Tag Archives: documentary

“About Face” Asks Supermodels To Consider Aging

Julie GersteinDecember 15, 2011 //

Why "ugly" models are bad for girls. Read More »

Top Model Tips

12 tips from an ANTM alum on how to survive the house. 13 Photos »

Models Falling

Proof that walking in heels is just as difficult as it looks. 7 Photos »

Perhaps it’s models who feel the tyranny of aging more than anyone. At least that’s the hypothesis put forth by Timothy Greenfield-Sunders, maker of the new documentary “About Face,” which explores the ways that women who’ve made a living off of being beautiful feel about aging. Greenfield-Sunders interviews current and former models, including Jerry Hall, Isabella Rosselini and Paulina Porizkova, who notes, “Modeling doesn’t have anything to do with self-confidence. Working off your looks makes you the opposite of self-confident.” Continues Porizkova, “So maybe I became beautiful once I stopped modeling.” [YouTube]

Check Out “The Purity Myth” Documentary, Now On DVD

Jessica WakemanDecember 6, 2011 //

The Purity Myth

Jessica Valenti explains why "purity" is a dangerous goal for teen girls. Read More »

"Virgin Diaries" Kiss

Watch the most awkward first kiss in the history of first kisses. Watch »

Virgin Celebs

13 celebs who've pledged to keep it in their pants until marriage. 13 Photos »

You’re (hopefully) already a fan of The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession With Virginity Is Hurting Young Women, by Jessica Valenti, the kickass activist and blogger who co-founded Feministing.com. But did you know her groundbreaking book has been made into a documentary, now available on DVD? “The Purity Myth” documentary is narrated by Valenti herself and walks us through the cultural resurgence in “purity” that has every female celeb bragging she will be a virgin on her wedding night. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Watch “Miss Representation” On OWN Tonight

Jessica WakemanOctober 20, 2011 //

Tonight is the television premiere of “Miss Representation,” a new documentary about how women are depicted in the mass media. The doc was written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newson and features commentary from Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Gloria Steinem, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson, and my friend Jennifer L. Pozner, who runs a feminist media watchdog group called Women In Media & News. “Miss Representation” is airing at 9 p.m. (EST) on OWN, Oprah’s network — make sure you watch! [MissRepresentation.org]
An FBI subcommittee voted unanimously yesterday to change the official definition of “rape” so it includes a broader range of rapes other than just “forcible” ones against women. The existing definition did not encompass rapes committed against men or rapes that were not physically aggressive, such as those committed after slipping roofies in a person’s drink. The definition still needs to be approved by FBI Director Robert Mueller, however. [Feminist.org] Keep reading »

“You Betcha,” There’s Yet Another Sarah Palin Documentary!

Jessica WakemanSeptember 10, 2011 //

Oh, look, yet another documentary about Sarah Palin. What a surprising topic. The latest Palin doc is titled “You Betcha” and was funded with $30K in crowd-sourced funding from Kickstarter, as well as private donations. It debuts at the Toronto Film Festival this weeknd and will open in New York City and Los Angeles on Sept. 30. What could this latest Palin tell us about the ex-Alaskan governor that we don’t already know from several years on non-stop media coverage, as well as her conservative-slanted bio-pic “The Undefeated“? That is something we’ll have to wait and see. Come on, people. I love documentaries more than the average person, but this insanity has got to stop. [The Hollywood Reporter] Keep reading »

We See Chick Flicks: “Gloria: In Her Own Words”

Jessica WakemanAugust 15, 2011 //

Gloria Steinem became famous in 1963 when she published an article called “A Bunny’s Tale” in which she went undercover at a Playboy Club to expose the treatment of its waitresses. In the decade-plus to follow, Gloria became one of the most public faces of the burgeoning “second wave” feminist movement. She fought for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, advocated for abortion to be legalized, pushed the mainstream women’s movement to recognize that lesbian rights were an integral part of women’s rights, and of course was the very first editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine. The heyday for the “third wave” feminist battles have arguably passed, but Gloria Steinem is still kickin’ (enough to put Glenn Beck into a fit, shrieking about how the “’60s have passed”). Any young woman or young man who has discovered feminism in the past 50 years will come across something that has Gloria Steinem’s fingerprints on it. Naturally such an icon deserves, at age 77, to be memorialized in her very own documentary. Keep reading »

“From The Back Of The Room”: New Documentary On Women In Punk Music

Jessica WakemanJuly 24, 2011 //

It’s been a kickass couple of years for women in music alternative scenes. Last year two books that dealt heavily with the Riot Grrl movement were published — Girls To The Front by Sara Marcus and Girl Power: The ’90s Revolution In Music by Marisa Meltzer — and a tour documentary about the band Le Tigre called “Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour” debuted this spring. And there’s more kickass-ness where that came from, ladies and gents! Check out “From The Back Of The Room,” a new documentary about women in the DIY punk scene which is currently doing screenings up and down the East Coast. The punk scene is super-embracing of people who want an alternative from mainstream culture. Yet the scene is not always the sexism- and racism-free haven you think it is going to be, says one woman in the film. I would love to see a screening of “From The Back Of The Room,” especially since Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill and Le Tigre appears in it. [Pitchfork] Keep reading »

New Documentary “The Lavender Scare” Remembers When Gays Were Purged From Government

Jessica WakemanJuly 15, 2011 //

We all know at least a little bit about our government’s hyper-overreaction to “the red menace” back in the 1950s. Men and women throughout politics, the media and Hollywood lost their jobs if anyone thought they were a Communist or Communist-sympathizer. A lesser known story, however, is how the U.S. government also tried to get rid of homosexuals. Lesbians and gay men were thought to be “sex perverts” and could lose their jobs serving the U.S. government if anyone found out. A new documentary called “The Lavender Menace,” which is currently in production, introduces us to the men and women who lost their jobs during this time and shows how a few of them, including an adorable old man named Frank Kameny, fought back. Keep reading »

Watch The “Dark Girls” Documentary Trailer

Jessica WakemanMay 27, 2011 //

The trailer for “Dark Girls,” a new documentary about black women and their skin tone, had me in tears by the end. “Dark Girls” examines racism and colorism both inside and outside of the black community and the societal devaluing of dark-skinned blacks (cough, Psychology Today, cough) dating back to slavery. I don’t feel as if I, as a white woman, can really do justice to the potential of this film, so I’ll encourage you to read this great post about “Dark Girls” on The Black Snob by blogger Danielle Belton. For us documentary fans, this one is definitely a must-see.

[YouTube]
[The Black Snob] Keep reading »

The Sad Truth: Pretty Girls Get Free Stuff

Winona Dimeo-EdigerMay 26, 2011 //

Carolyn Owlett pulled her hair back into a ponytail, threw on a frumpy skirt, and walked around London asking if she could have everything for free, from a bus ride to a piece of cake. Most people looked at her like she was crazy. Then she curled her hair into shiny ringlets, put on makeup, a tight dress, and high heels, and did the same thing. Most people looked at her … and then gave her whatever she wanted. The results of her one-woman experiment are depressing, but also fascinating to watch. Would you agree with her findings? Have you witnessed the ways society rewards conventionally beautiful women or experienced them firsthand? [Bright Hands Pictures via Vimeo]
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Today’s Lady News: Sarah Palin Gets A Documentary Called “The Undefeated”

Jessica WakemanMay 25, 2011 //

A documentary about Sarah Palin called “The Undefeated” is set to premiere in Iowa next month. Just last week Palin and her husband, Todd, watched the final cut off the video at the new home they’ve reportedly bought in Arizona. The film was financed and made by conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon, who last year debuted a documentary about the Tea Party, “Generation Zero,” on the Fox News Channel. The documentary is about Palin’s record in Alaska, focusing on her life before she and her family shot to international fame. Bannon reportedly wants to help reacquaint the country with Palin’s core values in an effort to make her a more viable candidate for a presidential run. Anyone interested in checking out “The Undefeated”? [Real Clear Politics]
The House of Representatives banned teaching hospitals from using federal funds to teach med students how to perform abortions. Women’s health advocates say it is crucial for doctors to know how to perform abortions, even if they choose not to do so in their own practice, as they may be faced with the need to perform one as a life-saving procedure. Ugh. Everyone who voted for this should be forced to watch “The Cider House Rules.” [AP]
MSNBC’s Ed Schultz called right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” and a “talk slut” on air. Extremely inappropriate. [Change.org]

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