It's two days after the Oscars, but I still have movies on my mind. 

2013 has been deemed a great year for the ladies of film as writers of some of the most celebrated movies were praised for including strong female roles. 

As a feminist, I'm sad to say that I saw hardly any of the movies nominated Sunday night including Gravity and Philomena which centered on female protagonists. Life has been quite chaotic over the past year and didn't leave much time for trips to the theater. 

As a feminist I'm also sad to say that despite claims of this being a banner year for women of cinema, most of the movies nominated for Best Picture actually failed the Bechdel Test. 

The Bechdel Test, named for its creator, cartoonist Alison Bechdel, is a very simple test of gender equity in film. To pass the test the a movie only needs to meet three basic requirements: Does the film have at least two named women? Do they talk to each other? Do they talk about something other than a man? 

Sounds easy right? Wrong. 

Here's how this year's nominees for Best Picture measured up according to the BechdelTest.com database: 

Gravity — FAIL
Captain Phillips — FAIL
American Hustle — PASS
The Wolf of Wall Street — FAIL
12 Years a Slave — PASS
Philomena — PASS
Dallas Buyers Club — PASS
Her — FAIL
Nebraska — PASS

If you skim the commentary on the ratings you'll find folks challenging the verdict for several films. American Hustle shouldn't pass, some commenters say, because "the portrayal of women was very sexualized and degrading" and the conversation that two women have about something other than a man is about nail polish and perfume. Meanwhile, others argue that Gravity should pass because the primary protagonist is "a nuanced, interesting, sympathetic woman." 

So does this mean that the test is flawed and perhaps even useless?

Not necessarily. The purpose of the Bechdel Test isn't to judge the quality of individual movies. The point is to highlight a systemic problem within Hollywood as a whole. The fact that most movies fail a gender equity test that sets the bar so ridiculously low is, well, ridiculous. 

But I am optimistic.

I do believe that the strong female roles of 2013 show that things are changing, even if that progress is steady and slow.  

Last week I went to my favorite local movie theater not once, but twice. (I’m almost mayor of the place on Foursquare.) And even though Magic Mike and The Amazing Spider-Man were great I’m still kicking myself that I have yet to see Brave. This Pixar film follows the adventures of Princess Merida who wants to defy the customs of her kingdom and choose her own path in life.  As a feminist, I should have been at the theater to see this opening day. I need to step my game up.


Writing for Nerve.com, Sonia Saraiya ranked Disney princesses from least to most feminist. File this under “Things I Wish I’d Written.” I really need to step my game up.

Looking at Saraiya’s list I immediately noticed that the three Disney princesses ranked the most feminist were also young women of color. I found this quite ironic since women of color are constantly being told, usually by members of their own ethnicity, that they can’t be feminist. Back in May I received an email that read: “A black woman cannot be a feminist…sorry.” True story.

Does this list mean women of color are better feminists? Of course, not! What it shows is the mark of progress. These feminist fairy tales not only seek to dismantle the notion that women should be demure, one-dimensional characters depending on a prince to save them, but also challenges the notion of what a princess looks like. She doesn’t always have to have blond hair and blue eyes. (Side note: I love that Princess Merida of Brave has thick, curly hair! That might be a Disney first.)

This got me to thinking, what does it take to create feminist fairy tale? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Your princess needs to actually be awake. She can’t be revolutionary if she spends half the story unconscious waiting for a dude to come kiss her. Princess Aurora, I’m talking to you.

• Your princess needs a voice. Sure, that sounds obvious, but Saraiya reminds us that in The Little Mermaid Ariel actually trades her voice so she can have a chance with a cute boy. (Though, she should get points for rescuing said boy from drowning and for longing for a life of adventure.)

• Your princess needs a sensible wardrobe. Not to give poor Ariel a hard time, but it’s hard to fight gender stereotypes in a clamshell bikini.

• Your princess needs a dream. She needs goals that go beyond just finding a husband. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying marriage is anti-feminist. I love being a wife, but I also love being a writer.  Perfect example: Tiana from The Princess and the Frog wants to run her own restaurant. If that’s not progressive I don’t know what is.

• Your princess needs to be badass. There’s really no other way to say this. For example, instead of waiting to be rescued, your princess needs to be the one saving others, yes, even men. She needs to be the hero of her own story. Check out the Nerve article to find out which Disney princess is the most feminist (and badass) of them all and let me know if you agree or not.

And while reading that article, this song kept playing in my head...

Who are you favorite Disney princesses?

As my closest friends (and my students) know, I'm a major Hunger Games geek. I've been counting down the days until the premiere of the upcoming movie inspired by Suzanne Collins' novel. (Only 17 more days to go!)

I'm a writer and nerd so, of course, I had to read all the books in The Hunger Games trilogy before the movie. If you haven't, I encourage you to do the same. Yes, it's Young Adult literature, but it's very well-written with a compelling plot and complex characters. And even if you're a blogger, journalist, or essayist, I truly believe that reading non-fiction can help your craft as the art of storytelling is so essential to all forms of writing. 

I'm also a girl with a passion for fashion so, yes, I've been wondering, "What will I wear when I go see the movie." And here's my answer:

Get it here

The feminist in me could not resist. You see, The Hunger Games has a Twilight-esque love triangle and just as Twi-hards sport Team Edward and Team Jacob gear, there are plenty of t-shirts out there boasting Team Peeta or Team Gale. But Katniss is the hero of this story so let's celebrate her instead. Girl power!

But, just for fun, here are some other examples of Hunger Games-inspired fashion, all from Etsy.com in honor of National Crafts Month. 

The Girl Who Was on Fire

Boy Shorts

Buy these here

Custom Painted Vans

Check these out here

I Heart Cinna

I think I'm gonna buy this one too

Hunger Games Inspired Peep-Toe Pumps!

Available here

And now the boys...

If you love the boy with the bread, click here

And if you like the bad boy type, check here

May the odds be ever in your favor...

I am quick to scoff at you Twi-hards (a.k.a. Twilighters) and I frequently make fun of Potterheads, but I have a confession: I am counting down the days to The Hunger Games movie (only 128 more to go). And I got chills when I watched the recently released trailer (below).


But my blood started boiling when I read some of the comments from people who couldn't believe that two of the main characters are *gasp* black! (Drop by Nerdgasm Noire Network to check out some examples of reactions.)


Some of you may think this is no reason to be upset. It's natural for fans to want the cast to reflect their vision of the characters. And I'll be honest, I was shocked that Cinna, who will be played by Lenny Kravitz, and Rue, who will be played by Amandla Stenberg, were black too. But instead of being appalled I was excited. 

Then I asked myself why was I surprised especially considering that in the book Rue is described as having "dark brown skin and eyes." Why? Because, quite frankly, as a minority I never expect to be represented in something that's not marketed as being for "people of color." The fact that I still feel this way in 2011 makes me sad and the fact that it seems like some people think we coloreds need to stay out of their Hunger Games pisses me off.


Even though Rue is described as African-American and this has been confirmed by director Garry Ross and author Suzanne Collins, fans insist that she must be white because, as Nerdgasm Noire Network blogger states, "White people are considered the norm in society; the default person." And sometimes I worry this will never change. 

How does a broke blogger go to New York Fashion Week?

You could find a company looking to work with bloggers during fashion week that can offer you access to shows. Or you could get dolled up, walk in like you own the place, and just crash. 


But since I live in Birmingham and can't afford a flight to New York, neither of those would work for me. 

So instead this weekend I headed to the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival for a special screening of The Tents, a documentary chronicling the history and evolution of New York Fashion Week. 

The 72-minute film begins exploring Fashion Week's humble beginnings of overcrowded shows in downtown clubs and SoHo lofts that broke all sorts of fire codes. Then the documentary details The Council of Fashion Designers of America's organization of the event in Bryant Park in 1993. They decided to pitch a tent, literally, setting up makeshift marquees in the park. Eventually the event would be taken over by  IMG and later become the blowout Mercedes Benz Fashion Week we know it as today. 


Despite a few annoying technical difficulties, I enjoyed the film and loved learning about the history of this event through interviews with top designers such as Isaac Mizrahi, Tommy Hilfiger, and Donna Karan. 


And while sitting in the auditorium I even came up with an idea for a blog post.

In my next lifetime I want to be a fashion blogger.  

Like most people I wake up asking myself What am I going to wear today? Unlike most people I tend to obsess over this question. As soon as I know I’m attending an event I can’t stop thinking about what outfit I'll don for the occasion. 

This may sound shallow, but give me a break. I am a Southerner and down here dressing appropriately for an event is less about vanity and more about good manners. Show up under-dressed for something and it's considered just plain rude. 

I used to give myself a hard time about being so concerned with fashion. I’m a writer, I told myself. I have a master's degree from UC Berkeley, hippie capital of the world; I shouldn’t care about such superficial things. But I do care and now I realize that’s OK.

As I think about all the wonderful ladies I’ve met and all the uplifting events I’ve attended through Birmingham’s natural hair community, it reminds me that the world of fashion and beauty can truly unite people.

Fashion can be used to raise money for great causes and fashion can inspire. You can’t see Betsey Johnson’s bright, vibrant designs or watch her do cartwheels down the runway at the end of her shows and not be motivated to have more zest for life.


And I’ve found more ideas for blog posts and more tips on how to improve my blogs from the website Independent Fashion Bloggers than I have anywhere else on the web.

So yes, I am a writer, but, as the description for this blog reads, “I have some stories. I want to look good while I share them.”