Gwyneth Paltrow, you are an amazing goddess. In your latest film, you rock and you roll. Your abs are hard, your smile is gold. There is a lovely power exchange between you and Robert Downey that should be noted by astute cultural studies scholars. So, as not to give it away, I simply say to everyone, "Suits on?" (See movie to get reference.)
I add Gwyneth Paltrow to my list of modern heroines. That list includes the perky,
yet-not-to-be-messed-with Kerry Washington, the liminal Charlize Theron, the priestess of stealth, Lucy Liu, and the way deep Uma Thurman. But who loves lists? I do. Lists are fallible, and not to be taken as truth. Therefore, I must be leaving out many wonderful women. Who would you add to the list? Suffice it to say, I love women who can flex their abs and think at the same time. Who doesn't, is a puss.
Why do I love these women? To say they are strong is way too easy.
Who
can talk about super women without giving major props to the classic heroine
Pam Grier, an original of woman of action (OWA) celebrated by filmmakers like Tarantino.
Another talented director, Shane Black, does this amazing thing in "Iron Man 3" (2013), featuring the gorgeous Tony Stark character (Robert Downey Jr.) and his heroine, Pepper Potts (Paltrow); Black gives us a Stark who, like the last James Bond ("Skyfall"), is pushing himself to the limit and thus must confront his mortality. But it is also morality that is interrogated in "Iron Man 3" something that is not lost on today's audience dealing with, among other things, a shamefully sluggish job market, but one that seemingly rewards innovation, and a sluggish hegemony, eager to maintain what is left of a shrinking status quo, a shrinkage brought on by a boom in new media. So who gets it? Who knows that layers upon layers of societal and economic complexity are layered upon the female form? Maybe Hollywood directors get it. Could that be who?
Here is an aside. Summertime break from schooling called me to DTLA (downtown LA) where I attended a talk at The Hammer. Inside, is a beautiful lecture hall where events are held such as the Hammer Forum event (Wed., June 6, 2013) "Corporate Media and the Public Interest". I attended this thought-provoking talk, part of a series that is happening this summer (great for a date night with your bookish "other"). Media leaders, national and LA-based (Reed Hundt, Kevin Roderick, and Henry Weinstein), led a discussion on the future of the LA Times, and the role of the FCC in limiting or expanding democracy. What a fantastic debate on the subject of Los Angeles media, oligarchy, monopoly, and business ethics. While the debaters discussed the prospect of an LA Times buyout by either the Koch Brothers, Murdoch, or a group mysteriously named "the local LA rich guys," the audience was reminded of the important role media and journalism play (or can play) in sustaining a democracy.
However, something was off.
What struck me about this media panel was that it as all male. Again.
How? It is 2013! Where are the women? Where are the people of color? Two groups noticeably absent from this discourse - people of color and women.
I hope as our taste for females in male-centric action movies grows, that there will be not only a proliferation of women on screen doing battle, but a proliferation of people of hue, too. Why Don Cheadle is, as far as I could determine, the lone person of hue in "Iron Man 3," is a good question.
Why there are so few women and minorities in board rooms, on stages, and in C-suites, is also up for discussion. Superheroes, all. All for all.
Whilst The Hammer media men were delightful, frank, and interesting, I couldn't help but wonder what a real-life Pepper Potts would bring to the conversation.
Alas, as a female, I must turn to action movies, directed by men, to get my fix of girl power. On the big screen is where we can see first-class decision making, or strong words, out of the mouthes of BABES. That the woman who speaks is gorgeous is happenstance. We know that if we, too, spent half the day at the gym, most likely, we too, could kick some a#$, and run a meeting.
What struck me about this media panel was that it as all male. Again.
How? It is 2013! Where are the women? Where are the people of color? Two groups noticeably absent from this discourse - people of color and women.
I hope as our taste for females in male-centric action movies grows, that there will be not only a proliferation of women on screen doing battle, but a proliferation of people of hue, too. Why Don Cheadle is, as far as I could determine, the lone person of hue in "Iron Man 3," is a good question.
Why there are so few women and minorities in board rooms, on stages, and in C-suites, is also up for discussion. Superheroes, all. All for all.
Whilst The Hammer media men were delightful, frank, and interesting, I couldn't help but wonder what a real-life Pepper Potts would bring to the conversation.
Alas, as a female, I must turn to action movies, directed by men, to get my fix of girl power. On the big screen is where we can see first-class decision making, or strong words, out of the mouthes of BABES. That the woman who speaks is gorgeous is happenstance. We know that if we, too, spent half the day at the gym, most likely, we too, could kick some a#$, and run a meeting.
The big screen is where we strong women can imagine a world more accessible to our kind.
Real life is where this needs to happen. Enter woman.
Real life is where this needs to happen. Enter woman.
She comes to collect. She is serious. Sometimes she is angry. Wow.
Does that work today, an angry woman with great abs, who is on a mission? Why not?
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