Bloody Feminism in Hollywood: Content Analysis of a Feminist-coauthored Teen-film Cycle

• In Event: 235 - Regular Session. Popular Culture and the Politics of Authenticity

Abstract

What theory of reflection best explains shifts in the appearances of bloody misogyny and feminism in Hollywood films? This research on mean-girl films began as a content analysis of misogyny in ‘slasher’ movies and inadvertently uncovered the contributions of a group of feminist filmmakers over the last two and a half decades. We identify a cycle of structurally similar mean-girl movies that mostly gained release in the late 1990s (but which have reappeared since 2009), and compare them to slasher movies produced in the same industry and released during the same 1990s period. This comparison allows us to address two scholarly claims: that the slasher genre has been uniquely likely to depict violence against girls as entertainment, and that depictions of violence by girls are parts of national crackdowns on crime and backlashes against feminism. We find that mean girl movies feature relatively more sexualized violence and attacks against female characters than slashers do, but focus less on the fear that girls display. Instead, mean girl movies, many of which are authored by feminist filmmakers, rehearse themes of girls’ joint empowerment against forces of inequality. Violent mean girl movies paralleled violent slasher movies in origin, and their releases coincide more with shifts in Hollywood depictions of violence than they do with public concerns about girls. These findings suggest that a production of culture approach will better illuminate the appearances of feminism and misogyny on screen.

Authors

• Neal King, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Talitha Rose, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University