Star Trek - presented by The Girls on Film

The Girls on Film

Tags: gender, media, feminism, gender binary, gender trouble, representation, 00 to 05 mins
Year: 2011
Length: 3:16
Access: YouTube

Summary:  The Girls on Film (TGOF) describe their film blog as "a commentary with the objective of stimulating thought around the art of storytelling through film." The creators of the blog seek to challenge the audience through their "exploration of archetypal energies that are typically portrayed by men." To this end, the blog posts scenes from mainstream blockbuster films that were performed by men and recreates them with women actors. In this clip, Ashleigh Harrington and Katerina Taxia (directed by Jeff Hammond) reenact the recruiting scene from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009). I would argue that Harrington and Taxia were able to compellingly recreate the scene, thereby effectively challenging us to reconsider the plausibility of a female masculinity. Others I have talked to are equally convinced that despite excellent performances from the actors the masculine language sounds too much like an affectation when spoken by women. Irrespective of whether the reenacted scene works as well as the original, the clip is useful for engaging students in a discussion about our assumptions regarding the natural affinity between men and masculinity. Students can also be encouraged to discuss the TGOF scenes and the blog as a means of talking back to a film industry, which produces far more movies featuring men as protagonists than women. Feminist cultural critic, Anita Sarkeesian offers an insightful five-minute video post about the male centered movie industry, which would work well as a companion to the Girls on Film clip.

Submitted By: Lester Andrist

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