Dangerous Dames. Heather Hundley

apocalypse, they may heed warnings of the limited interpretations offered. Yet as more women serve as role models and gain public attention, particularly regarding their assets and abilities, they provide important equipment for living for navigating around patriarchal constraints raised by postfeminism, neoliberalism, and humanism.

      This eBook can be cited

      This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

      To all the dangerous dames: stay dangerous.

      CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Paradoxes of Gendered Power Relations and Representations

Chapter 1. Superficial Postfeminist and Postmodern Portrayals: Hegemonic and Hypermasculine Ideologies in Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2

       Chapter 2. Appropriating Feminism: The Naturalization of Patriarchal Power Structures in The Hunger Games

       Chapter 3. Ass-Kicking Women and the Fight for Justice: Constructing a (White) Feminine/ist Icon in Wonder Woman

       Chapter 4. Visualizing Violent Femininity: Race, Sex and Femmes Fatales in Atomic Blonde and Proud Mary

       Chapter 5. Hybridizing and Networking Beyond Boundaries: Cyborgs and Cognispheres in the Bionic Woman and Dark Matter

       Chapter 6. Transcending Boundaries: Posthumanism and Transhumanism in Caprica and Deus Ex

       Conclusion: Envisioning Feminist Futures

       Index

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      In one way, this project began as an office conversation, and yet it extends Bad Girls: Cultural Politics and Media Representations of Transgressive Women. Therefore, we express our gratitude to its authors A. Susan Owen, Sarah R. Stein, and Leah R. Vande Berg. Their voices from the Mothership, articulating their care and concern for the future, have been heard loud and clear. Our aim was to augment their insightful brilliance.

      Although these foremothers provided a model, our professors introduced us to a foundation of knowledge. Hailing from different academic programs enabled us to strengthen our argument, critique texts, and learn from each other. Therefore, we are grateful to the layers of educators, including our professors, colleagues, mentors, and students who ask questions, challenge us, and afford opportunities for thinking about our culture in a variety of ways.

      We extend our thanks to the Peter Lang Cultural Media Studies series editors Leandra H. Hernández and Amanda R. Martinez. Their interest in how political, cultural, and media landscapes help shape our society coalesced with ours and created a home for our work. Furthermore, we appreciate the professionals at Peter Lang who were always supportive and responsive. They not only materialized our thoughts but marketed and distributed these ideas, allowing others access. We are also grateful to the Office of Research at Middle Tennessee State University for assisting with some production costs.

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      First and foremost, Heather Hundley wants all readers to know that the authors participated equally, despite the listing of names on its cover. She feels fortunate to have met and collaborated with Roberta Chevrette and Hillary A. Jones. For this, she forever thanks them and other dangerous dames in the world for questioning and challenging the status quo as well as considering possibilities for an improved future.

      Roberta Chevrette offers gratitude to her coauthors, Daniel Brouwer, Amira de la Garza, Aaron Hess, Karen Leong, Vicky MacLean, Sujatha Moni, and Tom Nakayama for inspiring ways of thinking and being. She thanks the dangerous dames whose friendships carry through the years and over state lines and extends a special thank you to Ashleigh McKinzie for porch writing sessions, Gino Giannini for a chapter title idea that helped issue forth this project, JoAnn Chevrette for her support, and Jordan Knight for keeping Nashville life filled with love, joy, and music. She would also like to thank her Women in the Media Fall 2018 students for fueling her scholarship with their insights, passions, and hope for a better world.

      Hillary Jones extends appreciation to her coauthors, for rigorous readings and research, lively exchanges, and careful editing. She would like to thank Amber Davisson for introducing her to Roberta and Heather. She is grateful for an engaging conversation with Josh Korpela that led her to play the Deus Ex games. She would like to recognize her colleagues Shane Moreman, Diane Blair, Aimee Rickman, Kathleen Domenig, Carl Burgchardt, and Marnel Niles Goins for their unflagging support. Finally, Hillary thanks Greg Lankenau for sitting through repeated viewings and play sessions, talking through ideas, reading drafts and providing feedback, and exhibiting patience and unwavering encouragement through the birthing of this book.

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INTRODUCTION: PARADOXES OF GENDERED POWER RELATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

      Power relations are gendered, organizing bodies and relationships in significant ways—sometimes with devastating results. According to a report from the United Nations, one in three women worldwide has experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence (“The World’s Women,” 2015). An alarming 41 % of transgender youth in the United States have attempted suicide (Haas, Rodgers, & Herman, 2014). Men—especially black men—in the United States are incarcerated at disturbing rates, most frequently for non-violent crimes (Wagner & Sawyer, 2018). Mass shootings continue to increase in the United States, and 98 % of perpetrators are white males (Follman, Aronsen, & Pan, 2018). The United Nations estimates approximately 70 % of the world’s poor are women, suggesting patriarchy disproportionately impoverishes female bodies (Abercrombie & Hastings, 2016). Each of these statistics reveals the material consequences of gendering power as cis, white, and hegemonically masculine. Nevertheless, increasing access to power is something we are taught to desire and strive to accomplish.

      A ubiquitous concept often associated with physical or economic strength, power aligns with masculinity because men frequently possess stronger physiques. In a patriarchal, heteronormative landscape, economic power is gendered as masculine because men are awarded higher salaries, positioning them ←1 | 2→as household breadwinners in heterosexual relationships. Furthermore, they have greater access to corporate positions of power. The top 10 wealthiest people in the United States are men, and, according to the Associated Press (2017), “the eight individuals who own as much as half of the rest of the planet are all men” (para. 1). For example, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for his brute strength, chiseled features, and wealth, models the linking of power and hypermasculinity. Through success partly derived from his size and