Ms. Magazine was co-founded in 1972 by journalist and activist Gloria Steinem, along with editors Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Patricia Carbine, and Suzanne Braun Levine. The magazine challenged the usual woman-oriented publications that focused on housekeeping, suburban fashion, or recipes. These typical magazines were supported by brands and felt more like advertisements than journalism, let alone spaces for opinionated writing.

In reality, the debut of Ms. Magazine happened months earlier, on 20 December 1971. What is seen as the first edition was a 40-page insert in New York magazine, which had, in its ranks, founding editor Gloria Steinem as a staff writer. Considering that it could be their only shot to bring more serious conversations, the issue featured pieces on Black Family and Feminism, the need to review the roles of sex and gender in the English Language, and the strong story We Have Had Abortions which brought a list of 53 signatures by well-known American women, including Anaïs Nin, Susan Sontag, and Steinem herself. In eight days, the 300,000 available copies sold out. What followed was a successful story of a magazine founded and run by women, negating the voices rooting for its failure.

Having non-reader-friendly pages meant that announcers wouldn’t throw money at the magazine; still, it approached subjects that were avoided, and by its reception, the publication showed that society needed to face itself in the mirror.

“Domestic violence” and “sexual harassment” might come up every now and then in the media and at the workplace when discussing the trials that women go through in their daily lives; still, it is due to Ms. Magazine’s trailblazing that such terms for these dreadful situations are part of the lexicon. Although there is still much to be done regarding women’s and other minorities’ rights, the documentary features film and TV clips from that era and interviews with women recounting their experiences, showing what may feel like a different world but is still very present today. Thus, conforming to the defining work by such publications.
One of the highlights of the documentary is that, even though it uses archival footage and shows interviews from that time and period, it has never-seen-before footage of the period and interviews with the Ms. Magazine staff, allies, and collaborators, which makes it more valuable, considering that many of those voices are now in their twilight, thus giving more credibility to this work.

A precise look at the complexity of the feminist movement

By not turning it in a pinkish nostalgia dream, ‘Dear Ms.’ goes into the deep conversations between feminism and intersectionalities showcasing how with all the good intentions, White feminism can have it blind spots for Black women and other non-white women hailing from impoverished backgrounds that have to deal with their condition as women plus racial background and economic realities that push them downward in the stairs as they struggle for a better place in society and more respect from their peers.

The delusion of Black women can be seen in how the magazine Essence, which focused on Black women, didn’t flourish as its bigger cousin. Pain and frustration can be heard in these Black voices, but so too can the ways in which such hard and disappointing experiences can reinvigorate and be turned to other ways for female Blackness.

The documentary’s third act explores the difficult topic of feminism and sex work, showing that the movement is not a heterogeneous body. Some radical feminists oppose sex work, sometimes mirroring conservative or religious positions. Still, some women view sex work as part of their feminist expression, and it provides income for many disenfranchised women.

Former porn actress, sexologist and activist Annie Sprinkle shines in this section. She shares her decades-long perspective and offers a profile of sex worker life in America. In the end, Sprinkle speaks about her Ms. Magazine piece on cookies. While she does not mention sex work there, the piece serves as a metalinguistic microcosm of how sex work fits into society. It is controversial, but it won’t go away, much like cookies.

The trio of directors is competent and made good use of the subjects, themes, and interviewees to avoid having a bloated doc; on the other hand, giving Ms. Magazine a proper look through, and the helmer’s skills open up opportunities for other documentaries: one focused on Black Women Magazine Essence, and the other featuring Sprinkle as a character study. Sprinkle is a character from the 70s and 80s gritty New York and should have a biopic by now.

‘Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print’ should be available in physical form, and Journalism, Sociology, History, and Anthropology colleges, among other Humanities areas, would do their students and staff a favour by showing it to them. Ms. Magazine is still in print, and it has a younger sister, the Women’s Media Center (WMC), which counts Gloria Steinem among its founders. I’m glad that at the start of my foreign writing career, I was able to publish with WMC, where I learned not only about journalism but also how to approach and cover minorities and distressing realities.

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This powerful film has been praised for its strong feminist message as well as for its artistry. Let’s break it down;

The Story and Characters

The film tells the story of Subira, a young Muslim girl living on the small Kenyan island of Lamu. She spends her free time with her loving father, a fisherman, who promises to teach her how to swim. Her only dream is to dive in the ocean, even if the local customs see this as taboo. Over the years, she remains carefree until she is suddenly thrust into an arranged marriage with a stranger from the capital city, Nairobi.

Tradition and religion were strong themes which were portrayed with nuance. Subira felt trapped by marriage, yet her best friend had longed for it since she was a little girl. We were also shown that Kenyans are not a monolith; the characters had very different experiences of the same events depending on their gender, age and environment. Tradition can unite and divide at the same time. There were masterful portrayals of the different relationships in this film, especially between Subira and each of her parents.

The core message of women’s freedom is something many of us can relate to. In an interview with Ebru TV, the lead actress Brenda Wairimu said, “If you ask me, this story is based on a true story for everyone.” Even if you’ve never been to Kenya or even never seen the ocean, this story carries a truth that women everywhere have all lived through. Subira’s gentle stubbornness is something we could all learn from.

The Visuals and Sound

The sound design and music choice for this movie was simply stunning. Coastal music with Arabic influence is the very first thing that captures your attention when the movie begins. The music slowly shifts from more traditional Swahili sounds to urban music when the setting changes from Lamu to Nairobi. At the movie’s premiere, the poet and playwright Sitawa Namwalie commented on the creative use of silence in this film. There was little dialogue which left much of the story to be told with visuals, scenic sound and subtle expression.

The scenes of the crystal blue ocean at Lamu were gorgeous. Although the shots themselves were not technically complex, they had the intended effect. This movie was the definition of making a lot out of a little. I also noticed that special care was taken with wardrobing. In the first scene, Subira is a child dressed head to toe in bright green. She continues to wear green in the subsequent scenes but less and less as she ages, until the day of her wedding, when she is shrouded in pale green lace. The moment she leaves Lamu, she doesn’t wear the colour again. I interpret this as the loss of her youth.

In the End

Some may criticise this film by saying that it is simple. In my opinion, not everything needs to be complex. It is beautiful in the way swimming in the ocean in; vast yet uncomplicated. However, I will admit that other than Subira’s father, the portrayals of the male roles could have been more convincing and compelling. Overall, this was an artistic and refreshing watch that you should definitely check out.

Also Read: Netflix Hidden Gems: Love Today

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No movie genre more accurately shows public perception of feminism than the humble romantic comedy. I have two reasons to back up this theory. Romance stories paint a detailed picture of the roles of women and men in society – their work, marriages, money, and sex lives. The added aspect of comedy makes these portrayals more truthful than other genres. People tend to be more honest and more revealing when they’re telling a joke than when they’re speaking plainly. Combine these, and you get rom-coms.

Let’s get a little more specific with place and time. Here we shall look at three American rom-coms and break down what they tell us about feminism in America over the ages.

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

This blockbuster from the Golden Age of Hollywood follows a few days in the life of Richard Sherman, a married man in New York who struggles to resist the urge to commit adultery while his wife and son visit Maine for the summer. Although the movie didn’t have anything overtly sexual, there were sexually suggestive jokes throughout, a testament to the censorship laws of the time.

The 1950s are often painted as a time of old-fashioned Americana values, but this film shows that even the makers of those ideals weren’t happy. It was pretty much an open secret that married men became “summer bachelors” by cheating when their wives were away. The men felt trapped in their marriages, and the women were treated like little more than pretty faces.

What struck me the most is that Richard’s love interest was never given a name, even if she was a lead character. She was listed in the credits of the film as merely “The Girl”. Richard spent days talking to her but never even asked her name. He saw her more as a figment of his imagination than as a real person.

Pretty Woman (1990)

This 90s classic is a love story between Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman, and Vivian, a Hollywood prostitute. When Edward’s girlfriend dumps him, he hires Vivian to escort him to social gatherings. The two soon fall in love and eventually, Edward rescues Vivian from poverty.

Pretty Woman is more of an escapist modern fairytale than an accurate depiction of real-life romance. Still, it tells us something about popular views of the nineties. While marriage was still the norm, it was no longer the be-all and end-all of life. Edward managed to be a respected businessman even though he avoided committed relationships until he met Vivian. And even though the 90s was an age of female empowerment and women supporting themselves, being taken care of by a rich man was still seen as a fairytale ending.

Look Both Ways (2022)

In this recent film, we follow the life of twenty-something Natalie in two alternate realities. In her senior year of college, she has one-off sex with her friend and she later takes a pregnancy test on the night of her graduation. Here, her life splits into two alternate paths, one in which she is pregnant and moves back in with her parents, and in the other the test is negative and she moves to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation.

What I love most about this film is that she has a happy ending in both realities, but she ends up with a different man in each. Her true fulfilment came from pursuing her art, regardless of whom she was dating, where she was living or if she had a child. This reflects the current contemporary feminism, in which a man and marriage are no longer seen as the only possible life goals for a woman. Natalie did pursue love and family, but at the end of the day, her happiness lay in her work.

All in All

There are too many rom-coms for anyone to analyse in one short blog post, but I hope this gives a glimpse of how our social beliefs and politics leak into everyday media. Feminism isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and neither is the beloved genre of romantic comedy.

Also Read: Too Awkward For Love: Understanding the British Rom-Com

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The post Rom-coms: The Unlikely Benchmarks of Feminist Progression appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.