Last summer I went to my first San Diego Comic Con. After taking in a panel on gender in comics (and one called “Most Dangerous Women of Comic Con”), visiting the Wired Cafe, and meeting Stephanie Thorpe and Kristen Nedopak I thought, “I’ve found my tribe.” I first encountered Helenna Santos-Levy when she appeared at the Con on the All Shapes and Sizes Welcome panel, which I covered for Women and Hollywood. More recently I wrote about Ms. in the Biz‘s first public event, “Navigating Hollywood’s Cutthroat Corners.” Now I’m thrilled to be writing a monthly column for one of the internet’s newest and potentially most valuable source on women and Hollywood.
Like all of you, I am a multi-hyphenate: Professor-theater director-writer-and-feminist, to name a few. My writing has been published by Ms. Magazine, Bitch Media, Women and Hollywood, XX Factor/Slate, RH Reality Check, and The Atlantic. My approach is at once analytical and activist and my goal is to use a feminist lens to critique pop culture, film, television, and theater; to promote the work of women doing interesting work; and to pose creative solutions to the structural inequalities that plague the entertainment industry, disadvantaging women and people of color and limiting the range of stories being told.
I’m excited to write for Ms. in the Biz because whereas my audiences at other outlets are intellectual feminists, fans, and the general public, you are the people actually making Hollywood run – the women on the front lines, so to speak. You all know the dismal statistics on how few women appear on screen, how many of them are not fully-rounded characters, and how few women get opportunities to direct, write, or produce big budget feature films. These problems exist for a reason – for a lot of reasons, actually – and can only be changed by a combination of collective action and individual efforts to challenge the status quo.
Whether it means consciously hiring more women for your projects, writing stories with more than two female characters, or challenging notions of what size, shape, color, sex, gender, and sexualities are attractive and valuable, these acts of equality are what will reshape Hollywood. In this column I hope to dig into the structural issues making entry into the industry especially difficult for women, to propose creative solutions, and to celebrate the things we love: imaginative content, compelling stories, and rich characters.
As a professor of theater, I’m also eager to talk concretely about the tools we use in our craft and our careers; such as the importance of vocal training, physical technique, and text analysis. I’ve already said I’m a geek girl, so you know I’ll be talking about gender in genre films. In the meantime, to get a sense of what topics you’d be interested in, I’ve got some questions for you.
1. What’s your favorite thing about being a woman working in Hollywood?
2. What’s your least favorite thing about being a woman working in Hollywood?
3. What’s your definition of feminist? Do you call yourself one?
4. What kind of projects are you working on?
5. What’s the act of equality you’re most proud of?
Let me know in the comments. I look forward to beginning a dialogue with you!