Once again you find yourself watching TV and getting frustrated:
Why are these female characters fighting over a man (again)?
Why is everyone white on this show when I step out my door to a world of diversity?
Who has time to blow out their hair before solving a crime?
How do you channel that annoyance into changing the narrative landscape of TV and movies to better represent you and the world you live in?
Let’s get serious: Hollywood isn’t going to change unless we demand it. They are comfortable with the standard white male hero’s quest because it suits them. However, it doesn’t suit the majority of America – so how do we work to change it as female filmmakers and consumers of media?
Don’t Settle
We live in a golden age of TV where we don’t have to settle with what is on a certain channel. If everything on cable is sexist and racist at 7:30pm, jump on Netflix and seek out movies and TV made by women with diverse points of view.
Most likely, these movies struggled to secure any significant marketing, so they need dedicated consumers like us to take the extra step and seek them out. Once I stopped being lazy about my TV experience, I found a bounty of amazing stories that more accurately reflected the world I lived in.
Be a Part of the Conversation
A great way to find these movie and TV shows by women filmmakers is to follow people on Twitter who share your passion for feminist film. One of my favorite indie film finds came from a tweet from Alyssa Rosenberg about Toe to Toe, which was an incredible film about race and gender. I don’t know if I ever would’ve found that film without following Alyssa on Twitter.
Melissa Silverstein is another great person to follow because her blog on Indiewire: Women and Hollywood consistently discusses great films and TV shows being created by women. Melissa also discusses the greater issues of sexism in Hollywood.
This is the other important aspect of being a part of the conversation: engage in the Twitter conversations about feminist media issues as they come up: A) so you don’t feel alone in your frustration, and B) because you witness social change as it happens and get to be a part of the positive response to a negative situation.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Hollywood is a strange place where art and business collide. If you don’t like a movie or TV show, don’t purchase it. Even if other people in your life want to go see that summer blockbuster, don’t buy a ticket if it’s going to make you feel shitty.
Conversely, support indie films being made by women. Track Kickstarter projects that are pushing the envelope and donate to them. Trust me, that filmmaker needs every $20 they can get.
Ultimately, by supporting films made by women, we can help them bust out of the bubble of indie film and hopefully influence studios. I truly believe that each small action we take can work to change the larger narrative landscape.
Create What You Don’t See
If after doing all of these steps, you still don’t see the world you live in reflected on screen: write it. We need diverse story telling more than ever.
As I wrote for Women and Hollywood, sometimes it takes one pissed off woman to write the stories needed to fill the gaping void. So many web series are bringing diverse stories to life and finding an audience who are craving a fresh viewpoint. Check out The Outs, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, and My Gimpy Life for stories and characters that you won’t find on TV.
After watching these series, I was inspired to write and direct my own web series, Cost of Living to explore two themes that I was struggling to find on TV: the intimacy of true female friends and the dark side of following your dream without a financial cushion. Our second episode “Lady Date” highlights both of these themes.
Now just completed fundraising on Kickstarter to finish filming Season 1, and I’m heartened by the incredible support from the feminist community. We all are craving new stories, so let’s work together to create them and help those stories ripple out to Hollywood decision makers.
Then maybe we can go see a Hollywood blockbuster that makes us feel like we can save the world instead of be married to the guy that does.