Lessons From Fat Monica

In

Masculinity and Rape Culture in Shamless

Showtime's hit drama-comedy about a dysfunctional family

ABC Family Pulls the Plug on Racist Pilot of "Alice in Arabia"

  Days after giving the green light for the pilot

ABC Family released a statement explaining their decision to cancel the pilot. "The current conversation surrounding our pilot was not what we had envisioned and is certainly not conducive to the creative process, so we've decided not to move forward with this project," said ABC Family.

"Teen Wolf" Kills of Fan-Favorite Allison Argent

   Tonight, "Teen Wolf" fans said goodbye to one of the most beloved characters on the show, Allison Argent. Despite the loss, fans were not disappointed by Allison's heroic exit from the show.

   While battling the Oni demon warriors, Allison noticed her good friend Isaac being nearly killed by the Oni. She shifts her focus away from the battle to aim her arrow and rescue her friend. She successfully kills the demon, saving her friend's life. Distracted from the immediate danger surrounding her, seconds later an Oni plunges a sword into her stomach.

   Throughout the series, Allison has proven to be a strong female character. Audiences are accustomed to seeing characters like Allison being defined by their male lead. However, her  growth over the course of "Teen Wolf" has taken her from the main character's girlfriend to a main character in her own right. Once Allison discovered her family's secret  as resident werewolf hunters, her character's focus shifted from her romantic relationship with Scott to struggling with her own beliefs, relationships and identity. After Allison's mother kills herself after being bitten by a werewolf, her relationship with Scott is too much to bare and she decides to end it. This is when Allison truly comes into her own. After rigorous archery training, she proves herself to be a valuable asset among her supernatural friends in their fight against evil forces. In the absence of her romantic relationship, Allison focuses her efforts on strengthening relationships with her father and her best friend Lydia. In fact, she and Lydia have passed the Bechdel test on numerous occasions. In the male-centered genre of Fantasy/Horror, Allison Argent is a strong, multidimensional character who will be missed by fans of "Teen Wolf". 

Beloved "Shameless" Character Sheila Is a Rapist and No, It's Not "Quirky"

Sheila Jackson, fan favorite of the Showtime television show “Shameless” is characterized by her debilitating anxiety disorder, naivety and "quirky" penchant for massive dildos. She’s introduced early in season one when she welcomes the protagonist Frank Gallagher into her home after his family kicks him out. Throughout the serious Sheila is viewed as a caring, kind and always willing to help. However it is her unexpected aggressive sexuality that fans find truly endearing about her character. If rape is what you call endearing.

We’re first introduced to Sheila when Frank hears that her husband Eddie just left her and that she collects an impressive amount of disability compensation for her agoraphobia. Frank, always on the lookout for the latest money scheme to aid his alcoholism, makes plans to seduce Sheila as a means to reap some of her benefits. When Sheila allows Frank to bathe in her home because Frank complains that his own house does not have hot water, Frank sees this as an opportunity to seduce Sheila. He succeeds in his attempt and she brings him to her room, throws him on her bed and roughly handcuffs him to her headboard. Frank is caught off guard by her force and quickly backtracks saying, “Listen, I’ve changed my mind. Listen...seriously.” Here is where Sheila should have stopped, made sure Fank did not want to continue and then uncuffed him. Instead she retrieves a box from under her bed, which leads Frank to nervously ask, “What’s in there?” Without an answer, Frank gets anxious and says, “I’m having a bit of a panic attack here. No, honestly, I’m struggling to breathe.” Sheila responds, “Frank, the more you beg, the more you’re in for, now RELAX.” For Sheila, Frank’s struggle is part of her foreplay. This is often dismissed as Sheila’s harmless kink, but without consent, her kink is sexual abuse.

Clearly afraid of Sheila’s aggression and his powerless state handcuffed to the bed, Frank asks Sheila to agree on a safety word so that she will back off if things get too rough for him. She complies and they agree that “stop” is the safety word, which as far as safety words are concerned is the most unambiguous word there is. Sheila reaches into her box, pulls out a huge dildo and Frank immediately says “stop”. The camera pans to the outside of the house where you hear Frank yell “STOP” once again. A second later we see Frank awkwardly walking down the stairs in pain.  

To make things even more twisted, Frank regularly endures the sexual abuse in exchange for a place to live, food and financial support. Throughout the serious Frank looks for a way to support his alcoholism without interfering with it by say, getting a job. Because of his addiction, Frank is dependent on Sheila and views the sexual abuse as just a small inconvenience in their arrangement. Ironically, in the episode “Father’s Day”, Sheila says to Frank, “I’m sorry my daughter raped you” after her daughter Karen has sex with him while he is heavily medicated and unable to properly consent. However, consent never really seemed to be of concern to Sheila.

Later in the series, Sheila begins to date Jody, her daughter’s separated husband. She expresses her desire to introduce her “toys” to their sex life, but as a recovering sex addict, he refuses. Sheila convinces Frank to manipulate Jody into agreeing to do so. When Jody finally agrees and Frank gives him a pep talk before Sheila comes into the room. “Don’t relax. Pretend you’re scared,” Frank advises Jody. “She likes that.”  “I don’t have to pretend,” replies Jody. Sheila gets off on the power and fear, which are characteristics of a rapist. Rape is not about sex, it is about power, domination and exploitation at the expense of the victim.  

Despite the serious nature of both scenes, it is meant to be comedic. Because of the role reversal of a woman committing the abuse and a man being the victim, it is unexpected and intended to be funny. However, this is incredibly problematic and reinforces rape culture because it supports the myth that men cannot be raped, as it is in their nature to always desire sex. This same notion is used countlessly to defend male rapists and blame the victim. When a victim is dressed revealingly, drunk or even flirting with the rapist they are blamed for leading them on and “asking for it” because a men are so overcome with sexual urges it is nearly impossible to control. So according to rape culture, a man’s sexual nature makes it is impossible for him to be raped and excuses his for his actions of sexual abuse.

Make no mistake that Sheila is a rapist. Some fans and critics even characterize Sheila’s sexuality as feminist and empowering because she is in touch with what turns her on and takes control. However there is a line between empowerment and abuse of power, and Sheila has crossed that line. There is a misconception that a relationship automatically implies consent. However, if your partner is uncomfortable with what’s happening and tells you to stop but you continue anyway, that is rape.

Why Are All of Mindy Lahiri's Boyfriend's White?

In what might have been the most uncomfortable interview on Oscar Night, E! news correspondent Alicia Quarles addressed Mindy Kaling with a question that most fans have been wondering since season one of The Mindy Project: “Why are all of Mindy’s boyfriend’s white?”

When speaking to Kaling at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Quarles playfully asked Mindy what type of men she’s attracted to. “Good looking,” Kaling responds. Clearly, this wasn’t the answer Quarles was looking for because she blatantly asks, “Okay, so any color?” Kaling let’s out and uncomfortable laugh followed by a “yeah”. Finally Quarles tells Kaling to“get some black men on that show,” to which Kaling stumbles over her words saying, “Oh yeah! But I will...soon...we have to...people we can look forward to.”

Janet Mock Addresses Conflict with Piers Morgan on The Colbert Report

    On Tuesday’s “The Colbert Report,” transgender-activist Janet Mock appeared on the show to discuss transmisogyny in the media. Mock specifically addressed her recent dispute with Piers Morgan on his television show and on Twitter. After the airing of her first appearance on Morgan’s show, Mock tweeted her disappointment in the way she was misgendered and represented. “I was not ‘formerly a man.’ Please stop sensationalizing my life and misgendering trans women,” wrote Mock.     During her appearance on the Colbert Report, Mock elaborated on the conflict between herself and Morgan. “I think that me and Piers had an issue with speaking across privilege, across difference and across experience,” said Mock. “They used very problematic language that showed their lack of understanding and I think, our wider culture’s lack of understanding.” Mock felt that her interview with Morgan focused too much on her past, specifications on her gender and transition, which derailed discussion of the more important issues facing the trans community. “The book’s purpose is to elevate the issues that are facing young trans women,” said Mock. “Trans people deal with daily access issues like being able to safely leave their home, being able to walk on the street without being harassed...being able to afford medical care.”     Morgan is offended by Mock’s accusations. He claims to be an “ally” to the trans community and accused Colbert of being an “enabler” to Mock’s “whining.” “Shame that @StephenAtHome bought into @janetmock's 'victim' BS last night,” tweeted Morgan. “He's a smart guy, better than that.” After Mock called-out Morgan’s offensive misgendering and framing of her story, many trans activists followed suit on Twitter. Rather than considering Mock’s grievances with her segment and the upset from the trans community, Morgan jumped to the defensive. “A lot of very irate people accusing me of 'transphobia' because I devoted a third of my show to @JanetMock 's inspiring story...weird,” tweeted Morgan. He continued by saying that he was being unfairly “attacked” by the trans community and that he wished he had never invited Mock to appear on his show. Morgan ended his rant by tweeting, “As for all the enraged transgender supporters, look at how STUPID you're being. I'm on your side, you dimwits.”

Watch Mock's full interview with Colbert below: 

   
Watch Mock's second interview with Morgan below: