NASA's Hidden Figures

As its official website says, "Hidden Figures" is a film that talks about female mathematicians who were also black, black mathematicians who were also female, and it shows the hard reality African American people had to face at a time were racism was the usual thing and black people weren't much more than insignificant. But it specially shows how three women were able to overcome racial segregation and help change America's history, contributing to win the Space Race against the Soviet Union.

"So yes, they let women do things at NASA, Mr. Johnson. 

And it's not because we wear skirts. It's because we wear glasses."

These three incredible women were Mary Jackson, an African American teacher and engineer whose love for science and her commitment to improve the lives of others were one and the same; Dorothy Vaughan, a respected mathematician and NASA's first African American manager, and Katherine Johnson,  a NASA's mathematician who calculated the trajectory for the space flight of Alan Shepard —the first American in space—, the one of John Glenn —the first American to orbit earth—, and of Apollo 11 —the first human mission to the moon.

"We get to the peak together, or we don't get there at all."

In Hidden Figures we can see a process in which black women's empowerment gets more and more real in a world made by and for white men, and it makes us think about the importance of perseverance. It's a film that reflects not only the 1990's society, but also today's. I know, we've improved the situation, but it's still not enough. The fight must go on, and these three women are a good example of what we can and should do. As it's said by many people, "Hidden Figures" is the movie America needs right now —and not only America, but the whole world.

Regarding the film industry, Hidden Figures is part of a positive change that's taking place recently: a film starring three strong, non-objectified black women who pursuit their dreams and happiness. And these dreams have nothing to be with getting a rich husband nor becoming pretty, superficial Barbies. They get jobs which are usually associated with men, and they do better than them.

"That girl!"

Moreover, this film has given credit to these so-called hidden figures, who were forgotten in this sexist, racist world. It has given them the fame they deserved, and has shown that we can only change things if we stand all together —male and female of all races and backgrounds. So, for all these reasons, I encourage you to watch this wonderful film and to fight for what you think you deserve; no matter your race, no matter your sex, no matter your background. No more hidden figures!

 

Written by: María Bustos Pons

Hidden Figures trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8xHq6dfAo

References:

Hidden Figures' official webpage - http://www.hiddenfigures.com/

Mary Jackson's biography - https://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-jackson-biography

Dorothy Vaughan's biography

https://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/crgis/images/2/29/VaughanBio.pdf 

https://www.nasa.gov/content/dorothy-vaughan-biography

Human Computers - NasaCRgis - NASA Langley GIS Team Home Page - 

https://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Human_Computers 

Katherine Johnson's biography -  

https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography 

http://www.makers.com/katherine-g-johnson

Hidden Figures' quotes - http://m.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/quotes

 

Jennifer Lawrence: The woman who ends the cliché

For many years, girls have been living with the idea of “be beautiful and shut up”. Thankfully, today many models, singers or actresses are changing this code of femininity. And, in my opinion, JenniferLawrence is one of the most influent examples of this situation. 

Nowadays, we are surrounded by celebrities who are trying to live perfect and effortless lives. They are rich, talented, always with an impeccable appearance and everything they say must certainly be scripted to perfection. What I like about Jennifer Lawrence is the fact that the fame or Hollywood have not changed her. She is natural, without any filter and true to herself. Indeed, she is the funniest personality I have ever seen. She isn’t afraid of acting silly on camera and she does not care about being honest in interviews. 

For instance, we can refer to one of her interviews on the Jimmy Fallon’s show where she told us the worst situations she has ever been into and it was hilarious. She first talk  about her meeting with “Elizabeth Taylor” in 2012, while this one was actually dead in 2011. She added that she complimented the woman about her movies and her clothes. When a friend of hers came next to her, she yelled “look it’s Elisabeth Taylor!”, and when her friend told her it wasn’t her because the poor woman was dead, she ran away.

But this isn’t the worst situation she has ever been into. Indeed, when she was in Paris for the first time to promote one of her movies, she saw Nick Ford Coppola and as a huge fan she decided to go and introduce herself to the producer and his colleagues. But when she went to see them, nobody knew who she was, her entire dress was unzipped and her thong was out. So, next time someone waves their hand and you think that they are waving at you but it is actually for the person behind you, just think of Jennifer Lawrence, who has actually been through worse.

We also have the cliché that to be pretty you must be skinny. Well, Jennifer Lawrence is known to have dropped some serious thoughts about body image. Even though she is gorgeous (yeah, we have to admit that she is very beautiful), she admitted that she had been called “fat” and that she had to lose some pounds. But she was clear about one thing: “I’m never going to starve myself for a part”. 

She also shared her views about unrealistic body expectations and by doing so she is pushing people to accept themselves:

“You have to see past it. You look how you look, you have to be comfortable. What are you going to do? Be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That’s just dumb.”

And she also criticized the media for diffusing unrealistic standards:

 “There are shows like ‘The Fashion Police’ that are just showing these generations of young people to judge people based on all the wrong values and that it’s OK to point at people and call them ugly or fat. They call it “fun” and they say ‘welcome to the real world’— and that shouldn’t be the real world, it’s going to continue being the real world if we keep it that way. We have to stop treating each other like that and stop calling each other fat.”
 
(Thank you, J-Law.)

But Jennifer Lawrence  is also known for her loud-mouth, especially when it comes to salary. Indeed, after discovering she was paid less than her male co-stars, she spoke out against the wage gap in Hollywood between male and female actors. But she was not mad at the producers, she was mad at herself and claimed that she wants women to remember that they should not always be nice and cute, but that they should demand and go for it. And all her fights, her efforts were not in vain because in her interview in the French news television program TF1 she confessed that she had been paid more than her male co-star, Chris Pratt, in the movie Passengers. Moreover, we should bear in mind the fact that she is Hollywood’s highest paid actress.

Finally, and most importantly, let’s talk about her movies. J-Law is the most powerful actress in the world according to Forbes Magazine. She got famous in only 8 years and 20 movies. Moreover, she received an Oscar when she was 22, 3 Golden Globes and 73 awards for her 20 roles. 

So, if you are a huge fan of her, you have probably noticed that she never plays nice little girls who sit still and say nothing. Indeed, her fight for woman to be respected in society is reflected in her roles selection. She rather personifies free, authentic and brave women who break stereotypes. 

Even if her career started with Bones, in which she does everything to take care of her family, she acquired success in The Hunger Games Saga. In these amazing movies, she plays the role of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who takes her sister’s place to fight to death in an arena against 23 other participants in the dystopian and totalitarian nation of Panem, which is divided into 12 districts. Then from Marvel Comics she personifies the character of Mystique , a blue mutant who can mimic the appearance and voice of any person, and we can say that she is pretty badass.

But she does not only play fictional characters, she also personifies real characters like Joy Mangano in David O.Russell’s movie Joy, who invented a self-wringing mop, and declared that Joy is a “tribute to women who are the unsung heroes of their households.”

Even if she is hated mostly by the press like Le Parisien because of her coldness, Jennifer is the best friend I would like to have.  She is the girl everyone (ok, almost all the girls) wants to be. She is frank, open, she likes to eat junk food like us and she does not care about what people say about her. I think it is so refreshing to see such attitude on camera instead of people who control everything they want to say just to seem perfect while they are not. 

Moreover, she is a stereotype breaker, she knows how to use her voice and she also knows how to stay true to herself. Jennifer is a role model for me, an advocate for women and also for everyone especially when it comes for positive body image with such an honest and mature point of view.
But Jennifer adds a special touch to today’s feminism. She changed this perfect image that most of the actresses have. She is more authentic, more like us. She is the today’s woman, The New Eve.

Emmanuel APAYA

http://variety.com/2015/film/awards/jennifer-lawrence-joy-david-o-russell-1201649644/

http://www.meltyfashion.fr/emily-ratajkowski-jennifer-lawrence-ashley-graham-ces-stars-qui-redefinissent-la-feminite-a592036.html

http://www.melty.fr/jennifer-lawrence-detestable-a582231.html

http://www.melty.fr/jennifer-lawrence-joy-est-un-hommage-aux-femmes-a476615.html

http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/cinema/jennifer-lawrence-la-surdouee-de-hollywood_1862929.html

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Women power in American cinema

In the 1930s, American cinema focused on the image of the young, self-assertive (expressing her own points of view) and sexy woman helping to keep the cult of New Womanhood that emerged in the early years of the century. But, since then, it is taking a very long time for women to reach the same position as men in American films.

Fortunately, now women are finally moving to the centre of the frame, actresses are driving the action in more Hollywood films than before. The change is coming, and it´s coming quickly.

This bellows to the large debate about gender equity that has flown over the media business in recent years. Recently, some new actresses like Jessica Chastain have spoken about the pay discrepancy between women and men in Hollywood films.

Studios have also found that female-driven projects are connecting with the audience: recent commercial successes as “Moana,” “Hidden Figures,” “Bad Moms,” and “The Girl on the Train” have featured strong roles for women. 

But also in the last decades, films as “Star Wars” or “Alien” have benefitted from female protagonists. In “Alien”, it is impossible to forget the marvellous Sigourney Weaver, one of my favourite actresses, not only elegant but also a though woman.

She reminds me of Katherine Hepburn, known for her independence and energetic personality, representing the figure of the emancipated woman during decades. She was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years and received four Academy Awards for Best Actress (still a record today). More than this, in 1999, she was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. I love her too.

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun” 

Katharine Hepburn

On the other hand, introducing female protagonists is somehow easier than employing women directors. Behind the camera, things are getting worse.

In 2016, the number of female directors represented just 7% of all directors, two percentage points less than in 2015, according to a study by The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. This Center´s studies provide our society a realistic discussion of women’s on-screen representation and film director employment. However, in the independent sphere, women represented almost half of the directors at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

In general, now we find ourselves better represented in Hollywood films. Gone are the days when women were only featured weak and dependent on men roles in American films. The actresses are not being relegated to a single genre like romantic comedies.

But although the movie business may be providing now more opportunities for actresses, there is one aspect where we still find a gender stereotype: female characters tend to be younger than the men they share the screen with. Not only in films but also in real life, men are supposed to be attractive even when they get older. Unfortunately, it is not the same for women. But this reflexion belongs to another larger debate.

Maribel Navarro


Sources

http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_cinema

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/arrival-rogue-one-female-film-protagnoists-1201992678/

https://triangulomag.com/2014/10/22/el-papel-de-la-mujer-en-los-estados-unidos-durante-los-anos-50/

https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film/

Game of Thrones: A Game of Women

Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical lands of Westeros. Meanwhile, a forgotten race hell-bent on destruction returns after being dormant for thousand of years. Yes, I am talking about Game of Thrones, the American fantasy drama television series you have probably heard about.

There are many voices that have risen saying that Game of Thrones is a sexist, misogynist series and, in addition, that makes women fall asleep (and if you are a guy who gets a girl become addicted to Game of Thrones, you become a true hero)...

Please, shut up

There are many others who also seem to forget that this is a series set in the Middle Ages, in which aspects of this era are used as a frame of reference to understand the figure of women. So erasing how they were treated would be as if historically nothing had ever happened.

It is true that this fictional medieval world is a hostile environment for women, but there are many examples of women who triumph, liberate and empower themselves:

• Arya Stark

"I wasn't playing. And I don't want to be a lady."

Arya hates courtly life and feminine conventions. Unlike her sister Sansa, she does not dream of Prince Charming, nor with marriage and children; she wants to learn how to fight with a sword and her father agrees. She knows how to take care of herself without the help of any protective man when she is separated from her family, and she becomes a brave, determined and independent girl.

• Brienne of Tarth

"All my life men like you have sneered at me. And all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust."

Brienne is a warrior woman, a rude and efficient 'knight' in a trade exclusively for men. She is a woman who transgresses the gender roles (and what is more important: that she triumphs over them). The series constantly talks about the conflicts that this character faces for transgressing gender roles and teaches us about how unfair they are. She also makes fortuitous and necessary alliances with other women for the common good, so the concept of sisterhood makes more sense than ever.

• Cersei Lannister

"Tears aren’t a woman’s only weapon. The best one’s between your legs."

Her father, her husband and her brothers want her to raise her children. Queen Cersei suffers the injustice of not being able to reign or enjoy the rights she would have if she were a man. So she struggles to get the power she knows she's entitled to. She is Machiavellian and does not stop until she gets what she wants. Her character personifies female power, her courage and strength, without having to prove goodness.

• Daenerys Targaryen

"Woman? Is that meant to insult me? I would return the slap, if I took you for a man."

Daenerys Targaryen was sold to a savage by her abusive brother to get an army (he "would have let his whole tribe fuck her - all forty thousand men - and their horses too if that was what it took"...) and she was raped on her wedding night. However, she has a substantial and powerful evolution around the plot. She never tries to act "like a man" and she ends injustices wherever she goes, such as deciding to free slaves. Definitely, she is not ashamed of her gender, nor of who she is. She knows how she deserves to be treated. She works for what she wants. She is strong. And the best thing is that she believes in herself and in everything she can get to because she never underestimates herself.

• Sansa Stark

"My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel."

Sansa is probably one of the most hated characters. This can be simply because she is feminine and therefore, because people still associate this feature with being weak and as if it was something negative. But she has a great evolution; she begins by being a pre-teenager who believes in fairy tales and romantic love. And then she realizes the injustices and fights without losing her femininity or her essence. In Sansa we also see how the concept of resilience makes sense: she overcomes an unwanted marriage, a half-kidnapping and a rape, among other things.

In conclusion, the power of women is only invisible to those who do not want to see it. These women have come to stay. And to the one who does not like it...

by Ana Álvarez Nogales

Sources:

· Berlutti, A. (2016). Crónicas de una “nerd” entusiasta: ¿Es “Juego de Tronos” una serie machista?. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/espanol/cr%C3%B3nicas-de-una-nerd-entusiasta-es-juego-de-tronos-una-serie-machista-a18185f88926#.4c59bdi4y [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Davila, I. (2013). Por qué ellas se duermen con 'Juego de tronos'. [online] GQ. Available at: http://www.revistagq.com/noticias/cultura/articulos/por-que-ellas-se-duermen-con-juego-de-tronos/17615 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· DiStasio, C. (2014). 7 Daenerys Targaryen Quotes That Make Us Want To Be Better Women. [online] Bustle.com. Available at: https://www.bustle.com/articles/27993-7-daenerys-targaryen-quotes-that-make-us-want-to-be-better-women [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Gallagher, J. (2016). Sansa Stark's 20 Best Quotes From 'Game Of Thrones'. [online] Starpulse.com. Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/sansa-starks-20-best-quotes-from-game-of-thrones-1848577109.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Gallagher, J. (2016). The 20 Best Cersei Lannister Quotes From 'Game Of Thrones'. [online] Starpulse.com. Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/the-20-best-cersei-lannister-quotes-from-game-of-thrones-1848570488.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Gallagher, J. (2015). 25 Powerful Daenerys Targaryen Quotes From 'Game Of Thrones'. [online] Starpulse.com. Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/25-powerful-daenerys-targaryen-quotes-from-game-of-thrones-1848479046.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Gallagher, J. (2016). 16 Badass Arya Stark Quotes From 'Game Of Thrones'. [online] Starpulse.com. Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/16-badass-arya-stark-quotes-from-game-of-thrones-1848570720.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Gallagher, J. (2016). 20 Noble And Badass Brienne Of Tarth Quotes From 'Game Of Thrones'. [online] Starpulse.com. Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/20-noble-and-badass-brienne-of-tarth-quotes-from-game-of-thrones-1848577170.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· IMDb. (2017). Game of Thrones (TV Series 2011– ). [online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/?ref_=nv_sr_1 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· HBO. (2017). HBO: Game of Thrones: Cast & Crew. [online] Available at: http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/cast-and-crew/index.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Ramírez, N. (2013). ¿Es 'Juego de Tronos' una serie feminista? | S Moda EL PAÍS. [online] S Moda EL PAÍS. Available at: http://smoda.elpais.com/moda/es-juego-de-tronos-una-serie-feminista/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].