Third Wave Feminism and Television: Jane Puts It in a Box

by Merri Lisa Johnson (Editor)

The sexual politics of television culture is the territory covered by this ground-breaking book - the first to demonstrate the ways in which third wave feminist television studies approaches and illuminates mainstream TV. Leading voices in third wave feminism focus on innovative US television shows, including The Sopranos, Oz, Six Feet Under, The L Word and the reality-TV show The Bachelor to take a closer look at the contradictions and reciprocities between feminism and television, engaging as they go in theoretical and critical conversations about media culture, third wave feminism, feminist spectatorship, the sex wars, and the politics of visual pleasure.

The book offers an exuberant and accessible discussion of what television has to offer today's feminist fan. It also sets a new tone for future debate, turning away from a sober, near-pessimistic trend in much feminist media studies to reconnect with the roots of third wave feminism in riot girl culture, sex radical feminism, and black feminism, tracing too the narratives provided by queer theory in which pleasure has a less contested place.

Genres: Gender, Feminism, Queer, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2007

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Merri Lisa Johnson through her other book “Jane Sexes It Up” (side note: this is a great book that looks at sexuality from a third wave feminist perspective). I picked up “Jane Puts It In A Box” because I liked what she did in her other book and also I was interested to read the essays on popular television shows like the Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Bachelor and The L Word. I think Johnson choose some great essays that really problematize current readings of television shows. I myself was a huge Buffy fan and saw it in a very positive light. I think one of the goals of this text is to problematize for readers these kinds of ideas. My favourite essays were “Gangster Feminism: The Feminist Cultural Work of HBO’s “The Sopranos”. “Primetime Harem Fantasies: Marriage, Monogamy and a bit of feminist fanfiction in ABC’s The Bachelor”, “Female Heterosexual Sadism: The Final Feminist Taboo in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series” and several more. I found I liked the essays more if I was familiar with what the authors were referencing (for example an episode from Buffy). I would give this book a 8.5/10, great read and useful for alternative perspectives on feminist interpretations of television.

[Marta Pita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good ones, but some really bad ones or at least not so well written as well. The essay about Six Feet Under is definitely a must read and there are some really good ideas througout the entire book, but like most collections is full of up&downs depending on your preferences, I guess.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Only a few of the essays are any good.

[amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merri Lisa Johnson's collection, Third Wave Feminism and Television uses contemporary television as a lens through which to view a variety of issues ranging from S/M practices to prisoner rape within a third wave framework. The essay most emblematic of this approach is the final one, Leslie Heywood's incredibly insightful "'The Room' as 'Heterosexual Closet': The Life and Death of Alternative Relationships on Six Feet Under." In it, Heywood uses Six Feet Under's Nate as an example of "queer heterosexuality" and through him discusses twentieth century constructions of masculinity and the relationship those ideals and the way heteronormativity has failed some straight people.

This conceit of examining focus points of feminist discussion through television isn't quite as effective in every essay, however. Carol Siegel's "Female Heterosexual Sadism: The Feminist Taboo in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series" is based on the premise that Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer judges the main character unfairly for her forays into an S/M relationship with Spike, a vampire, while the Anita Blake series looks more kindly on these types of encounters. Unfortunately, Siegel's take on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ignores the incredibly complicated texture of the relationship between Buffy and her vampire lover by completely decontextualizing just three episodes from the series' seven season run.

The rest of the essays find interesting ways to connect the cultural work of television to feminist reflections on the world. Katherine Frank uses The Bachelor to question ideas of romance and monogamy, Bobby Noble finds moments of female masculinity through a trans-ed reading of Queer as Folk, Lara Stemple breaks open the depiction of prison rape on Oz, Candace Moore continues Laura Mulvey's work in an examination of perspective on The L Word and Johnson herself looks at the intersection of class and gender on The Sopranos.

While Third Wave Feminism and Television is too academic make it a must-have for every casual TV viewer, for anyone interested in a close reading of contemporary television from a feminist standpoint, this collection of essays is a perfect addition to your bookshelf.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many compilations, this was up and down - there was interesting commentary on contemporary TV shows in terms of gender and sexual identity, and then there was the inevitable Foucault and Mulvey, with the lowest point being an indecipherable and whiny essay on how Buffy the Vampire Slayer doesn't fulfill the author's S&M fantasies.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked reading this one, although I don't buy all of the assumptions the authors make about the shows.

Yes, The Bachelor is nothing more than misogynist crap. No, I don't really see a feminist agenda. Sorry.

And I'm also not so sure that the Buffy/Spike relationship was necessarily about S/M.

But the essays were good to discuss.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and thought provoking collection of several academic feminist critical essays covering television shows including : Oz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sopranos, The L Word, Queer As Folk, The Bachelor, and Six Feet Under. With any collection, some essays are better then others but overall they are enjoyable to those familiar with reading academic articles.

[Becca]

http://www.feministing.com/archives/0...

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all Buffy fans, this book has an entirely different take on the kickass-ness (or lack of) in the Buffy character.