This looks fascinating and will add to our understanding of why America can't seem to accept female leadership at the top. Women face discrimination at every level, and this one may be the most basic. I'll be a regular reader.
Thank you! I agree that this is one of the most basic, yet least recognized ways in which women face obstacles gaining power -- and succeeding once they get there. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow--The Contrarian keeps bringing the best here! Thank you, Azza Cohen, for your excellent and thoughtful videography of MVP Kamala Harris (just the thought of her makes me smile and also want to burst into tears at what we could have had). Thank you for articulating what so many of us saw in the way Kamala Harris (and before her, Hillary Clinton) was (mis)treated visually--in contrast to every male candidate for the presidency--and the way women politicians are subtly (or not so subtly) visually diminished. I look forward to the insights from this column. When so much of the electorate makes voting decisions based on a combination of misinformation and vague feelings, the insidious influence of visual sexism (and sometimes what I'd call visual misogyny) cannot be discounted.
Cecelia, thank you so much for writing this. I woke up every day full of purpose to frame MVP Kamala Harris with the dignity and authority she deserved, and every day I saw how she was framed by others...it was so enraging. Of course this happened to Secretary Clinton, and all the women who have come before. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
This is different! And I could not understand how some women said they would not vote for a woman to be president. It's as if they've got their heads in the sand.
Pat, thank you for writing. I agree that it's very hard to understand, and I think this is where visual sexism also plays a role -- it's not just affecting how men perceive women in power, but how everyone perceives women in power. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Sally, thank you for writing. I feel your pain and miss her too. We will get through this together! And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow, thank you Laura for these kind words! I look forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Thank you, Gail! I've been thinking about this for so long and am truly grateful that The Contrarian gave me a home to explore this. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Hi Susan! What did you study in grad school? I'm very interested to get your take and hoping to make this academic yet relatable. Please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Hi Azza. I can't be much help, I've been out of grad school a long time. I studied British literature at the intersection of race, women writers, and history. I wrote one article on depictions of African characters in British plays--very much a question of acceptance or disdain. I can't recall the scholar who brought up female fragmentation in the sonnet form. Italians thought it was nonsense, but it speaks to female objectification. I did a Google search and got nowhere, but I see any number of articles about the fragmented female body accessible now. Good luck with your project.
Thank you, Marian, for the kind words! I'm looking forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
The New York Times always discriminated against Kamala Harris in every shot. They always had her smaller and less than Trump, who scored all the living big headlines. I saw this visual discrimination in most of the main stream media.
You're so right. It wasn't just "far right" media -- it was everywhere. I think a lot of the time it's not intentional or malicious, but it's of course nefarious just the same. I'd love to get your take so please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Thank you, Brenda! I look forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Patty, that's so nice thank you! I look forward to writing more too. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow - I will look forward to these columns. I hope I find them, though - haven't yet quite figured out how to manage all the content from The Contrarian!
Thank you so much! If you're subscribed, you should get this column directly from the roundup emails. Feel free to let me know here if you don't. I'm writing it every other week. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow, thank you Lynn for the kind words! I'm so grateful to The Contrarian for giving me a place to investigate and explore this concept. I've been thinking about it my whole time in the industry as a cinematographer and truly looking forward to starting this conversation in public. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Azza, my compliments for trying to make this country more fair for women. BUT, as long as so many women, here in the US and - really - all around the world, can't wait to run other women down, nothing will change and no woman will ever be elected president of these United States.
These are women who don't even personally know the women they're hating on. Just look at so many of the comments posted by women to whatever the first woman posted on social media. The same goes for news items reported in newspapers or any other media. The meanest and nastiest comments posted are by other women, at least 95% of the time.
Hi there, I agree that it's very troubling when women run each other down. I don't think we always have to vote based on gender, but what I argue is that visual sexism brings all of us down -- it affects not just how men view women in power, but how everyone views women in power. And it robs all of us of the opportunity for brilliant leaders to have a fair shot.
What a novel and welcome new perspective. Thank you Ms. Cohen and thank you The Contrarian for bringing this to us. So look forward to more.
Thank you, Wendy! I'm really looking forward to writing more. Please send your ideas directly to me on Substack or to submit@contrariannews.org!
This looks fascinating and will add to our understanding of why America can't seem to accept female leadership at the top. Women face discrimination at every level, and this one may be the most basic. I'll be a regular reader.
Thank you! I agree that this is one of the most basic, yet least recognized ways in which women face obstacles gaining power -- and succeeding once they get there. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow--The Contrarian keeps bringing the best here! Thank you, Azza Cohen, for your excellent and thoughtful videography of MVP Kamala Harris (just the thought of her makes me smile and also want to burst into tears at what we could have had). Thank you for articulating what so many of us saw in the way Kamala Harris (and before her, Hillary Clinton) was (mis)treated visually--in contrast to every male candidate for the presidency--and the way women politicians are subtly (or not so subtly) visually diminished. I look forward to the insights from this column. When so much of the electorate makes voting decisions based on a combination of misinformation and vague feelings, the insidious influence of visual sexism (and sometimes what I'd call visual misogyny) cannot be discounted.
Cecelia, thank you so much for writing this. I woke up every day full of purpose to frame MVP Kamala Harris with the dignity and authority she deserved, and every day I saw how she was framed by others...it was so enraging. Of course this happened to Secretary Clinton, and all the women who have come before. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
This is different! And I could not understand how some women said they would not vote for a woman to be president. It's as if they've got their heads in the sand.
Pat, thank you for writing. I agree that it's very hard to understand, and I think this is where visual sexism also plays a role -- it's not just affecting how men perceive women in power, but how everyone perceives women in power. Send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
I look forward to more about your interesting work too, Azza Cohen.
Seeing Kamala made me realize how much I miss her. I put my heart and soul into the cause and dearly wish she were our leader now.
Sally, thank you for writing. I feel your pain and miss her too. We will get through this together! And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
I became a paid subscriber just to get this kind of content! Thank you
Wow, thank you Laura for these kind words! I look forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
This is an awesome idea for a column! I look forward to seeing more.
Thank you, Gail! I've been thinking about this for so long and am truly grateful that The Contrarian gave me a home to explore this. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
It’s like grad school all over again. I’m here for it.
Hi Susan! What did you study in grad school? I'm very interested to get your take and hoping to make this academic yet relatable. Please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Hi Azza. I can't be much help, I've been out of grad school a long time. I studied British literature at the intersection of race, women writers, and history. I wrote one article on depictions of African characters in British plays--very much a question of acceptance or disdain. I can't recall the scholar who brought up female fragmentation in the sonnet form. Italians thought it was nonsense, but it speaks to female objectification. I did a Google search and got nowhere, but I see any number of articles about the fragmented female body accessible now. Good luck with your project.
Sincerely, Susan Iwanisziw
Thank you Susan! Sounds like important and interesting research you did.
This is fantastic! I’m so looking forward to it. Thanks!
Thank you, Marian, for the kind words! I'm looking forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
The New York Times always discriminated against Kamala Harris in every shot. They always had her smaller and less than Trump, who scored all the living big headlines. I saw this visual discrimination in most of the main stream media.
You're so right. It wasn't just "far right" media -- it was everywhere. I think a lot of the time it's not intentional or malicious, but it's of course nefarious just the same. I'd love to get your take so please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
I look forward to this column!
Thank you, Brenda! I look forward to writing more. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
I welcome your approach and look forward to reading/learning from you. Thank you!
Patty, that's so nice thank you! I look forward to writing more too. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Wow - I will look forward to these columns. I hope I find them, though - haven't yet quite figured out how to manage all the content from The Contrarian!
Thank you so much! If you're subscribed, you should get this column directly from the roundup emails. Feel free to let me know here if you don't. I'm writing it every other week. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
This is brilliant! Thank you, Ms. Cohen and The Contrarian!
Wow, thank you Lynn for the kind words! I'm so grateful to The Contrarian for giving me a place to investigate and explore this concept. I've been thinking about it my whole time in the industry as a cinematographer and truly looking forward to starting this conversation in public. And please send your ideas to me on substack or to submit@contrariannews.org with subject line SPLIT SCREEN. I hope we can make this a community effort!
Azza, my compliments for trying to make this country more fair for women. BUT, as long as so many women, here in the US and - really - all around the world, can't wait to run other women down, nothing will change and no woman will ever be elected president of these United States.
These are women who don't even personally know the women they're hating on. Just look at so many of the comments posted by women to whatever the first woman posted on social media. The same goes for news items reported in newspapers or any other media. The meanest and nastiest comments posted are by other women, at least 95% of the time.
Hello? The simple power of visual imagery can change all that. Please don't say "nothing" or "ever." That's running women down just by repetition.
Hi there, I agree that it's very troubling when women run each other down. I don't think we always have to vote based on gender, but what I argue is that visual sexism brings all of us down -- it affects not just how men view women in power, but how everyone views women in power. And it robs all of us of the opportunity for brilliant leaders to have a fair shot.
Totally agree.
Ooh, I want more of this, please! Visual sexism needs to be exposed, and replaced with honest reality. Thank you, Azza!