Resistant Readings, or Uhura as Spock

[browngirl]

Normally, I'd start an entry like this by rambling away theoretically. Instead, I'm going to point you here, where you may behold First Officer T'Pura, and tell buggery what an awesome manip this is. Nichelle Nichols read for, and wanted, the role of Spock; now that's an alternate history to contemplate, of science fiction, fandom, and US culture.



There's a concept I ran across, called the "resistant reading". Wikipedia's article defines it as "A reading within a text which move beyond the dominant cultural beliefs to challenge prevailing views." I wish I'd heard of it when I was actually in school, as I've found it really useful in thinking about my and others' responses to works, and what we create because of those responses. One of the ways I see the fabulous concept of First Officer T'Pura is as a resistant reading of the way they did cast Spock, and the ways they used Uhura.

Plus, she sets off all my sapiosexuality receptors like whoa (but I digress) and would make an absolutely awesome character to center all sorts of AUs on. thete1 has called for a ficathon, and I for one think it's an awesome idea.

Another resistant reading recently rippling across DC Comics fandom (ack, alliteration) was sparked by brown_betty's call for "artwork where a male is put into a female pose", in the interests of demonstrating and discussing the differences between how male and female heroes and villains are depicted in comics. She also contributed to the subject with a trenchant juxtaposition of text from makesmewannadie's post of an excerpt from John Berger's Ways of Seeing and pages ratcreature posted from Wizard's guide to drawing heroic female anatomy. The text concerning how women are constantly and inescapeably the observed, beside the continual stream of cheesecake images... I've been searching for the right words for ten minutes. Here, go look:

http://brown-betty.livejournal.com/215458.html

And then look at these backaching examples of male characters drawn in typically female poses. (I got tired of HTML.)

http://www.girl-wonder.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=7953#7953

http://community.livejournal.com/comics_fanart/175590.html

http://community.livejournal.com/comics_fanart/176718.html

http://stephendann.livejournal.com/1114022.html

My favorite (and I'm not given to choosing favorites, really) is http://naefox.livejournal.com/10157.html because Dick Grayson is often held up as an example of men being just as objectified as women, of someone drawn to be cute and pinuppy. Nae's drawings of him in this pose show that this typical pose for a female character is still more twisted and gratuitous than even many of the images of a guy who gets a lot of twisted, flexible, and gratuitously wiggly poses.

I had more to say but I should probably shut up and get back to writing fic. Hooray for resistant readings!

Comments

[strangerian.livejournal.com]

Not quite in the genderswitch broken-spine category but perhaps interesting, and I shall have to describe this from memory as the example is pre-internet:
Slash illustrations in the bad old days, before photomanips and manga, tended to be heavily modeled on m/f couple poses. This meant that one member of a slashy clinch was likely to be in the "adoring clingy" role or the "take me now Rhett" pose, as the case might be. My un-favorite of all was something clearly based on an underwear ad, where Slash Hero Coverboy was coyly hiking up his tee shirt to display the waistband detail of his boxers.

Not that the sheer pulchritudinous excess of comics doesn't have that beat, becuase it does. However, fandom has been genderbending in bad as well as good ways for a *long* time.

[thete1.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* I remember some of that fanart from some old, old 'zines of my acquaintance. It was just a bit...

I really wished more of them were done with even a *hint* of irony.

[strangerian.livejournal.com]

P.S. Nichelle Nichols was awesome to start with, and the picture raises it to the nth power. Must do something about this. Thanks for the link!

[widgeon7.livejournal.com]

I am glad to know I'm not the only one who feels like I'm missing something here. Why? Why why why do artists do such bizarre things? Why?

[mariole.livejournal.com]

Nichelle was ahead of her time. I saw her in person a couple of years ago, promoting her book. She is still ravishingly beautiful; her face is one of the most striking I've ever seen.

Really fun post about the postures! Cheers.