Positive Images: Screening Women

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Positive Images Screening Womens Films

• by Linda Artel and Susan Wengraf
• in Issues in Feminist Film Criticism edited by
  Patricia Erens Indiana University
  Press,1990Originally published in 1976

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Discussion Board

• Youve read Positive Images Screening Womens
  Films, by Artel and Wengraf. Do you agree or
  disagree with their perspectives? Explain.
• Identify a film that you believe represents women
  in a positive light. Did it conform to the
  articles criteria? How so or how not?
• Identify a film you believe represents women in a
  negative light. Explain.
• Please share your findings with us during this
  presentation.

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The Primary Aim of Artel and Wengraf

• The primary aim of Positive Images was to
  evaluate media materials from a feminist
  perspective. We looked for materials that had at
  least one of the following characteristicsPos
  itive Images was a catalogue

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Non-stereotyped Behavior

• Presents girls and women, boys and men with
  non-stereotyped behavior and attitudes
  independent, intelligent women adventurous,
  resourceful girls men who are nurturing boys
  who are not afraid to show their vulnerability

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Non-traditional Work Leisure

• Presents both sexes in non-traditional work or
  leisure activities men doing housework, women
  flying planes, etc.

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Questions Role Division

• Questions Values/Behavior of Traditional
  Male/Female Role Division

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Womens Achievements

• Shows womens achievements and contributions
  throughout history.

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Deals With Womens Problem

• Deals with a specific womens problem, such as
  pregnancy, abortion or rape, in a non-sexist way

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Consciousness-raising

• Contains images of sexist attitudes, behavior,
  and institutions that can be used for
  consciousness raising.

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Problematic Filmsaccording to Artel and Wengraf

• A number of films deal with feminist issues but
  are sexist in the way they treat the subject
  matter.

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Examples They Use

• Minimizing women in problem-solving a womans
  issue
• Behavior limiting credibility (Mary Tyler Moore
  being coy)
• Condescending narrative
• Rescued by man
• Class-based (only relevant for upper-middle class
  women)
• Womens subjects but lack feminist perspective.
• Strong protagonist, weak secondary characters
  (e.g., adventurous vs. good little girls).

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Problem Areas They See

• Only a handful of films w/ positive images at
  preschool or primary grade levels.
• Biographies of women need more
• Womens roles in history specific contributions
• Women in non-traditional jobs w/ in-depth focus
  (usually surface)
• Third World Women
• Male liberation from masculine roles
• Changing definition of family

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Useful or Problematic?

• Did you find this process of finding positive
  images useful or problematic?

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How is it useful?How is it problematic?

• Theres More to a Positive Image Than Meets the
  Eyeby Diane Waldman(same book)

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Waldman

• Acknowledges usefulness of seeking out films that
  Artel and Wengraf recommend, but . . .
• Has 2 main criticisms
• 1) criteria involved in determining what is to be
  considered a positive image and
• 2) limits of the notion of positive image

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Defining Positive Characteristics

• Is it possible to empirically define positive
  characteristics for women and men?
• Is western, white, upper-middle class able-bodied
  culture the proper standard? (counterpoint A Day
  in the Life of Bonnie Consolo (woman born w/ no
  arms)
• Are we reinforcing dominant bourgeois histories
  (great men replaced with great women)?
• Assumes that most of what we see are negative
  images and that the corrective is positive
  images.

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Depicting Reality

• Do these positive characteristics depict
  things as they really are, or as we think they
  should be? Example The following catalog
  excerpt does not see this film as positive.
  Yet, it depicts a reality of this culture and
  time. Is it useful/beneficial?
• In a cattle raising community in Northern
  Kenya, the women perform the traditional tasks of
  child-rearing and food preparation while the men
  manage the herds. Although the women are also
  responsible for building the cowhide covered
  dwellings, this too is viewed as womens
  work.
• If a filmmaker depicts reality, and it is
  negative, is the negative image considered a
  fault of the filmmaking?
• Should we not note differences between depicting
  things as they are and as we think they should be
  (example depicting woman as president)? Waldman
  believes we should think just as
  carefully/critically about positive images as
  we do about overtly sexist images.
• What if a woman were to be depicted in a
  non-traditional role playing it in a negative
  way? Would it still be considered positive? Or,
  if negative, could it be useful to watch and
  study it? (example Monster, Charleze Theron)

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• The Kids Are All Right Erin Brockovich

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Precious (2009)71 Awards

• Gabourey Sidibe MoNique
  Mariah Careynom Best Actor
  Won Best Supporting

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• Gabourey Sidibe, nominated Best Actor

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Constructing Meaning

• The Positive Images catalogue Ignores the fact
  that meaning is to be located in the interaction
  between reader and image and not in the images
  themselves.
• Notion of a positive image assumes
  identification of the spectator with the
  character depicted (hero/heroine)
• the mechanism of identification goes
  unchallenged (how we identify with characters,
  what constitutes a traditional role or a positive
  role, what is sexist or not, etc.)

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Creating a Pedagogical Model

• Does not address the issue of how to deal with
  the reality of sexism

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Waldman suggests

• . . . as teachers, we should stress analysis,
  critical distance, and discussion of any material
  we use rather than rely upon the identification
  implied by the positive image concept.
• We certainly should attack blatant sexual
  stereotypes and applaud positive images when
  they do appear that these images do serve to
  shape childrens attitudes and behaviors is
  undeniable.

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What is a positive image?

• Depends on the viewer (perhaps Artel and Wengraf
  could have recognized subjectivity in their
  selections, saying these were their selections,
  their identifications with characters, etc.)
• Easier to identify negative images, because we
  know when we see them.