This weekend the horror-slasher flick "Jennifer's Body", penned by Diablo Cody (screenwriter of "Juno"), hit theaters nationwide. Like any good horror film aimed for a teenage audience, there were the typical cliches, however there was one that the film played on not only during the movie but through all the promotion for the movie. This would be the scene where Megan Fox's character kisses Amanda Seyfield's character, the two being portrayed as childhood best friends. Hollywood once again relying on visually enticing audiences with two women is nothing new, neither is the hype that surrounded the 2-3min scene
However, when I watched the scene in a completely packed theater the audience was mostly silent throughout the scene. There was one woman though who verbally opposed to what she was seeing, even going as far to say "that's gross". While this reaction may be seen as simply ignorant, it did get me thinking.
Over the years people have argued back and forth about the impact of increased visibility of the LGBTQ community has had on society. Some say there have been numerous positive portrayals over the past few years, while others may argue that any portrayal (good or bad) helps. For me, hearing this woman say "that's gross" to the scene made me wonder if the consistent portrayal of same-sex intimacy is indeed hurting the cause for equality? Are we instead making it more deviant?
Let me explain. Take the circus where people have gone for centuries to see strange and almost taboo acts, like the bearded lady. While the circus is a big source for entertainment, it's still considered unnatural in society.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-09-15-jennifers-body_N.htm
Interesting. It also brings up questions of secondary social control. What was the reaction to her reaction? One sign of shifting norms is change in norms of "control of control".
ReplyDeleteIt's been "in progress" for a very long time.
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