Jessica M Farrugia

Jessica M Farrugia

Writer / Blogger / MA student. Lover of contemporary English Literature and self-confessed TV Junkie.

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Latest Articles

Latest Topics

4

Does the female superhero fulfil another patriarchal ideal?

Marvel have launched a new comic book – A-Force – depicting a race of female Avengers, led by She-Hulk. In their skin-tight, low-cut outfits, we might ask: is the over-sexualisation of these female superheroes really that empowering?

  • It might also be a good idea to discuss how the outfits serve both male and female characters differently and/or similarly--this will help inform the discussion about whether such outfits are specifically drawn to sexualize women's bodies or if men and women's bodies are treated the same. – CriticalOtaku 9 years ago
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  • I think you could also relate this to the real world today; i.e. how woman are being undermined in the work force today, how they are being sexualized in ads, etc. – amdeit88 9 years ago
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6

Representation of Race, Class and Gender in Historical TV Drama

Given the popularity of Downtown Abbey and Mr Selfridge, is it best to accurately represent situations as they would have been in the historical period, or should adaptations show evidence of our more inclusive modern perspectives? Ie. racial diversity, social mobility, and female figures in influential positions.

  • Mad Men, from what I've seen of it, does a stellar job accurately portraying the way things were but with modern insight. It depicts the ways in which men marginalized and mistreated women but it doesn't glorify it and write it off as "the way it was". In fact, it often shows the repercussions of that from the female perspective. Perhaps that's the best, or most socially responsible, way to approach a period piece ? – zackwards 9 years ago
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Do we really need live-action Disney remakes?

From Snow White to Cinderella, the the anticipated release of Beauty and the Beast – do we really need to see yet another version of the same story? Consider the in relation to Disney's dominance over the family movie industry.

  • We might also wonder what doing a live action remake does for the original story. Does the remake add anything or bring a different perspective to the story? Or is Hollywood just being lazy by not creating original storylines? – S.A. Takacs 9 years ago
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  • I think it would also help to explore the difference between showing the original classics to kids today in comparison to them seeing the new live-action remakes. What difference or impact does seeing one version over the other have, if any at all? And like S.A. Takacs mentioned, it would be help to explore this by looking at what the remakes have to do to update their story to appeal to modern audiences. – Seth Childers 9 years ago
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  • It might be a good idea to compare and contrast the new Cinderella vs the Old. The old version has its problems, but is the new one better than the old? Do both movies have their places? Is the message still the same, but updated? What are the elements of both stories that could be perceived as good or bad? – Schmerica11 9 years ago
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  • Another thing you could tie-in would be live-action versions of other shows, such as Nickelodeon's Avatar flop. It failed firstly cause no one liked the movie, and secondly because all of the characters were portrayed by white actors. What will Disney do to support ethnic princesses such as Mulan or Jasmine, who are not Caucasian and should not be represented by Caucasian actresses? – selizabeth 9 years ago
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Is 'Mean Mums' overkill?

Rumours have emerged surrounding the supposed 'spiritual sequel' to Mean Girls, but after Mean Girls 2 flunked at the box office, is it safe to assume that Mean Mums will do the same? Background context might consider the 'curse of the sequel' and the potential to have too much of a good thing!

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    Latest Comments

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Thanks! I think the biopic genre is really interesting, I’m just a little iffy on the excessive amount of them emerging! I’m craving some original screen writing…

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Thanks! I’m really interested in adaptation so it was an enjoyable article to write.

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Noted – the film mainly deals with the aftermath of the incident but I’ll still bare this in mind next time. Thanks!

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Ah, that sounds really interesting! Thanks for letting me know, Scott. I’m fascinated by the idea of narrative truth – it’s such a complex topic but definitely worth delving into. I’ll have to check out that seminar!

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Such an amusing article! Nice job.

    Animated Characters Who Need Therapy
    Jessica M Farrugia

    Interesting article! Generally I quite enjoy sassy female villains, as I love that they offer a representation of women as powerful, rather than vulnerable. But I do see your points about the negativity associated with the power, and the unnecessary sexualisation. Perhaps it would be less of an issue if there was more of a balance between good and evil female characters? It’s a complex topic – great job!

    Once Upon a Time and the Villainization of Women
    Jessica M Farrugia

    I think the main difference is that Hawking can rightly be called a biopic, whilst The Theory of Everything is more or less a romance, with the added merit of being based on a true story. Like you said, many of those who Hawking believed to be crucial enough to include in his own rendition of his life are excluded from the latest adaptation. It’s still worth a watch though – it is very moving!

    Life Stories: Can we handle the truth?