MEST3 Exam

Case study: Everyday Sexism 1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project? She started the project because she received several sexist remarks in one week. Although she did not care that much when she was targeted every so often, the continuity showed her how women everyday are being treated this way.  2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies? The project links to post- feminism in the sense that it discusses the impact of the feminism movement already. Bates explains that she once encountered a man (who harassed a woman on the street), and was later asked by another man why he acted the way he did. This scenario therefore suggests that feminism has already had some impact on a much larger demographic, especially men. Furthermore, Bates had set up a website called "Everyday Sexism", in which women could post up their stories from their experiences. This links to the concept of

1) Watch the opening of Yasmin (2004) again. Does it offer a positive or negative view of British Muslims? To what extent does it reinforce or challenge Edward Said's theory of Orientalism - that the west is superior to the exotic or uncivilised east? The clip contains mostly a positive view of British Muslims. In the clip we see that Yasmin's character is integrated within British society and embraces British culture e.g when she goes to the pub with her friend. However you could argue that the man who ate peanut butter with his finger appears to be quite uncivilized, reinforcing Said's theory of the behavior of those in the east compared the in the west. Towards the end we also see Yasmin being pulled over by the police (which did not occur previously when he wasn't wearing a hijab). She instantly tells the police officers all the information they need to know which therefore suggests that she has been pulled over many times before. This therefore subverts Said'd

Post-colonialism: blog task 1) Read the excellent article exploring the different representations of black people in British film and TV from Media Magazine 42 (MM42 from our Media Magazine archive  - page 51). Pick  three key points  from the article and bullet point them here. The problem with much black representation is that it is continually anchored in ‘race’ or ‘issues’. Some explanation lies in media ownership and who is allowed to ‘tell the story’ inmainstream media. Many of the texts discussed so far have been victims of the inequalities of media ownership, another contentious field. Some nationalities are forging their own means of production, distribution and exhibition: Indian cinema and Bollywood is a long-standing and prime example. In the wake of inner- city riots and the perceived marginalisation of ethnic minorities, the 1980s saw a great flowering of ‘alternative’, political and avant-garde documentaries, shorts and feature films funded by Channel 4 and other cr