Apologies for the delay!
The November book is “The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf as suggested by klemptor.
Trigger warnings (per AI - I couldn't find them listed online and I've not read it before, so please note these may be incorrect or incomplete): Eating disorders, mental health, suicide, physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical procedures and trauma, pregnancy and abortion, and general content warning for all the kinds of body shaming one would associate with western beauty standards (racism/classism/fatphobia, etc)
This was the only suggestion, so it made the choice easy, but feel free to comment for next month!
Springboard Questions
I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.
Some things to think about while reading:
- Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
- Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
- Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
- Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?
This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment.
The November movie will be I'm Your Man (2021)
Trigger warnings: I could not find any, but there are likely adult themes
We had no suggestions this month, so I picked this since it seems relatively light in tone, was well reviewed with several awards, and was written by a woman. There seem to be a few sites where it is available for streaming, some of which are free with ads, so hopefully everyone will have at least one way they can watch. Please note that it is in German, so you may need subtitles.
Springboard Questions
Same spiel as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific and relevant to feminism, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.
Some things to think about while watching:
- Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
- Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
- Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
- Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?
This is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline for your comment.
Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.
Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. If you commented suggestions last month and they were not chosen, please feel free to comment them again! I will try to favor the most voted on replies each month, and if you don't comment this month it won't be considered unless there are no other suggestions. Please vote on the other comments you see there (I will not be voting since I'm organizing). I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.
Thank you all for your comments last month. Excited to hear your perspectives on this month's picks!
If you missed last month, please feel free to see what great insight your community members brought to the conversation: https://lemmus.org/post/16649908
Here is a running list of our prior months: https://lemmus.org/post/16011446
Some highlights from last month (not to play favorites!):
- This was one of LadyButterflys favorite movies, so definitely check out her comment!
- dandelion mentions that the film felt a bit like an exploitation film at points and I can't help but agree.
- klemptor had some great responses for the book of the month, and brought up how the perspective character allows for a better look at the misogyny standard in that day.
PS: Even if you have seen or read the media for this month before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!
Please post suggestions for next month as a reply to this comment. One suggestion per comment please, but feel free to comment multiple times.