The Patriarchy is Sus

    Both movies we watched toward the end of the semester contained valuable lessons about the importance of female friendships and sisterly love.  In Mustang , for example, the sisters, and at times other female relatives, looked out for each other when it seemed like no one else was there for them. Frozen also shows the bond between sisters Anna and Elsa. When Anna needed an act of true love, it was saving her sister that kept her alive instead of a “true love’s kiss” that we often see in other Disney movies.  In both of these movies, we see that close female friendships and sisterly bonds are important to hold on to because those people are able to support and understand you when no one else will.  Trigger warning for mention of suicide Also Fleabag spoilers One show that also does a good job of showing sisterly love and female friendships is Fleabag . The show begins shortly after the main character loses her best friend, Boo. Fleabag slept with Boo’s boyfr...

  One thing from the Minding the Gap documentary that stood out to me as an example of toxic masculinity is the domestic violence seen from Zack. This isn’t to say toxic masculinity is always involved in situations of abuse, but Zack’s attitude in particular towards his fights with Nina seems to be rooted in toxically masculine ideas. When Bing asked him about hitting Nina, Zack went on about how she wouldn’t stop talking during fights and how sometimes, when they won’t listen to you, “bitches need to get slapped.” Zack’s idea that he needs to resort to physical violence so a woman will act the way he wants reminds me of the idea of the reading from Liz Plank’s “For the Love of Men.” The reading touches on how the idea that violence and angry outbursts are acceptable ways to deal with your problems is rooted in toxic masculinity. Boys are taught from a young age to suppress their emotions. They are told that “men don’t cry” or “men don’t hug”. If they never develop the skills neces...