Popular Feminisms Roundtable: November 7th, 2018
It’s the day after the election. A record amount of women have been elected to congress. I feel hopeful for a shifting cultural and political landscape – one that is feminist, inclusive and representational.
It isn’t a coincidence that the Center for 21st Century Studies hosted the “Popular Feminisms Roundtable” on this day. The date was chosen specifically to follow the election, because as Professor Elana Levine (of UWM’s JAMS department) suggested: “either way, there would be something to talk about.” Following a brief historical overview of popular feminist culture by Levine, Professors Jessalynn Keller (University of Calgary) and Kristen Warner (University of Alabama) led discussions on their respective research involving popular feminisms.
Keller’s talk focused on hashtag activist culture and specifically around “#CropTopDay,” a movement that started in Canada in retaliation against sexist dress codes in schools. Keller connected #CropTopDay to other historical movements, specifically the ‘90s riot grrrl culture (i.e.,writing on bodies – most popularly seen on Bikini Kill’s front singer, Kathleen Hanna) as well as #CropTopDays remediation of ‘70s protest images in the contemporary context of social media & selfies. I found Keller’s discussion optimistic and interesting to consider in our #MeToo cultural moment. #CropTopDay, Keller suggested, exemplifies the use of personal testimonies and connecting with one another through sharing stories. #MeToo in many ways offer the same possibilities. Of course #MeToo may carry greater implications (potentially of those accused), of the safety (both mentally and physically) of those disclosing their trauma, and simply because of the gravity of sexual assault. It is also important to consider who is getting the most attention. Keller reminds us that it is white women that are central to the news stories about these movements; indeed, it was originally Alyssa Milano who received credit for instigating #MeToo before Tarana Burke became recognized as the original creator of the movement. While hashtag activism is promising – particularly because much of it spearheaded by youth – it is not without its own shortcomings, many of which directly correlate to the same problems of previous waves of feminism.
Warner’s discussion centered on the practice of colorblind casting in television and the concept of “make do” culture. Colorblind casting is most evidently seen in the work of Shonda Rhimes where characters are cast irrespective of their race. But Warner raised the question of how do these characters become embodied differently is they are written without regard to race? Warner talked about how in make do culture, people – particularly women – of color have to fill in the blanks with unrealistic representation and narratives. For example, Olivia Pope’s hair goes through many transformations in illogical amount of time and fans have the labor of creating stories around her hair could be logical. While there is significance to Rhimes’ practice of colorblind casting – Rhimes stated that wanted to normalize presence of people of color –Warner argues that there becomes an “emphasis on the body.” Actual histories and the complexity of these identifies fail to get fully understood.
Because we are in the midst of upheaval and change in our democracy, what are cultural effects? How much does culture reflect our political moment and how much do political reflect our culture?