An extended critique of Ferd's vid "Strip"

[thingswithwings]

I don't know what the current fandom convention is when posting something that critiques someone else's work - I've heard that even whispering that someone might not be perfect can destroy souls and ruin christmas fandom for everyone. Also, I know very well from experience that I don't like it when random white male American people show up in my

Comments

[toft_froggy]

This is really interesting and thought-provoking to read, thankyou.

Also, I am totally now going to watch Much Ado, because we were talking about it last night, and now I know about the BLUE LEATHER PANTS, I am 100% sold. It makes me laugh, because that is the difference between fannish and non-fannish recs; non-fans can tell me about the great cast and the interesting adaptation, and I can go, 'I guess I'll rent it some time', and then a fan can say, 'Much Ado About Nothing = Denzel Washington + Blue Leather Pants' and I am THERE, like, RIGHT NOW.

I guess that in a way that's one of the things you're talking about - different ways of seeing the same thing. Like, you said above that she's in fandom a different way, but while I think you're obviously right, what it sounds like she's done (and I haven't seen the vid) is try to throw the costumes into relief on what she thinks is a neutral, default background - a white, straight canvas, so to speak.

But of course, you can't and shouldn't do that, and especially in fandom, where people see Denzel Washington in blue leather pants, and she should have known that. We are too good at noticing bodies and relating them to our own. This is one of the things I'm interested in, actually, the way fandom promotes and teaches a kind of reading that's located in our own, individual bodies, as opposed to through a supposed 'default' body which is male, white and straight.

[thingswithwings]

That is so hilarious: it's really true that only the fannish rec will tell you what you're actually watching the show for. :) Not that I don't watch Shakespeare adaptations for the acting and the direction and the interpretation! But, Jesus, there's this scene where he walks at the head of a phalanx of men, wearing blue leather pants, smirking, with his hand on his sword. I mean.

That's definitely something that I'm interested in too - the thing about relating bodies "out there" to our own, the personalizing of bodies that are supposed to be mass-produced, or widely available. I think it's definitely part of the affective reading strategies that fandom teaches. Aw! I was just talking about Henry Jenkins' "Get a Life" the other day, as you know, so I have very much on my mind the whole thing about feminized, affective, personalized, bodied reading practices and how they're always debased by hegemonic and institutional systems of thought and reading. So I definitely prefer to "Denzel Washington in blue leather pants" system of reading. :)