Sonali and I sat down to discuss Hulu’s new original series Mrs. America, its eerie resemblance of today’s culture wars and why we still need an Equal Rights Amendment. Click on the image below to get in on the fun.
Women
New film Harriet is worth your time
Check out my interview on Rising Up with Sonali in which we talk about the new blockbuster film Harriet, which represents Harriet Tubman as the real-life superhero that she was, leading her people to freedom.
Cheat Sheet for the June 5 California Election
A friend of mine who’s overwhelmed by making ends meet and mommyhood asked me if I could tell her how to vote in the upcoming primary. Given how non-transparent electoral politics are, I assume she’s not the only one who could use a hand. So, I spent most of my Sunday figuring out which bubbles to fill in so that you don’t have to! (I highly recommend Ballotpedia.org to help sort through it all.) See my recommendations below.
New Interview: The Handmaid’s Tale Highlights Current Political Fears
Watch the 18-minute interview here: Handmaid’s Political Fears
#HappyInternationalWomensDay New Essay: Why We Need an Equal Rights Amendment
My latest essay, New Documentary “Equal Means Equal” Exposes Why We Need an Equal Rights Amendment,” was published today in honor of International Women’s Day, by Bitch. Here’s the full text: (more…)
My Review of the New Film Mustang Published by Bitch
To read the article on Bitch, click here.
NEW FILM “MUSTANG” EXPLORES YOUNG WOMEN’S VITALITY—AND PATRIARCHY’S BRUTALITY
by Stephanie Abraham
The beautiful and challenging new film Mustang looks at the lengths that people will go to crush female independence and sexuality, and the varied responses young women can have in the face of strangling sexism and male domination. It’s notable that the film, which takes place in Turkey with a Turkish cast, is France’s official entry to the Academy Awards—the director, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, is Turkish and French.
Mustang’s story is told through the eyes of Lale (Günes Sensoy), the youngest of five orphaned sisters who are being raised by their grandmother in a small Turkish town. Lale is only nine years old, but is wise enough to see injustice and sassy enough to renounce it. The film opens with her as narrator saying, “It’s like everything changed in the blink of an eye. One moment we were fine, then everything turned to shit.” (more…)
My Latest Article Published by Bitch: Quantico & ABC’s Sexy Orientalist Twist
My Take on #TheProphetMovie Published by #BitchMedia
Bitch just published my take on the film The Prophet. Check it out by clicking here:
FROM PRODUCER SALMA HAYEK, “THE PROPHET” FOCUSES ON THE POLITICAL POWER OF POETRY
My Article on #KatyPerrySuperBowl Got 14K Hits in 3 Days
Right after the Super Bowl, I published my take on the halftime show on my blog Feminist in the Suburbs. The next morning Bitch republished the article and got over 14K hits in 3 days! Check it out: Katy Perry’s Extremely Straight Performance of “I Kissed a Girl” at the Super Bowl.
Jeannie’s American Dream: My Feature Article–on Newsstands Now!
To read this article (in PDF), click here: Jeannie’s American Dream-The Assimilation of a TV Icon. It’s in the winter issue of the print magazine Bitch. Yes, that’s right, print is NOT dead. Get your copy now at your local bookstore, newsstand or on their website.
To hear me interviewed about the article on the podcast Popaganda, click here.
I look at how Jeannie, from the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, started off as an over-the-top Arab stereotype, but over the show’s five-year run was forced to assimilate due to pressure from network executives who wanted her to be more “likeable,” i.e. American. I also break down how Orientalism helped ratings and why, even though Jeannie calls Tony “Master,” she can be read as a feminist, transgressive character.
Stephanie Abraham 