Producer is Afraid Female-Centered Films will Take Over Box Office

Producer Chris Moore has been arguing with fans on facebook in an attempt to get more people to buy tickets to the latest installment in the American Pie franchise.

He says “I do not want teen age girls owning the boxoffice. No ofense [sic] to them, I am rasing [sic] a beautiful one myself, but if the only movies that make any dough are twilight and hunger games than that is all you are going to see ....”

The man has a teenage daughter, and still apparently doesn’t care about the lack of films that portray women in a positive light. I hope he will take his daughter to see Hunger Games, and rejoice with her that this rare film offers a strong, young female lead, and a plot driven by survival over romance. Heaven forbid that teenage girls (and boys) are subjected to movies with engaging female characters!

Anita Sarkeesian is a feminist pop culture media critic whose video column, Feminist Frequency, Conversations with Pop Culture addresses just this issue in a wonderful piece on the 2011 Academy Award nominees for Best Picture.

Sarkeesian uses the Bechdel test, a concept conceived by comic writer Alison Bechdel to satirize the lack of significant female characters in film by using ridiculously low measures to determine the relevance of female characters to a movie plot.  

According to Sarkeesian, the Bechdel test has three requirements:

1.  The movie must have 2 (or more) female characters. 
2. Who have names.
3. And who talk to each other-- about something other than a man.

By this measure, only 2 (The Descendents and The Help) of the nine best pictures nominees in 2011 passed the Bechdel test, and 2 others received questionable passes because the encounters are so brief—5 and 11 seconds for Hugo and Midnight in Paris respectively. As Sarkeesian points out, the Bechdel test sets the bar embarrassingly low for women in film, and the vast majority of movies still fail.

Mr. Moore, I recently viewed the documentary Miss Representation about the damage caused by the under and misrepresentation of women in the media.  Hollywood is geared to the American Pie franchise’s target audience of young men. You really don’t have to worry about studios not funding the films that seem to be your bread and butter.

What you do need to worry about is the way your daughter (and all young women and men) are taught by the media to view and treat women.

Mr. Moore, I implore you to do three things:

1. Watch the clip referenced above about the Bechdel test.
2. Take your daughter to see Miss Representation. And talk with her about the way women are minimized by the media.
3. Take your daughter to see The Hunger Games.

And while you're there, buy the kid some popcorn, and sit back and enjoy a movie that centers around a strong, female character. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that there are enough explosions to satisfy even your demographic.

On Mother's Day

I am fortunate to have a very loving, dedicated mother. Yet for many years Mother's Day was painful for me as we went down the long path that eventually united us with Petunia.

So today, even as I relish Petunia's excitement in all her Mother's Day plans and secrets, and am beyond thankful that this amazing little girl is my daughter, I remember those who find this a difficult day.

For years we skipped church on Mother's Day because church has a way of bringing out my emotions, and they were just too close to the surface as we dreamed and worked towards becoming parents. So on this day I will always think of those who want to be mothers but are not.

I also remember those who have lost their mothers or their children. Amp and I shared stories with Petunia about her namesake grandmother this morning over breakfast. This day will always be tinged with sadness for Amp, his siblings, his father, and all who loved her, even as we remember what a wonderful mother she was. Her four children serve as a testament of her love and dedication to them.

Sadly, there are many people who do not have the joy of a loving relationship with their mothers. And there are those separated by tragic circumstance from their children. On this day I think of them.

For all who find this a painful day for whatever reason, I pray that you will find comfort and peace.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and the Human Condition

Catherine Zeta-Jones is my new hero. And not for any movie role she’s played. Certainly not for looking glamorous on the red carpet, though she does.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is my new hero for putting a face on bipolar disorder. And for being brave enough to admit that though she lives in Hollywood, her life isn’t perfect.

A new friend recently shared some news about a struggle her family is going through. I really admire her refusal to be held hostage by the situation.  Instead, she took control, in effect saying “Yes, this is happening. And no, it doesn’t define us.”

René Magritte, La Condition Humaine,  1933

Image Source: www.nga.gov

Wouldn’t it make it easier for all of us to cope with our own problems if we didn’t try to keep our difficulties private, but acknowledge that these challenges are part of the human condition?

Reframing

One of the useful holdovers from my counseling days is reframing—looking at a situation that might seem negative at first, and finding a positive way to perceive it.

 Image Source: www.framecityandgallery.com

So the fact that I’m underemployed can be reframed as . . . .me being fortunate to have a very flexible schedule.

We live in a small house which can sometimes be tough, especially since we’ve downsized, but . . . .we’ve reduced our carbon footprint—and utility bills.

Plus, buying this small house allows us to be in a walkable neighborhood near great restaurants, stores, and Petunia’s school.

Being on a budget is . . . .teaching Petunia about making responsible choices.

Petunia’s strong opinions about what she wears is not a plan to make her parents late and push us to our limits, but . . . .means that she:

a)      has her own sense of style

b)      is discerning

c)      is not afraid to use her voice

d)      is strong-willed

e)      all of the above

f)       other

I would love to hear some of the positive reframes that help you embrace your current circumstances. Also, please give me your opinion on how best to reframe Petunia's strong opinions on clothing!

Things Jesus Would Have Explicitly Spelled Out If He’d Realized How Dense We Are

We had a visit from some dear friends from West Virginia last week. They are an incredibly kind family of six who welcomed us with open arms when we moved to West Virginia. The mom hosted a baby shower for Petunia and she never fails to remember our forever family day. Her youngest child was Petunia’s first friend, and we joke that they’ll marry someday.  (Well, they joke, and I plan.)

She and her husband met because they both went to mass every day. In their small town, they were the only two young single folks there daily and gradually she noticed that he was sitting closer and closer to her day by day. Isn’t that a sweet story?

These are the kind of folks who have one car—by choice. They used to have two, but they knew someone who really needed one and they decided they could get by with one, so they gave one of their cars away. They’re also the kind of folks who always have a full house on Easter, and who routinely take in other families to help them through a tough spot.

They’re also folks who make it to church every week without fail. I don’t think the two practices necessarily have to go hand in hand, but I suspect these two behaviors support each other. As their eight-year-old son explained to me when they visited, “Jesus said if you can’t go to church on Sunday, go on Saturday,” which is why I’m rooting for a Saturday service to be added to my church.

I’m afraid that book is missing from my Bible, but I love that this family is so absolutely committed to their faith. Church is an important part of our lives, but I’ll admit there are times we just don’t make it.

I’m pretty sure that missing book of the Bible must be the one called “Things Jesus Would Have Explicitly Spelled Out If He’d Realized How Dense We Are.”  And I’m pretty sure a lot of the content would be very relevant to me.

Since I don’t have that book I remain thankful that we have been blessed with so many living examples of God’s love.

Where Jesus Jams at SXSW



I’ve been reading about SXSW, the music, film and technology festival which wrapped in Austin last week. (For the uninitiated, SXSW is the acronym for South by Southwest, or as the cool kids are apparently calling it now, South by.)  We lived in Austin while Amp was in law school and loved it. There was a popular bumper sticker when we were there called “Keep Austin Weird”—a slogan which has since been applied to Asheville and which fits nicely. I love the food, the music, and the culture in both these places, but I especially love that both places are open to people who are outside the norm.

We also fell in love with our church there, Central Presbyterian.

Image Source: www.downtownaustin.com

It was the first church that was really a great fit for us. We felt welcomed and valued—and thankful that our church strove to make everyone feel the same way.  We are fortunate that our current church, Grace Covenant Presbyterian, does a great job of this as well. Any time I think about Austin, I feel nostalgic about our time at Central, but especially when I read this article on CNN, Where Would Jesus Jam?

Where would Jesus Jam? On the corner of 8th and Brazos for one, and I can think of several spots in Asheville too. Where would Jesus jam in your neck of the woods?

A Tisket A Tasket

Petunia is a wanna-be songwriter. She comes by the desire naturally, since I’m

constantly making up silly songs.  Another time I’ll share one of her original

masterpieces, but for now I just want to share a song she came home from

preschool singing, and insisted that I email to my parents. I’m pretty sure a little

creative misunderstanding helped inspire this one.

When you see the itallycs, think “big finish,” jazz hands and all.

"A tisket a tasket,

A green yellow basket,

If you wanna gonna ask it.

There's a new girl in town,

And her name's BIG BASKET!"

Move over Ella. There's a new girl in town.