Monday, May 12, 2008

Katha Pollitt op-ed in today's Tribune

Pollitt has a well-written op-ed in today's Tribune about how anti-feminism is on the rise.

This would explain the increase in penis references, both verbal and visual, in recent Hollywood comedies. These movies are all made for men, for the "male gaze." Not to say that the male nudity is homosexual at all, but it's all about appeasing male anxieties at seeing themselves naked onscreen, and it's also about asserting the power of the penis.

In "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," the Rachel character says to Jason Segel's character, "I can see your vagina from here," when he is being cowardly. There's a scene in "Baby Mama," in which Tina Fey's character and her new boyfriend acknowledge that for a man, being called a "dick," is a compliment, it means a man is strong and demanding.

As Pollitt mentions, Manohla Dargis wrote a great piece in the New York Times on May 4th, called "Is there a Real Woman in this Multiplex" on how movies are being made now solely with men in mind.

Why is anti-feminism on the rise?

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