it to be true they should have called it 'Captain America & Black Widow'. Scarlett Johansson did get second billing which is a plus but it still isn't a solo film.

[Horncastle]

she said [URL="http://marveltoynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Captain-America-The-Winter-Soldier-Marvel-Legends-Black-Widow-Figure-Packaged-e1386996985561-620x1024.jpg"]there is a figure of her[/URL] but US only

They sell them here in Canada. Saw them at my local Toys'R'Us last weekend.

P.S. - I hate build-a-figures. I always want the figure but don't always want every figure needed to get all the parts.