Deconstructing Woman

This article was originally published under a slightly different format and title by Suite101 in 2001. Reprinted with permission.

Flipping through the pages of your family’s Sears catalogue you may be surprised to discover that there is now an entire page devoted to selling Playboy products. The Playboy Bunny insignia can now be found on wallets, t-shirts, purses, belts, key chains, and more. In a rather clever promotional campaign initiated by the Hefner camp, the Playboy Bunny has returned as a highly marketable image. As ever, the trademark asserts that the woman (or girl) wearing the Bunny is sexy, playful and fun. But is this or has this ever been an accurate representation of the Playboy Bunny lifestyle? Did Playboy Bunnies ever really have fun?

› Continue reading

This article was originally published in 2005. Reprinted with permission.

Joan of Arcadia arrived on television screens in September 2003 with a bang. Not a “big bang,” mind you - more like a Godly “Let there be light” kind of bang. All of America sat up and took notice of this ingenious, fresh and controversial television fare. The film industry acknowledged the show and its main principals with nominations and awards. Right-wing family-values organizations applauded the return of good, wholesome family entertainment. Even non-believers appreciated the show with its likeable Joan Giardi and her wayward but loving family, outcast friends and newly found relationship with God, who, incidentally, comes in all shapes and sizes and even the occasional female form.

Despite its non-denominational, soft-spiritual approach, however, the show remained surprisingly dogmatic, promoting many religious and Christian tenets. In an episode entitled Common Thread Joan and her mother were forced to confront and deal with two very important feminist issues: rape and infidelity. Unfortunately, the issues were diluted and obscured by contrived life-and-death plot lines that only served to downplay and trivialize their true moral significance. › Continue reading

This article was originally published by Suite101 in 2001. Reprinted with permission.

During my first English class in university we studied the Shakespearean play Othello. I must confess I did not like it. It was a tragic tale of greed, jealousy and betrayal. And love—at least, that is what the academics professed. Personally, I never felt much love in the tale between Othello and Desdemona. I was never convinced. I was relieved when we moved onto 19th century poetry; I put Othello out of my mind, eager to leave the play far behind me.

Three years later, I enrolled in the second required English course of my program. The course was offered under various themes; I chose love as my theme. As luck would have it, the professor chose Othello as one of the love stories. He, apparently, was convinced of the love between Othello and Desdemona. For our first assignment, we were to write a love letter expressing our deep love for Othello in the character of Desdemona, or vice versa. I could hardly believe it. I adamantly believed, and will always believe, there was never any such love. › Continue reading