Casey's Second Article Review

Casey Coulter

WGST 202

T/H 12:30-1:45

Professor Currans

Blog Topic: Sexuality in Film

Article Review #2

Jenkins, Tricia. “’Potential Lesbians at Two O’clock’: The Heterosexualization of Lesbianism in the Recent Teen Film” The Journal of Popular Culture 38.3 (2005): 491-504

            In Tricia Jenkins’ “’Potential Lesbians at Two O’clock’: The Heterosexualization of Lesbianism in the Recent Teen Film,” She makes a statement that brings to light the heterosexualization of lesbianism in recent teen films, as it may seem obvious by the title. Jenkins begins her article by noting how lesbianism is practically absent in most non-recent films (491). She then describes her theories on how lesbianism in films is centered on suiting male heterosexual desires and provides numerous examples from various teen oriented movies. Her main point

Jenkins takes many examples from movies such as Not Another Teen Movie, American Pie 2, and Wild Things, to support her theories (Jenkins 491-492). Her main point is that in films these days “Lesbianism is acceptable to mainstream audiences as long as it is heterosexualized for the straight male audience” (493). She finds that “Modern teens are much more apt to find pleasure in themes revolving around explicit sexuality and crudity,” and that “By delivering luscious lesbianism to this audience, then, movie producers are able to capitalize on this demographics acquired taste” (495). I find it a bit paradoxical that these producers are marketing towards this audience, for the reason the audiences are looking for that thing is because that’s all that they’re exposed to. She also discusses how viewers are inserted into the movie and are in turn participating in this objectification simply by watching the movie (Jenkins 495). To prove this, Jenkins mentions a scene from Wild Things where two female characters were engaging in sexual activities while a man videotapes them from the bushes (Jenkins 496). She says that, “This choice of cinematography forces viewers, despite their own sexual or gender identities, to place themselves in the heterosexual male’s viewing perspective” and that it “Works to remind viewers that the lesbianism occurring in the pool is more about the pleasure that others – especially male heterosexual others – take in viewing such overt displays of sexuality” (Jenkins 496, 497). It is unfortunate that this LGBT visibility is rather minimalized by misogynistic standards, and it’s even more saddening that producers will exploit it.

            Apparently when male homosexuality is presented in these films, it is not met with the same objectivity as female homosexuality. Jenkins dissects a scene from Not Another Teen Movie, where the boys were expected to engage in homosexual conduct in order for the girls to engage in homosexual conduct. This was met with reluctance and was not objectified at all compared to the scenes that featured lesbianism (Jenkins 498). She also talks about a scene in American Pie 2 where boys needed to reassert their masculinity by watching porn, including a tape that features objectified lesbianism (498).

            Very interestingly, Jenkins notes how none of the characters participating in these activities are being presented in a negative light, and she describes many of the characters as likable and fun (502). She admits that even if these interpretations of female homosexuality are heterosexualized, they do bring a semi-positive lesbian visibility to modern films (502).

            With my blog topic being sexuality in film I feel like this article does a really great job at bringing to light how lesbianism is being portrayed today. I personally don’t appreciate how lesbians are represented, half the time the lesbian acts aren’t even performed by lesbians, the characters are usually just “experimenting” (Jenkins 492). Jenkins does mention how this still is “Positive” visibility for lesbianism on page 502, but I have to disagree. Yes this shows people that lesbianism is an actual thing, but it is so poorly portrayed. I don’t see how fetishizing lesbianism and objectifying it is positive in any way shape or form. It’s like making one step forward and taking one step back.

This article is very different than the article I reviewed about Brokeback Mountain by Ralph Roughton. The movie he was talking about portrayed homosexuality in a very realistic way and accurately portrayed what life was like for homosexual males in those times. They were not objectified or fetishized, they were almost real and it helped show people the struggles that gay people face. He also talks about how the movie helped change people’s perspectives on homosexuality. The movies Jenkins talks about are basically selling female homosexuality because people like to objectify lesbianism. Jenkins mentions how instead of bringing a positive perspective of lesbianism to audiences, it brings a distorted misogynistic form of it to those viewers. The lesbianism portrayed in those movies is not real lesbianism, and it deserves much better representation.
-Casey Coulter