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feminism and fantasy, science fiction and sexism
Tag Archives: Broadly
Weekend Reading List
Weekend Reading List: Baby, it's been a while
Emily L. Stephens has been writing excellent recaps of Twin Peaks: The Return. [The AV Club]
Pop Culture Detective put out some great videos on the alternative masculinity of Fantastic Beasts's Newt Scamander, as well as my personal sparkle muffin Steven Universe.
You will probably enjoy Be Steadwell's music video for her song "Sage (Witch Two)".
Also entertaining: Funny or Die's Handmaid's Tale for men.
Did you wonder how, exactly, the Babadook became an unexpected queer icon? Vox has got you covered.
"As a trans woman, I've seen nerd culture's misogyny from both sides." [The Establishment]
A bunch of Harry Potter fans on Tumblr read Severus Snape as trans, an analysis that ends up being pretty convincing. [Broadly]
Anita Sarkeesian is done with your bullshit, and I'll just be over here, a one-woman cheerleading unit. [Polygon]
A lot (no, really, a lot) of people loved Wonder Woman (and for good reason!), but Ariel Henley over at Bustle is disappointed in the film's conflation of disfigurement and morality. Teen Vogue agrees, looking more broadly at the legacy of disfigured villains.
Okayafrica has a great introduction to afrofuturism, if you'd like a refresher.
"Sex with demons was totally chill until the church ruined it." [Broadly]
Refinery29 explores how to cast a love spell without being a creep.
Art site Topical Cream has a great piece on MHYSA, RAFiA, and Liz Mputu, three artists tackling science fiction, blackness, and radical softness.
"The black person's guide to Game of Thrones." [The Root]
Brujos is your new dark, queer, latinx, magic webseries.
And finally, Buzzfeed explores how witchcraft became a brand.
Tagged Anita Sarkeesian, Ariel Henley, Be Steadwell, Broadly, Brujos, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Emily L. Stephens, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Funny or Die, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Liz Mputu, MHYSA, Okay Africa, Polygon, Pop Culture Detective, RAFiA, Refinery29, Steven Universe, Teen Vogue, The AV Club, The Babadook, the Establishment, The Handmaid's Tale, The Root, Topical Cream, Twin Peaks, Vox, Wonder Woman
Weekend Reading List: Atwood, Buffy, Carrie, Disney
Hey kids, it's been a while! Lots to catch up on:
"No world for us: broken girls and embodied trauma in Porpentine's Psycho Nymph Exile." [Autostraddle]
In this film, Broadly's documentary series explores the witches of Romania.
In a similar vein: "the game developers who are also witches." [Kotaku]
Tibeb Girls is Ethiopia's answer to the Power Puff Girls. [Afropunk]
My friend Kai Cheng Thom wrote a beautiful, magic realist queer coming of age novel, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, and amid many, many glowing reviews, here's one from Autostraddle.
Today's tearjerker: A tribute to Carrie Fischer
"Stardew Valley gave me and my sister a chance to swoon over girls together for the first time in our gay lives." [Autostraddle]
Have you seen Get Out? Do that immediately:
B. Willis on Medium on how black women are the most overlooked characters in the film.
"What Becky gotta do to get murked: white womanhood in Jordan Peele's Get Out." [Very Smart Brothas]
Intelexual on the character of Rose and America's legacy of racist white women.
Buffy turned twenty! And everyone's singing the show's praises:
USAToday on the wonder the show provided fans.
Vulture on the show's ongoing legacy.
Vice on how Willow helped kids everywhere come out.
Hazlitt with a heartfelt roundtable discussion on the show's emotional resonance.
People have feelings about the new Beauty and the Beast remake:
"Why I want my son to know that boys can find beauty in a beast, too." [Washington Post]
Autostraddle charts Disney's journey from gay-coded villains, to the textual representation of LeFou.
But Buzzfeed thinks the film, and company, are receiving too much credit for such a small step forward.
And the new Handmaid's Tale show has just premiered! It's pretty amazing:
Anne Helen Petersen writes about the "radical feminist aesthetic" of the show. [Buzzfeed]
Autostraddle is thrilled with the adaptation's additional queerness. Their book club also takes a closer look at the source material.
"Margaret Atwood on what The Handmaid's Tale means in the age of Trump." [The New York Times]
The New Yorker on how, despite some disappointing cast comments, the show is very much a feminist work.
"I grew up in a fundamentalist cult—The Handmaid's Tale was my reality." [The Establishment]
ELLE on how the show, in Serena Joy, depicts a modern day anti-feminist by charting their rise from Phyllis Schlafly to Ivanka Trump.
Little White Lies sings the praises of the voice behind that idiosyncratic Twin Peaks ambiance: Julee Cruise.
"Twin Peaks was the most visually striking TV show ever made. And still is." [Slate]
"How to become a deadly misandrist fairy vampire." [Austostraddle]
Great British Bake Off alum Ruby Tandoh wrote about her new zine Do What You Want, which explores how queerness and mental health are represented in film. [Little White Lies]
"The casual racism in nerd/gaming communities needs to stop." [Afropunk]
Pop Culture Detective takes on the "born sexy yesterday" trope so often present in science fiction film.
Black Girl Nerds discusses the American Gods adaptation, depictions of lynching, and the realities of race in America.
Over on Youtube, Jill Bearup has a multi-part series on the history of fanfiction, from its earliest manifestations, to its rise in the Star Trek fandom, all the way to a discussion of the Mary Sue character type.
And lastly, Feminist Frequency's Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series has, sadly, come to an end. But the last film, a discussion of lady sidekicks, won't be the last we see of Anita Sarkeesian. The channel is still going strong with the FREQ Show: the first episode tackles Hollywood whitewashing.
Tagged Afropunk, American Gods, Anita Sarkeesian, Anne Helen Petersen, Autostraddle, B. Willis, Beauty and the Beast, Black Girl Nerds, Black Panther, Broadly, Buffering the Vampire Slayer, Buffy, Buzzfeed, Carrie Fisher, Disney, Do What You Want, Donald Trump, ELLE, Feminist Frequency, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, Get Out, Hazlitt, Intelexual, Jill Bearup, Julee Cruise, Kai Cheng Thom, Kotaku, Little White Lies, Margaret Atwood, Medium, New York Times, Pop Culture Detective, Porpentine, Psycho Nymph Exile, Ruby Tandoh, Slate, Star Wars, Stardew Valley, Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Establishment, The Handmaid's Tale, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Tibeb Girls, Twin Peaks, USAToday, Very Smart Brothas, Vice, Vulture, Washington Post, Willow Rosenberg
Weekend Reading List: New year, new list, new hope
2016 had to get one last jab in, taking away our beloved Carrie Fisher. The Mary Sue pays tribute. The Cut gives us fifteen of her best quotes. The Rolling Stone looks back on how she championed mental health issues. We all miss her.
You need to listen to 1999 David Bowie talk about the potential of the internet. [io9]
I'll be honest, I only discovered Sevdaliza's music by going down the rabbit hole of YouTube recommended videos. But I'm so glad she's in my life now, with her videos that spin dark fairytales out of hellbeast femmes fatales and gynoid royalty fantasies.
"Sex magic: how to cast spells with your orgasms." [Broadly]
Afropunk's compiled a mindblowing list of 10 black cosplayers who killed it last year.
Go look at Amber Thomas's amazing interactive breakdown of gender equality in the dialogue of 2016's highest grossing films.
I am very excited about XX, the women-created horror film anthology. Annie Clark (aka St Vincent) is just one of the hugely talented directors contributing. [Little White Lies]
On a similar note, Agnieszka Smoczynska's The Lure, a film about man-eating, singing mermaids, is out soon. It looks like good fun. [IndieWire]
"We are in the era of the black geek." [Afropunk]
io9 has a nice piece of writing on superheroes, real life heroes, and teaching children bravery.
Comic Katie Goodman's song on Alien and inspirational women is very funny.
"The speculative dread of Black Mirror." [The New Yorker]
The complex interplay between gender and AI is a topic that's gaining ever-increasing popularity (and relevance) as we continue pushing the capabilities of chatbots, androids, and digital assistants. The New Yorker has an excellent piece on the perils of writing gender into chatbots, and a recent episode of Bitch magazine's podcast charts the gynoid from Metropolis to Westworld, and beyond.
I CANNOT believe that I forgot to mention that I spoke to Becky Chambers about her novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, for the Mary Sue! It was a great experience, and you can read the interview here.
Tagged Afropunk, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Alien, Amber Thomas, Annie Clark, Becky Chambers, Bitch, Bitch magazine, Bitch Media, Black Mirror, Broadly, Carrie Fisher, David Bowie, Gizmodo, IndieWire, io9, Katie Goodman, Little White Lies, Metropolis, New York Magazine, Princess Leia, Sevdaliza, St Vincent, The Cut, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, The Lure, The Mary Sue, The New Yorker, Vice, Westworld, XX
Weekend Reading List: Climate fiction, colours, Carmilla
Have some short stories from Arizona State University's 2016 Climate Fiction Short Story Contest.
Head over to Atlas Obscura for the history of the vampire Carmilla.
And for a more contemporary perspective, Autostraddle reviewed part three of Carmilla's third season, and the Mary Sue is very on board for the relationship between Laura and Carmilla.
Also, also, looks like there's going to be a Carmilla movie!
"Hayao Miyazaki and the art of being a woman." [The Atlantic]
The BBC pays tribute to Michiyo Yasuda, the genius behind the colour in some of your favourite Studio Ghibli films, who passed away recently.
Looks like the Rocky Horror Picture Show reboot is getting panned pretty universally, including at the Mary Sue, who are disappointed with how the remake excised almost all of the film's queerness.
Meanwhile, Bitch questions some of the issues present even in the original Rocky.
Also from the Mary Sue, how Stranger Things subverts disability tropes and does better by its outsider characters.
Want to watch The Northlander, a Drumheller-filmed Indigenous science fiction movie? It'll be screening across Canada. [CBC]
Someone who saw an early screenplay for Disney's live-action Mulan remake had serious reservations about its white-man-centric plot, and asks Disney to do better in an anonymous open letter. Disney has denied that this is what the plot will look like, but only time will tell if they do justice to the amazing original. [Angry Asian Man/The Mary Sue]
"The world's first bullet-proof Black man is here whether you like it or not." [Buzzfeed]
Give the trailer for Jordan Peele's Get Out a look, it looks like the Stepford Wives for racial discrimination, in the best way possible.
Autostraddle gives us a list of the ten best trans women in comics.
"Witches allegedly stole penises and kept them as pets in the Middle Ages." [Broadly]
Broadly also explores why people dealing with anxiety sometimes find comfort in horror movies.
"How America's leading science fiction authors are shaping our future." [Smithsonian magazine]
Tim Burton explained why his cast for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is predominantly white, and I for one remain unconvinced. [Bustle]
The Black List is on year two of their #31DaysofFeministHorrorFilms, and here are all their selections so far.
Have a comic! It's called Dykes in Print: the evolution of a lesbian literary character, by Jennifer Camper. [PEN America]
Aaaand finally, you absolutely must read Ursula K. Le Guin's New Yorker profile.
Tagged #31DaysofFeministHorrorFilms, 2016 Climate Fiction Short Story Contest, Angry Asian Man, Arizona State University, Atlas Obscura, Autostraddle, BBC, Bitch, Bitch Media, Broadly, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Carmilla, CBC, Disney, Get Out, Hayao Miyazaki, Jennifer Camper, Jordan Peele, Luke Cage, Michiyo Yasuda, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Mulan, PEN America, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Smithsonian, Stranger Things, Studio Ghibli, The Atlantic, The Black List, The Mary Sue, The New Yorker, The Northlander, The Smithsonian magazine, Tim Burton, Ursula K. Leguin
Weekend Reading List: Sequels and Sorceresses
Hey Star Wars is out now! Did you get in the holiday spirit? [Autostraddle]
Y'all know how much I loved Jessica Jones, but it's not perfect, and sometimes talking about how the best media fails is just as important as singing its praises. Jenny Trout writes about an instance of fat shaming as a sour note for the show, and the Mary Sue discusses issues of race, particularly for a show set in New York.
Ooh, Netflix is coming out with a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I'm on the fence generally about the endless stream of reboots, remakes, and sequels, but the trailer, at least, is very cool looking.
Margaret Atwood will be writing her first graphic novel. It's called Angel Catbird. Angel. Catbird. What. [The Verge]
The Huffington Post has a great article about Kate Mulgrew, the new Star Trek show, and the demands of Starfleet captaincy.
End of year lists from Autostraddle: the top 11 instances of queer women representation in all-ages media, and 28 queer women and non-binary comics creators!
Texts from Carmilla. [The Toast]
There's a trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them now, and I feel compelled to add it here, even though it hasn't done much to make me excited yet. I'll be excited eventually, that's pretty much a guarantee for anything Potter related, but… not yet.
"Purr ideology: the neoliberal pleasure of Neko Atsume" [Overland]
Did you know that "witches riding broomsticks" imagery came from masturbation and drug use? You do now! I've shared this little tidbit before, but this piece digs a little deeper and has some great historical information. [Broadly]
"Meet the Latina skate 'witches' of the Bronx." [BBC]
Tagged Angel Catbird, Autostraddle, BBC, Broadly, Carmilla, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Huffington Post, Jenny Trout, Jessica Jones, Margaret Atwood, Neko Atsume, Netflix, Overland, Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Wars, The Mary Sue, The Toast, The Verge