The Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films

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Edited by Salvador Jiménez Murguía, Erica Joan Dymond and Kristina Fennelly

Type: Encyclopedias
Subject: Sociology
Keywords: sexism
Publishing date: 2019
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Collection: National Cinemas
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Hardcover • 512 pages
7 ¼ x 10 inches (18.5 x 25.5 cm)

ISBN

978-1-5381-1551-0

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Book Presentation:
The treatment—and mistreatment—of women throughout history continues to be a necessary topic of discussion, in order for progress to be made and equality to be achieved. While current articles and books expose troubling truths of the gender divide, modern cinema continues to provide problematic depictions of such behavior—with a few heartening exceptions.

The Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films closely examines the many, pervasive forms of sexism in contemporary productions—from clueless comedies to superhero blockbusters. In more than 130 entries, this volume explores a number of cinematic grievances including:

• the objectification of women’s bodies
• the limited character types available for female performers
• the lack of sexual diversity on the screen
• the limited range of desirable traits for female performers
• the use of gratuitous sex
• the narrow focus on heteronormative depictions of courtship and romance
The films discussed here include As Good as It Gets (1999), Beauty and The Beast (2017), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Do the Right Thing (1989), Easy A (2010), The Forty-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Hidden Figures (2016), Lost in Translation (2003), Mulholland Drive (2001), Showgirls (1995), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Star Wars (1977), Thelma & Louise (1991), Tootsie (1982), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and 9 to 5 (1980).

By digging deeply into more insidious forms of sexual/gender discrimination, this book illuminates one more aspect of women’s lives that deserves to be understood. Offering insights and analysis from more than fifty contributors, The Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films will appeal to scholars of cinema, gender studies, women’s studies, and cultural history.

About the authors:
Salvador Jimenéz Murguía, Ph.D., is an associate professor of sociology. He is the co-editor of Encyclopedia of Spanish Cinema (2018) and A Cuban Cinema Companion (2019) as well as the editor of Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films (2016) and Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films (2018), all published by Rowman & Littlefield. Erica Joan Dymond, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at East Stroudsburg University and a consulting editor for the academic journal The Explicator. Her research has been published in The Journal of Popular Culture as well numerous books such as The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films and TheEncyclopedia of Cuban Cinema.Dr. Kristina Fennelly teaches at Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. She has served as a book reviewer for Composition Studies, as an associate editor to The Best of the Independent Journals in Rhetoric and Composition, and as a contributor to the professional blog The Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning.

Press Reviews:
The #MeToo movement has brought with it increased interest in sexism portrayed on film. In the Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films, the editors try to convey some of the inequalities that have been expressed within the motion picture industry through sex, gender, and sexuality. To accomplish this task the contributors considered eight broad categories of sexism, among them the male gaze, diversity, overall ideas of beauty, and use of violence. Alphabetically arranged by film title—in most cases just one film, though a few entries take on multiple works (e.g., "Pixar Films," "Kill Bill Films," "X-Men Franchise")—entries offer not just information about the film at hand (i.e., title, year, director, screenplay) but also other useful sources (including those used by the author for that entry) and see also references to films that are similar in nature. Readers may be surprised by some of the films included and less so by others. This is a timely work in an era that should look at this aspect of filmmaking with newly aware eyes. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.
― Choice Reviews

See the publisher website: Rowman & Littlefield

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