Spitting in the Wind
The other night I had the great misfortune to turn on my television and land smack dab in the middle of a scene from a movie entitled I Spit on Your Grave (1970). This was not a porn channel; this was some run-of-the-mill cable station playing a scene of […]
Finding Our Voice
When Americans turn on their televisions to watch the nightly news—assuming that they still do—why do they prefer to listen to the delivery of the day’s headlines in a male voice? In 2011, when CBS replaced Katie Couric, America’s sweetheart, with a male colleague as the nightly news anchor, the program gained one million viewers. […]
When Things Go Wrong, Send in the Women
I’m obsessed with female leaders and their portrayal in entertainment. Are great women leaders seen as ruthless? Sexy? Brittle and sarcastic? Or are they kind, but firm, leading through inspiration instead of intimidation. For me, creating a compelling female character is tricky. Too many portrayals of women in popular culture repeat outdated stereotypes or reinforce […]
Introducing the Mocking Jay Awards
Last year ended with mixed reviews regarding the number and quality of female role models in popular entertainment. With the exception of “Heat,” summer movies were a zero-sum game, with few women even making into the picture. Music was dominated by Miley Cyrus’ bizarre and overtly sexualized antics, and over in publishing, books with one word […]