On this week’s brand new FFR, we’re live at GeekGirlCon ’18 to talk about the ongoing trend of gender swaps in movies and television, whether it be specific characters who are reimagined as women (a la Starbuck in the Battlestar Galactica reboot) or a franchise that has historically centered men now centering female characters (as we see in Ocean’s 8 or the 2016 Ghostbusters). Why is this sometimes widely celebrated by fandoms while at other times generating tremendous rage? When are these gender swaps progressive, and when do they just serve to cover up attempts at perpetuating the same old crummy patriarchal ideals? Does anyone really want a female-focused remake of What Women Want?
Also, a few thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2, the end of Megyn Kelly’s morning show, and more!
Segment Timestamps:
:00 A Special Intro from Phil
1:30 Greetings from GeekGirlCon!
4:30 Entertainment News (Megyn Kelly, Apu on The Simpsons, The money being made by Red Dead Redemption 2)
16:30 Main Topic (Gender swapping in media)
41:30 What’s Your FREQ-Out? Carolyn on RDR2, Ebony on JK Rowling’s work as Robert Galbraith, Anita on Artemis by Andy Weir
53:50 Wrap-up
Relevant Links:
“The Trouble with Hollywood’s Gender-Flips” by Amanda Hess