Push Comes to Shove: New Images of Aggressive Women (The MIT Press)

In the past, more often than not, aggressive women have been rebuked, told to keep a lid on, turn the other cheek, get over it. Repression more than aggression was seen as woman's domain. But recently there's been a noticeable cultural shift. With growing frequency, women's aggression is now celebrated in contemporary culture -- in movies and TV, online ventures, and art. In __Push Comes to Shove__, Maud Lavin examines these new images of aggressive women and how they affect women's lives. Aggression, says Lavin, need not entail causing harm to another; we can think of it as the use of force to create change -- fruitful, destructive, or both. And over the past twenty years, contemporary culture has shown women seizing this power. Lavin chooses provocative examples to explore the complexity of aggression, including the surfer girls in __Blue Crush__, Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in __Prime Suspect__, the homicidal women in __Kill Bill__, and artist Marlene McCarty's mural-sized __Murder Girls__. Women need aggression and need to use it consciously, Lavin writes. With __Push Comes to Shove__, she explores the crucial questions of how to manifest aggression, how to represent it, and how to keep open a cultural space for it. 'In the past, more often than not, aggressive women have been rebuked, told to keep a lid on, turn the other cheek, get over it. Repression more than aggression was seen as woman's domain. But recently there's been a noticeable cultural shift. With growing frequency, women's aggression is now celebrated in contemporary culture--in movies and TV, online ventures, and art. In Push Comes to Shove, Maud Lavin examines these new images of aggressive women and how they affect women's lives. Aggression, says Lavin, is necessary, large, messy, psychological, and physical. Aggression need not entail causing harm to another; we can think of it as the use of force to create change--fruitful, destructive, or both. And over the past twenty years, contemporary culture has shown women seizing this power. Lavin chooses provocative examples to explore the complexity of aggression: the surfer girls in Blue Crush; Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect; the homicidal women in Kill Bill and artist Marlene McCarty's mural-sized Murder Girls; the erotica of Zane and the art of Kara Walker; the group dynamics of artists (including the artists group Toxic Titties) and activists; and YouTube videos of a woman boxer training and fighting. Women need aggression and need to use it consciously, Lavin writes. With Push Comes to Shove, she explores the crucial questions of how to manifest aggression, how to represent it, and how to keep open a cultural space for it.'--Provided by publisher The new celebration of women's aggression in contemporary culture, from Kill Bill and Prime Suspect to the artists group Toxic Titties. In the past, more often than not, aggressive women have been rebuked, told to keep a lid on, turn the other cheek, get over it. Repression more than aggression was seen as woman's domain. But recently there's been a noticeable cultural shift. With growing frequency, women's aggression is now celebrated in contemporary culturein movies and TV, online ventures, and art. In Push Comes to Shove , Maud Lavin examines these new images of aggressive women and how they affect women's lives. Aggression, says Lavin, need not entail causing harm to another; we can think of it as the use of force to create changefruitful, destructive, or both. And over the past twenty years, contemporary culture has shown women seizing this power. Lavin chooses provocative examples to explore the complexity of aggression, including the surfer girls in Blue Crush , Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect , the homicidal women in Kill Bill , and artist Marlene McCarty's mural-sized Murder Girls . Women need aggression and need to use it consciously, Lavin writes. With Push Comes to Shove , she explores the crucial questions of how to manifest aggression, how to represent it, and how to keep open a cultural space for it. In the past aggressive women have been told to turn the other cheek and get over it. Repression more than aggression was seen as woman's domain. But recently there's been a noticeable cultural shift. With growing frequency, women's aggression is now celebrated in contemporary culture--in movies and TV, online ventures, and art. In this bookthe author examines these new images of aggressive women and how they affect women's lives. Aggression, says Lavin, is necessary, psychological and physical. We can think of it as the use of force to create change--fruitful, destructive, or both. And over the past twenty years, contemporary culture has shown women seizing this power. Lavin chooses provocative examples to explore the complexity of aggression: Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect; the homicidal women in Kill Bill and artist Marlene McCarty's mural-sized Murder Girls; the erotica of Zane and the art of Kara Walker and YouTube videos of a woman boxer training and fighting. Women need aggression and need to use it consciously, Lavin writes Sibling Play : Women, Sports, And Movies -- Aging And Aggression -- Violence : Kill Bill And Murder Girls -- Unbuttoning Sexuality : Zane And Kara Walker -- More Siblings : Aggression Within Art And Activist Groups. Maud Lavin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [273]-284) And Index.