Feminist Frequency

Every month, we deliver the kind of inspiring interviews and exciting news you’re looking for. We’re chatting with our favourite writers, activists, artists and scholars working in media who encourage us with their extraordinary work, and we want to share those conversations with you! Interviews have featured Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany, comedian Franchesca Ramsey, and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry.

  • Not Your Exotic Fantasy - Tropes vs. Women in Video Games
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2hYdBxxTTM

    This episode explores the ways in which sexist, racist stereotypes about Black women and tribal cultures that date back for centuries are often still perpetuated today in representations of women from indigenous and tribal cultures in video games. These representations link sexism and racism to exotify these women, depicting them as primitive, savage, and hypersexualized. We examine the historical roots of these racist and sexist myths in America and the damage they continue to cause, and demonstrate how these representations are acts of cultural appropriation. We then conclude by sharing some examples of games that challenge damaging stereotypes rather than reinforcing them by offering representations of people and cultures that are honest, respectful, and humanizing.

    GAMES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
    Far Cry 3 (2012)
    Resident Evil 5 (2009)
    Hyrule Warriors (2014)
    Diablo III (2012)
    Golden Axe: Beast Rider (2008)
    Gun.Smoke (1985)
    StarTropics (1990)
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
    Street Fighter IV (2008)
    Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (2006)
    Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (2007)
    Remember Me (2013)
    Mafia III (2016)
    1979 Revolution: Black Friday (2016)
    Never Alone (2014)