Happy 2016, Weird Sisters!
Finally, major media outlets are taking notice of the lack of diversity in film criticism. “Because men make up the vast majority of critics — 78% of the top critics appearing on the Rotten Tomatoes website in spring 2013 were male — films with male directors and/or writers receive greater exposure from critics…Niche entertainment sites have the worst record for publishing women, who make up only 9 percent of their critics.” Chaz Ebert reminds us that “a wide spectrum of voices is critical in challenging the mainstream white male-dominated narrative that drives much of Hollywood and the popular media. Being introduced to diverse critical voices and opinions in the arts not only affects how we see the world but also has a profound influence on how we begin to heal it.”
“Depictions of significant lesbian age differences were mostly the stuff of subculture before this year, when a number of films pushed the phenomenon into the mainstream spotlight.”–From “What It’s Like To Be A Lesbian Couple With A 20-Plus-Year Age Difference”
“I’m 44. One of the things that has been a real shift in my perspective as a queer person is that as the queer community grows, and gets more rights, there’s more in-fighting. I remember a more unified time when there were fewer fractures.”–Ali Liebegott
“Depression was something that happened to white people on television, not a thing that could take down a Strong Black Woman. It seemed like just another way I was desperately trying to be white.”–From Samantha Irby’s “Black Girls Don’t Get to Be Depressed”
“Scholars debate the question of how many women were exploited. South Korean activists say there may have been as many as 200,000 Korean victims, only a few of whom have ever told of the abuse they endured at the hands of Japanese forces before or during the Second World War. Only 46 survivors remain of 238 women in South Korea who came forward in the early 1990s and their average age is 89.”–From “South Korean ‘comfort women’ protest against accord with Japan”
This week, I learned about Femminiello Pride in southern Italy.
ArtReport gives us “a few women that aren’t afraid to make bold statements about gender and equality, even if it makes you a little uncomfortable.”
“The intersection of racism, sexism, transphobia and other oppressive institutions influence perceptions and experiences of people in the tech industry. It also serves as a potential barrier to those who want to enter tech but can’t because the industry isn’t built with intersectionality in mind. In fact, the tech industry seems to turn a blind eye to it.”
“Bill Cosby, who has for decades been pursued by allegations of sexual misconduct, was charged with sexual assault in Pennsylvania on Wednesday in a case that many people, including women who had come forward publicly, long thought prosecutors would never bring.” If you need background on this case, go here.
“Justin is my Kathy Acker, my John Waters, my Sandra Bernhard. A person so sharp and transgressive that he can be scary or intimidating, except the way he embraces his own sensitivity also allows him to be cuddly and sweet and so incredibly funny it’s beyond,” Beth Lisick wrote about Justin Chin who passed away at age 46. Thank you for inspiring so many of, Justin.
What did we miss this week? Let us know in the comments! <3
