Carlotta SmokCorona has changed all our lives. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic, sometimes more, sometimes less. While one person misses going to concerts, another one may have lost their job.
However, one very specific blanket statement can be made in terms of who is suffering particularly from Corona. The EU press site summarizes, “The pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities between women and men in almost all areas of life, both in Europe and beyond, rolling back on the hard-won achievements of past years.”
Domestic violence has increased amongst other things and lockdowns are affecting unpaid care work and work-life balance, with women especially suffering. Even without the pandemic, structural inequalities are an issue that urgently needs to be addressed. Now it is being pushed even further into the background.
Each and every one of us is responsible for changing this and developing an awareness of gender justice. AULANews wants to contribute to this: We present you 10 feminist films and series and thus kill two birds with one stone. If you stick to our TV tips, you’ll not only be shaken up and inspired, but also have the perfect activity for the next lockdown.
1. Suffragette
This British drama is a must-see for anyone who wants to know why women are allowed to exercise their right to vote today. The story of Maud, a laundress, is set in London in the early 19th century. Despite initial skepticism, she joins the suffragettes who campaign for the introduction of women’s suffrage. The 2015 film highlights not only the courage of Maud and her fellow campaigners, but also how much they themselves suffered to stand up for their right, at a time when women still had no voice.
2. The Good Girls Revolt
This historical feminist series also shows the adversities women faced in the past. Good Girls Revolt tells the story of young female journalists in the late 1960s. Although they now have the right to work, they are not allowed to perform the same tasks as their male colleagues, despite legal equality. While the latter take the credit as reporters, the talented women are only allowed to do research. Gradually, they become aware of this injustice and take clever action against it.What is particularly exciting is that the viewer not only accompanies the women into the newsroom, but also shows how their families and partners react to emancipation.
3. Working Moms
A more topical examination of working women succeeds in Working Moms. The series tells the stories of four mothers who go back to work after the birth of their child. Authentic and often tongue-in-cheek, it shows the balancing act women must perform to meet the demands of society, their partners and themselves.
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Caution, danger of addiction! This sitcom is insanely funny and still manages to present challenging topics in an understandable way. The plot centers on a group of detectives in the fictional 99th Precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn. Full of team spirit, squabbling and humor, they solve difficult cases and convince above all with lovable and complex characters. These also challenge stereotypical images of women and men as a matter of course. Some episodes also deal with socially critical and taboo topics, such as sexual harassment. And we find: They succeed well!
5. Coco Before Chanel
A fascinating film about a fascinating woman. Coco before Chanel traces the impressive life of French fashion designer Coco Chanel. Her liaisons are the content of the film, but still often a means to an end for her. The young Coco knows her dreams and relies unwaveringly on her talent. If you are looking for feminist inspiration and want to see how far independence and self-confidence can take you, you have now found the right film.
6. Legally Blonde
This film with Reese Witherspoon, with all its squeaky-pink and clichéd chichi, is probably the last film that comes to mind when you think of “feminism”. And that’s exactly why it’s so brilliant!
The young fashion-oriented Elle Woods is reduced to her looks by her parents and boyfriend and does the same to herself. But when the latter suddenly leaves her and starts studying at Harvard University, her fighting spirit is aroused. She also applies to law school and slowly but surely convinces those around her. What makes the film so special is that Elle is not pinned down to one role. She shows that her lively and sometimes ridiculed personality is not an obstacle on her way to becoming a successful feminist lawyer.
7. Sex Education
Equality starts in bed. The British series Sex education charmingly deals with the challenges of sexual awakening in adolescence. The British series is about the young, socially shy Otis Milburn. He runs an underground sex therapy program at his school together with a female classmate. Without having much experience himself, he teaches his fellow students concepts such as consensus and the need for a natural approach to one’s own body and relationships. Hardly any other series manages to raise feminist questions about identity, sexuality, and how the sexes treat each other with such ease, while being so entertaining.
8. Cable Girls
Cable Girls is a wonderful series to take a trip to Madrid in the 20s. The story is about four young women from different social backgrounds who have to face a wide variety of challenges in their role as telephonists. Not only at work, but also in their private lives, some adventures await them. Together, they face them and show how difficult it was for women to strive for equality in a male-dominated society.
9. The Bold Type
It feels like the three main actresses have to deal with five new problems every episode. But they do it so authentically, chaotically and charmingly that it’s a pleasure to watch them. The series about Jane, Kat and Sutton, who work together at a women’s magazine, is one thing above all: honest and real. Topics that are usually hushed up are treated here with a matter-of-factness that is rare: breast cancer diagnoses, sexual identity crises, virtual misogyny against Kat, the social media director, the effort to make a career as a woman, and the side effects of the morning-after pill. The series shows the life of feminist women in the 21st century. How beautiful it can be, but also how difficult and unfair.
10. On the Basis of Sex
RBG. Anyone who knows these initials but can’t place them has some urgent catching up to do. The film biography deals with the incredible life of the US-American lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In three time periods, it describes her prodigious strength, the effects of which still benefit women today. This film should not be described to you, you should definitely watch it asap.
