Any moron knows not to kick someone in the head while wearing open-toed shoes.
But here’s a sweet little movie you won’t want to miss. Girl Fight airs on Lifetime this Monday. “Inspired” by a “true story” about mean girls who beat up one of their own and post it on YouTube for internet fame and revenge, it’s super on-trend. Although Lifetime says “Girl Fight” is about “peer pressure, media scrutiny and forgiveness” its actual purpose would appear be 1) to deliver titillating footage of a teenage girl kicking the shit out of a teenage girl, and 2) to intone another cautionary tale about the dire consequences that can go down whenever a teenage girl steps out of line (or, in an unguarded moment, posts something juvenile on Twitter).
The Lifetime Channel, as has been noted by larger brains than mine, is the TV authority of record when it comes to documenting the People magazine experience of Vagina-Americans. Violence, betrayal, insanity, torment, and murder. The Entertainment Industrial Complex has a vested interest in the defeat of feminist revolt, since a victory would rob them of all their most lurid plot devices.
30 comments
1 ping
SMukherjee
October 1, 2011 at 6:55 am (UTC -6)
It’s always supposed to be a huge big enormous social problem if girls fight physically. Social workers caution the public, parents wring their hands, etc etc. Meanwhile the vast majority of physical violence in human societies is perpetrated by men and boys, but hey, that’s just ‘normal’.
Mary
October 1, 2011 at 7:04 am (UTC -6)
I’ve never watched anything on Lifetime so I can’t really comment on that. I just wanted to say that I’m glad to see that you’re alive and well. At least, I hope you’re well.
M Cubed
October 1, 2011 at 7:07 am (UTC -6)
Look! It stars our mostest favorest Anne (use to be a lesbian) Heche.
I suppose this role is allowing her another pair of Press-On Nails.
Ottawa Gardener
October 1, 2011 at 7:47 am (UTC -6)
Is the comment – ug – acceptable as a full thought in response to the post and painful picture? P.S. We missed you.
Lovepug
October 1, 2011 at 7:51 am (UTC -6)
So, true. The patriarchy had a deep and vested interest in making sure it maintains the destabilization of women’s relationships. As long as we’re busy catfighting, we won’t have the energy to take down the patriarchy. Lifetime is just being a team player by recyling the cultural memes so that it can be further ingrained in women’s consciousness. What ever sunny ending this movies comes up with is just bullshit. The real purpose of these movies is to affirm that women hate each other, we’re ultimately immature, and we don’t deserve full status in the culture.
I’m mired in female group dynamics right now with my co-workers. Women’s learned behavior of being passive-agressive and seeing all other women as competition for the available men is so very damaging to professional success. I work in a pink collar ghetto. The one woman from our group who was recently made manager is getting stink eye and hushed, behind the back comments from some of the others.
At every available opportunity I try to support this woman. Her promotion was mostly resented by a couple of women who have been at the company longer. But shit, this woman is so capable and smart. She played the game well, and she fucking deserved this promotion. There have been so many improvements since she took the helm. But there are a couple of women who just want to slap her down. When they should be slapping the patriarchy that created this fucking customer service, pink collar hell hole to begin with.
rainbowriot
October 1, 2011 at 8:30 am (UTC -6)
I’m glad you’re back, Twisty.
I agree that Lifetime movies only serve to further divide women and destabilize our relationships.
“Violence, betrayal, insanity, torment, and murder. The Entertainment Industrial Complex has a vested interest in the defeat of feminist revolt, since a victory would rob them of all their plot devices.”
As others have noted, it only serves to distract us from the real issues. It is a very real tactic used against us by men to keep us in our pink ghetto in as many ways as possible.
squiggy
October 1, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC -6)
You tweeted and enabled me to retweet my most darling darling!
pheenobarbidoll
October 1, 2011 at 10:12 am (UTC -6)
There’s been an upsurge in made for TV movies like this. It’s all about bullying, and of course, it’s all girls who are the bullies.
Boner Killer
October 1, 2011 at 10:36 am (UTC -6)
TV gets worse and worse – it never gets better. Reality tv aka exploiting everyone’s problems, but particularly marginalized people’s problems, is a growing epidemic…
buttercup
October 1, 2011 at 10:46 am (UTC -6)
And the skies open up, and the secular choir sings, Jill is among us once again. Hallelu!
Ugsome
October 1, 2011 at 11:03 am (UTC -6)
An *actual* sweet movie is “Where do we go now?” a film by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki. Contains the most satisfying scene ever committed to celluloid of a woman straightening out the men’s fucked-up shit. Highly recommended.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_We_Go_Now%3F
bertalou
October 1, 2011 at 1:50 pm (UTC -6)
“Roseanne’s Nuts” the best kept secret in all of televisionland is on Lifetime. I love Roseanne Barr. She is the outspoken goddess to old farts like me. The rest of TV is patriarchal crap.
Gayle
October 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm (UTC -6)
These types of movies are dreadful, but Lifetime also brings us “Dance Moms” and for that we can all be grateful!
Kea
October 1, 2011 at 8:29 pm (UTC -6)
Phew. Today I finally fixed up my online services interconnectivity so that I can completely ignore all of this crap (gmail, for instance, allows ad free mail).
Phonaesthetica
October 1, 2011 at 9:57 pm (UTC -6)
One great Lifetime movie: The Truth About Jane (“dedicated to the men and women who love differently”).
“Differently than what?” you may ask. And you’re right, but Stockard Channing as the homophobic mother…well, watch the movie with a couple glasses of wine and your eyes will cry all by themselves.
speedbudget
October 2, 2011 at 4:50 am (UTC -6)
Violence, betrayal, insanity, torment, and murder could be very interesting plot devices if they weren’t always used in the same boring way.
There really is a Seinfeld episode for every possible conversation topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wrL9z3Kvww
nails
October 2, 2011 at 7:37 am (UTC -6)
Oh Lifetime, so silly. I remember a lifetime movie about teenage girls who contract syphilis. One of the lines was “Hey guess what guys? I have syphilis.” It was announced to a big group of friends. Things that poorly written are actually entertaining.
humanbein
October 2, 2011 at 11:34 am (UTC -6)
Lifetime movie plots are just like all the other revered themes of the dominant culture; and trying to imagine art without this essential win/lose – dominate/submit paradigm is almost impossible for any of us. Recycling the lowest impulses of our cultural conditioning is the only work that pays if you create anything besides handknit clothing!
Fictional Queen
October 2, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC -6)
Jill! You’ve been gone so long that I’m going to university now!
I missed you so much.I’m so glad you’re back.
ivyleaves
October 2, 2011 at 6:51 pm (UTC -6)
Handknit clothing is a very low wage venture.
Daisy Deadhead
October 3, 2011 at 4:53 pm (UTC -6)
So glad I am not the only person to notice how disgusting that movie is, and how obvious. Thank you.
yardshark
October 3, 2011 at 9:45 pm (UTC -6)
Fortunately, ivyleaves, knitting is not really about wages. Most of us just craft for ourselves and our loved ones these days.
stacey
October 4, 2011 at 12:20 am (UTC -6)
@yardshark: but wouldn’t it be lovely if we could actually sell our stuff and earn a living?
(… if every textile worker in the world was paid a decent living wage? And if I had a unicorn? …)
Antoinette Niebieszczanski
October 4, 2011 at 9:53 am (UTC -6)
If I recall the misspent days of my youth correctly, nothing drew a bigger crowd faster than two or more girls throwing down (preferably over a dude). Silly me, I thought people outgrew that sort of thing after they got their drivers’ licenses, diplomas and other outward signs of maturity.
ivyleaves
October 4, 2011 at 12:14 pm (UTC -6)
Well, yes, of course. Knitting is about love, but it was stated that it might be one rare way to make a lot of money while not perpetrating patriarchy at the same time as creating something. I felt that whoever said that didn’t know much about knitting, hence my comment.
stacey
October 4, 2011 at 12:53 pm (UTC -6)
@ivyleaves, oh no, I’m not arguing. Selling one’s crafted work sucks, because people don’t understand how much time it takes to make things. (Like my shibori yardage that costs $200/metre.)
Jill
October 4, 2011 at 1:42 pm (UTC -6)
Is this possible? How the hell do you do it?
Antoinette Niebieszczanski
October 5, 2011 at 5:06 am (UTC -6)
Short term memory loss! I remember shit that happened 30+ years ago with clarity, but blank out on last week.
lucida
October 11, 2011 at 6:20 am (UTC -6)
@Ugsome – I dunno, the Lebanese movie trailer looked promising until it came across as one group of women (The Christian and Muslim householders) being too willing to exploit another group of women (the Eastern European girls) by taking part in their objectification, because the end supposedly justifies the means. I’m interested in this shit-straightening scene of which you speak but not sure if I want to see the film thanks to the above (despite the cinematography looking beautiful)
Anne
October 23, 2011 at 3:04 pm (UTC -6)
Wouldn’t it be something if the purveyors of this whole anti-bullying movement now in vogue put some focus on boys who bully girls for being girls? They seem to be actively avoiding it. The most egregious case brought to my attention this week has been the plight of Amber Cole. Of course there’s 87 bazillion comments throughout the internet lamenting how stupid and poorly raised Ms. Cole is, and barely a word about the three filthy little shits who set the poor girl up for public humiliation.
squeee: favourite blogger back from the dead-ish « The Praise of Folly
December 1, 2011 at 10:19 pm (UTC -6)
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