Movie Spotlight: North Country

The movie North Country, starring Charlize Theron, came out in the year 2005. The screenplay for the movie, written by Michael Seitzman, was inspired by the book entitled Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law penned by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler. The book documented the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company. The case was filed in 1988 on behaf of Lois Jenson and the other female workers of the EVTAC mine in Eveleth, Minnesota. The case was the first ever class-action harassment lawsuit in the United States. 

TRAILER

Charlize Theron plays the part of Josey, a single mother with two children who, in an effort to provide for her family, seeks work at the local mine, which is the town’s main source of steady income. Yet once she begins work at the mine, the men who she works with begin to verbally and physically harass her as well as the rest of the female workers. 

(Photo found here)

By far one of the most important themes throughout this movie is the actual oppression women encounter when participating in a job that is non-traditional, or in other words "a man's job". And Josey's situation epitomizes the struggles and hardships of a woman dealing with oppressive behavior from the opposite sex. From what was shown in the movie it appeared that the men who harassed her thought that they could do so because she was a woman. Superiority played an essential role in fueling the abusive behavior against Josey because by harassing her, the men were demonstrating their power over her. A particular scene from the movie which is a prime example of this can be seen here, where a fellow female worker, Sherry, is tossed around in a port-a-potty:

Harassment at the Workplace

Besides oppression within the workforce, Josey faced other difficulties such as physical and sexual abuse both at home and at work, social oppression that her entire family experienced because they were treated differently than the rest of the town, and also stigmas associated with being a homewrecker and bad mother even though that was not the case.

(Photo found here)

It took one woman to rise above the rest and address the issue before the rest of the women workers followed because they realized that in the end, standing up for their rights had greater outcomes compared to conforming to the ideals that were deemed "okay" by the male workers of the mine.

Some questions that we came up with after watching the movie are as follows:

1. Back around the time when  the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company took place, how did women in the workforce face harassment? And if they chose to stand up for their equal rights, how did they deal with the possible negative repercussions for their actions? Take some time to compare the possible actions of women from that time period and the women in our modern society.

2. What are some of the ways societal expectations categorize women based on the jobs they hold and the family dynamics expected of them back in that time period? Do these expectations still exist today?

3. In the movie, Josey's relationship with her father took on various forms. How do relationships between a woman and her loved ones abide by and/or resist the ideals society has placed onto it? Does society play a significant role in influencing a woman's relationship with another person dear to her?

Feel free to express your ideas and opinions on the matter and thanks so much for stopping by!

-Raymi D. and Melanie C.

The Big Question: What is Feminism?

On January 19th 2012, the momentous topic of Feminism was brought about and defined by my Intro. to Women's Gender Studies teacher, Professor Amy Moff. According to my notes, the term Feminism is women fighting for equal rights. The actual concept of Feminism is not to benefit solely any one group of women, race, sex or class and it does not aim to give privilege to women over men. In fact, Feminism is is not even focused on women specifically nor is it set on taking power away from men. It is ultimately about a shift in conciousness. 

To this very day there is Feminism. But like every other ideal that has been thought up since the beginning of time, Feminism has taken on various shapes, forms, and goals; as if changing with the times and evolving. Before this class, I knew that there was such a thing as Feminism, but I was not aware of it. But after gaining knowledge and insight into Feminism, I can now see it all around me. 

In today's society Feminism is everywhere. It's in the movies we watch, the books we read, the art we see, the music we listen to. 

Are you personally not aware of any examples of Feminism within our pop culture? If the answer is yes, do not worry because that is why this website exists in the first place. We will post videos, talk about books, look at art, and listen to music that deal with the topic of Feminism. We will even let you give your own opinions on Feminism. 

In the end, we want to converse about Feminism and its presence within all types of media in our modern society. 

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for our first post:)

-Raymi Damo