Lately, when anybody asks me 'Watched any movies?', I blank out. It might be due to the fact that when someone puts me on the spot I draw a blank anyway, but in this case it is more to do with the fact that none of the movies I watch seem to be the sort that stay with you hours after the credits have rolled. It's also true that I do not watch a lot of movies as such. I firmly believe in selective absorption of popular culture. And after one particularly traumatic incident (I don't remember what it was), I decided I was going to be very very choosy about which movie I watch, given how I was devoting 2 hours of my life to it when I could be making better use of those precious hours.
So, it's mostly been a case of trying to watch P.S. I love you/Bride wars/Marley and Me/random supposedly good flick and turning it off after a few minutes because I cannot bloody stand the nincompoopery I am being subjected to. I really should learn to apply the Bechdel test before I start a movie, as recommended by a reader when I cribbed earlier about movies.
And then I read this article and had a 'Twing!' moment. I kept reading and my brain was yelling 'She is so bloody right!!!'. The piece basically compares the rom-coms of yore to those of today and draws a conclusion that modern-day rom-coms are essentially misogynistic and dumbed-down versions. In a really bizzarre manner, it appears that movies about women in this supposedly modern era actually portray them in a poorer light than those earlier. Evidently, the heroines of yesteryears were far more advanced, individual, liberated and strong compared to the heroines of today. As the article says
... the women who people today's romantic comedies seem to have three main obsessions ... [shopping, babies and marriage].
And
Now, at a time when 70% of women are in the workforce, career women in romantic comedies are generally either portrayed as incompetent, cruel, or both... [it is] quite insulting that a career woman now is something that is so frowned upon. You see depictions of women who are supposedly at the top of their game, yet they can't walk down a corridor in a white suit without pouring coffee on themselves or walking into a bush. The films are not very subtly saying 'yes, they may be at the top in their jobs, but actually what they really need is a man. In fact, a husband.
And while on one hand there is this pre-feminist portrayal to be worrying about, there is another aspect that is equally worrying. With more and more heroines being portrayed as independent, career-minded, selfish individuals who get 'tamed' by the men involved, the message being sent out is that it's okay to simply expect that one will only get the best without having to put in work, that if something isn't perfect at the start and on the surface then there's no need to dig deeper but simply give it a boot.
As one of the girls Kira Cochrane interviewed post the movie watching, said, "I see marriage as a bit of a negative thing ... You're signing your life away. Very few of our parents are still together, so why would we want to go through all that?"
So while every other rom-com tells the girls of today that they can get away with being selfish and not settle for less than what they expect until marriage happens and all that will change, they are also sending the message across that marriages, nay, even stable relationships are hard to come by and do not last. Is it any surprise then, that the target audience ends up in a 'Why make an effort then?' rut.
It's a rather scary scenario. Specially for parents. It's come to a point where parents are simply thankful to see their children married at all, at whatever age, than simply shacking up with someone or turning out to be gay (no offense to the gay community there).
Coming back to the point though. It's imperative that the whole notion of romance and the role of a heroine are drastically altered from their present day avtars.
It's not just movies and TV shows that are the problem. Even books seems to be going the same way. Chick-lit's taken off in a big way but instead of liberating the modern woman, it has shackled her worse than before. And romance novels, or rather Mills & Boon romances, are not the same as before either. They seem to get raunchier and raunchier with nothing else to bind the pages together except the smut. As my friend D once said "It's not fiction dude, it's fuction!!!"
Now while I tend to avoid romance novels like french beans curry, I did read a few good ones. The most prominent ones in my mind are Georgette Heyers' books. Her heroines really were the sounky, imaginative, spirited creatures that heroines are supposed to be. Not in all her books, but most. I particularly enjoyed Sylvester and Cotillion. And if I were forced to choose an M&B work, it would have to be The Faraway Bride. Describing the journey of an orphaned English girl who marries an Australian visitor when he proposes to her in a fit of anger at his match-maing aunt, the book is more about the heroine's move to Australia and her very successful efforts at acclimatising herself to her new home while slowly building a relationship with this stranger she married than any action between all characters involved ... it's a book that has stayed in my mind for years. It's description of Australia and its characters made it a wholesome read. I often wondered why it was made into a romance novel ... I thought it deserved better than to be clubbed with 'fuction'.
And I truly wish this is what I could find in the movies, TV shows and books of now. A female role model who is spunky, imaginative, creative, smart, intelligent, hard working and just flawed enough to make her human. Someone who does not have outrageous expectations of romance but is happy to go along and play the game, make the best of it and emerge a winner. I wish to find A Heroine.
* No this is not an ad inviting proposals, decent or otherwise.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 07, 2009
One Sixth
Rayshma has tagged me. I must pick up the sixth photo in the sixth folder of my photos and post it here with a brief descritption-cum-explanation. Here goes:
Luckily for me it turned out to be a somewhat non-personal photo and oddly it was in a folder titled 'Photo efforts'. I remember this clearly. I had set out one cold March morning last year with the express purpose of doing some photography with my hardly-used, snazzy new camera which promised to make a photographer of me yet. I somehow ended up in Green Park and walked to Piccadilly Circus taking random shots. I found myself opposite Burlington Arcade (purportedly Britain's longest covered shopping street, and its first shopping Arcade too) and standing where I was I thought the lights hanging along the arcade's ceiling made for an interesting photo op and I took a few shots. This is the very first of those shots and my composition improved with each successive effort. Not my best, but I did say I only just made an effort.
I'd like to tag: Clueless Chick (I hope her photo is one of Rummy!), Anna Bond, Orange Jammies, Amey, Vaudevillian and Anu.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
NDTV and Barkha Dutt, it sucks to be you!
That's right, I'm joining the bandwagon of bloggers speaking up against NDTV and Barkha Dutt's recent misbehaviour and misdemeanour.
Wait, this is the press right? And she is a journalist, right? Someone please send them a howler or whatever it takes to remind them of that basic tenet of journalism.
Please note, opinion. It's a free country. Everyone is allowed an opinion. And the fundamental right to the freedom of speech and expression. The press meantime, is expected to do their duty and present facts for the edification of the general public and not indulge in colouring up their reporting in whatever hues they wish. Expecting the public to simply swallow whatever is thrown their way and not speak up when they think something isn't right is stupidity.
Incidentally, did you know there is a facebook group called "Can u please take BARKHA off air!"? So what are you going to do next? Sue all 100 odd members?
I can't express myself as well as Chandni, MM, or Amrutha Upendran have, all I'm going to say is that is doesn't matter who is doing it, a big corporate giant and a well-known journalist (?) who react as they have done, are still akin to bullies on the playground and while they may have the sympathy of the higher authorities for a while, it won't last. The playground won't be so cosy anymore when the rest of the kids get fed up and push you out.
I'm standing up for myself and my right to the freedom of speech as a law-abiding citizen who expects a few basic rights in exchange for paying taxes and keeping the country going, by displaying this badge I borrowed from Sunayana Roy.
Edited to add: The badge is courtesy MayG actually. Thank you MayG and Sunayana.
Wait, this is the press right? And she is a journalist, right? Someone please send them a howler or whatever it takes to remind them of that basic tenet of journalism.
Opinion is free, facts are sacred.
Please note, opinion. It's a free country. Everyone is allowed an opinion. And the fundamental right to the freedom of speech and expression. The press meantime, is expected to do their duty and present facts for the edification of the general public and not indulge in colouring up their reporting in whatever hues they wish. Expecting the public to simply swallow whatever is thrown their way and not speak up when they think something isn't right is stupidity.
Incidentally, did you know there is a facebook group called "Can u please take BARKHA off air!"? So what are you going to do next? Sue all 100 odd members?
I can't express myself as well as Chandni, MM, or Amrutha Upendran have, all I'm going to say is that is doesn't matter who is doing it, a big corporate giant and a well-known journalist (?) who react as they have done, are still akin to bullies on the playground and while they may have the sympathy of the higher authorities for a while, it won't last. The playground won't be so cosy anymore when the rest of the kids get fed up and push you out.
I'm standing up for myself and my right to the freedom of speech as a law-abiding citizen who expects a few basic rights in exchange for paying taxes and keeping the country going, by displaying this badge I borrowed from Sunayana Roy.
Edited to add: The badge is courtesy MayG actually. Thank you MayG and Sunayana.
Too good to not share
Remember 'Kids say the darndest things'? The Guardian recently had a bunch of kids interview celebrities and published, along with the actual interviews, a set of questions that were not allowed. Here you go:
To Steven Gerrard "Do you ever get drunk?" George Coyle, 11
To Zac Efron "Are you gay?" Alex Mackay, 9
To Banksy "Would you do graffiti on our house? I'm sure my mum wouldn't mind." Daniel Redfern, 8
To Gordon Brown "I'm afraid of dying, and sometimes afraid of the dark. Are you?" Margot Leys Johnston, 7
To Bob Dylan "Why aren't you a lady?" Marco Lewis, 4
To Damian Lewis "Sometimes people in year 6 and year 4 make up songs about my hair and follow me round singing them, like, 'Get back in your biscuit tin, Ginger, Ginger.' Did anything like that happen to you at school?" Bali King, 10
To Kylie Minogue "Are you jealous of your sister's success?" Emma Jacobs, 10
To Amy Winehouse "Is it true that you put Haribos up your bra?" Francesca Scott, 9
To Wayne Rooney "What would you have done if it wasn't for football? Postman is a good job." Lewis Barclay, 8
To Mick Jagger "Do you know the answer to: 1,000,000,000 x 1,000,000,000 - 300 + 1,000?" Billy Hill, 9
To Darcey Bussell "Have you ever eaten a whole Mars bar?" Breeze Cockburn, 10
To Lewis Hamilton "What do you do if you need a wee while you're racing?" Rhys Birkin-Flory, 9
To Alex Ferguson "You're one of the most successful managers in the world. But my dad, a Rangers fan, says you weren't so good when you were centre forward for his team. What qualities do you bring to management that you didn't have as a player?" Dan Wolff, 9
To Victoria Beckham "Do you ever get blisters wearing them gorgeous high heels?" Eliza Newman, 11
To Bart Simpson "I have one little ear and one big ear. Why are your ears so tiny?" Cullum King, 6
To Tom Daley "Do you have any views on Tibet?" Orla Kearns, 10
To the Queen "Have you ever met my granny in your dreams?" Lucy Edgar, 6
To Johnny Depp "How many pairs of pants have you got?" Kirill Everett, 11
To Derren Brown "I've seen you, have you seen me?" Geno Racklin, 6
To Anthony Horowitz "Do you think the earth is doomed?" Ronan Duff, 11
To Justin Timberlake "If you walked into a shop that sold everything from a simple bag to a
mirror that, when you walked through it, would take you to a mirror world, what, if you could only buy one thing, would you get?" India Morgan, 11
To Roger Federer "Is Gillette really the best a man can get?" Fabien Ruthven, 11
To Dougie Poynter [of McFly] "Did you see me throw my bra on stage at Oakwood?" Felicity Wilkins, 12
To David Bowie "Do you regret calling your son Zowie?" Joel Ronson, 9
To Nick Cave "What pet have you got? My dog Ernie only has one eye and is quite fat, but I think you'd like him." Alice Hadley, 7
To Alicia Keys "Does your husband have a hairy nose?" Martha Rose Jackson, 4
To Phil Scolari "I guess you've got a new house in London. How many toilets has it got? Ours has got three, one for each member of our family apart from my dad." Charlie Webb, 8
To Brian May "Do you think there is any relationship between music and space?" Yash Sewpaul, 6
To Billie Piper "Why didn't you tell your mum and dad you were going to marry Chris Evans?" Madeleine Attwood-Jones, 10
To Nigel Kennedy "Do you like being called Nigel?" Miranda Stocker, 8
To Miley Cyrus "Do pop stars do homework?" Ruby Smith, 8
To Steven Gerrard "Do you ever get drunk?" George Coyle, 11
To Zac Efron "Are you gay?" Alex Mackay, 9
To Banksy "Would you do graffiti on our house? I'm sure my mum wouldn't mind." Daniel Redfern, 8
To Gordon Brown "I'm afraid of dying, and sometimes afraid of the dark. Are you?" Margot Leys Johnston, 7
To Bob Dylan "Why aren't you a lady?" Marco Lewis, 4
To Damian Lewis "Sometimes people in year 6 and year 4 make up songs about my hair and follow me round singing them, like, 'Get back in your biscuit tin, Ginger, Ginger.' Did anything like that happen to you at school?" Bali King, 10
To Kylie Minogue "Are you jealous of your sister's success?" Emma Jacobs, 10
To Amy Winehouse "Is it true that you put Haribos up your bra?" Francesca Scott, 9
To Wayne Rooney "What would you have done if it wasn't for football? Postman is a good job." Lewis Barclay, 8
To Mick Jagger "Do you know the answer to: 1,000,000,000 x 1,000,000,000 - 300 + 1,000?" Billy Hill, 9
To Darcey Bussell "Have you ever eaten a whole Mars bar?" Breeze Cockburn, 10
To Lewis Hamilton "What do you do if you need a wee while you're racing?" Rhys Birkin-Flory, 9
To Alex Ferguson "You're one of the most successful managers in the world. But my dad, a Rangers fan, says you weren't so good when you were centre forward for his team. What qualities do you bring to management that you didn't have as a player?" Dan Wolff, 9
To Victoria Beckham "Do you ever get blisters wearing them gorgeous high heels?" Eliza Newman, 11
To Bart Simpson "I have one little ear and one big ear. Why are your ears so tiny?" Cullum King, 6
To Tom Daley "Do you have any views on Tibet?" Orla Kearns, 10
To the Queen "Have you ever met my granny in your dreams?" Lucy Edgar, 6
To Johnny Depp "How many pairs of pants have you got?" Kirill Everett, 11
To Derren Brown "I've seen you, have you seen me?" Geno Racklin, 6
To Anthony Horowitz "Do you think the earth is doomed?" Ronan Duff, 11
To Justin Timberlake "If you walked into a shop that sold everything from a simple bag to a
mirror that, when you walked through it, would take you to a mirror world, what, if you could only buy one thing, would you get?" India Morgan, 11
To Roger Federer "Is Gillette really the best a man can get?" Fabien Ruthven, 11
To Dougie Poynter [of McFly] "Did you see me throw my bra on stage at Oakwood?" Felicity Wilkins, 12
To David Bowie "Do you regret calling your son Zowie?" Joel Ronson, 9
To Nick Cave "What pet have you got? My dog Ernie only has one eye and is quite fat, but I think you'd like him." Alice Hadley, 7
To Alicia Keys "Does your husband have a hairy nose?" Martha Rose Jackson, 4
To Phil Scolari "I guess you've got a new house in London. How many toilets has it got? Ours has got three, one for each member of our family apart from my dad." Charlie Webb, 8
To Brian May "Do you think there is any relationship between music and space?" Yash Sewpaul, 6
To Billie Piper "Why didn't you tell your mum and dad you were going to marry Chris Evans?" Madeleine Attwood-Jones, 10
To Nigel Kennedy "Do you like being called Nigel?" Miranda Stocker, 8
To Miley Cyrus "Do pop stars do homework?" Ruby Smith, 8
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