blog 1: what are feminism and feminist media studies

Feminism is a movement working towards liberating women from the systems of control that oppress them, namely the heteropatriarchy and capitalism. Feminism works to analyze these systems, understand how they affect women differently when it comes to the intersection of their marginalized identities, and then mobilize and organize to fight to dismantle the aforementioned systems of control. It is important to note that feminism is by definition revolutionary because it requires the dismantling of these systems and not their reform. These systems are by definition oppressive, and no amount of reforms can change that. Women are not only oppressed because of their biological sex, but this also intersects with their class, race, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. These identities are not separate from each other.

Feminist media studies aim toward analyzing and studying the portrayal of women in mass media, whether be it movies or news. Since mass media is a product of the same hegemonic forces that oppress marginalized communities, they are thus a reflection of their values. This means that the mass media will portray women in a sexist light, by making them exclusively portray their traditional submissive housewife role, or by villanizing women who do not adhere to that standard. Feminist media studies then study this portrayal and analyze how it is both hurting women in real life but also a by-product of the ways women are hurt in real life. The portrayal of women in media is then a cycle that both affects women and is also an effect of the patriarchy; this is why it is important to study and analyze it through feminist media studies.