Who Are These Sexist Arbiters of Culture?

I was unable to access the comments section under this article posted (Cult)ure Magazine. So, I have decided to publish my comments here. The article I am responding to can be found here.

I'm afraid I find the point of this article to be rather arbitrary and I am wondering on what the conclusions about popularity and gender are based. Who are these arbiters of culture? It seems the author's conclusions are based solely on perception as opposed to any actual analysis of gender and cultural trends.

Clearly, I have a different filter of experience because I remember when "Da Vinci Code" came out and how the critics laughed during the premiere of the film at Cannes. The book, and particularly the film, were panned by most and I certainly don't remember that happening along gender lines.

If you want to talk gender issues; how about the fact that there was a huge backlash against "Da Vinci Code" for being a "radical feminist" text, celebrating ideas of the 'sacred feminine' and 'goddess worship'. Women, such as this Christian feminist saw the controversy surrounding the book/film as an opportunity to discuss the history of women and Christianity.

If you want to talk about sexism and its effect on popular culture, then it is far more interesting to examine actual content and reflect on what about it creates mass appeal (or, the desire to admit appeal, which seems to be the focus here).

"Twilight" is fascinating because while I agree it is targeted towards women, the narrative contains a classic escape fantasy for both genders. For women, it is to indulge their inherent selfish desires and for men, it is to ignore their baser instincts and strive to be, well, better men.

There actually seems to be interesting conversations happening on both sides when it comes to "Twilight": on the one hand it seems to reinforce stereotypical gender roles and this can both attract and repel (some women argue it is offensive the men get to do all the good ass kicking). On the other, there are discussions about the gender bending in "Twilight" - I think this centres around the film - Robert Pattinson, some would argue, is not your typical male heart throb.

All of this to say, I think the cultural landscape is a little more colourful and a little less simplistic than what this article presents.