Documentaries for Women’s History Month
It’s Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the hard-won victories in the fight for women’s equality while remembering the barriers to gender equality that still persist. As the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements continue to reverberate, it’s never been more important for educators to encourage their students to think critically about the larger cultural forces that contribute to sexism and gender violence. With this in mind, we’ve selected a number of MEF films that explore how dominant cultural narratives reinforce regressive ideas and attitudes about women and femininity.
Looking for a powerful and timely analysis of the ongoing backlash against women’s rights? Be sure to check out bestselling author and journalist Jessica Valenti in The Purity Myth.
Want to explore how advertising perpetuates stereotypes of women and femininity? Don’t miss Killing Us Softly 4, Women’s Hall of Fame inductee Jean Kilbourne’s stunning look at regressive representations of women in American advertising. Or Elena Rossini’s The Illusionists, a powerful examination of how the advertising industry is perpetuating these distorted images across cultures on a global scale.
Interested in how ideals of beauty that privilege whiteness and thinness shape the identities and self-esteem of women and girls of color? Then don’t miss the re-release of Daphne’s Valerius’s award-winning The Souls of Black Girls.
Or how about a feel-good story about one woman’s success in breaking the glass ceiling? Then be sure to check out Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, an inspiring portrait of Nicole Sherry McFadyen, one of only two women in history to be named Head Groundskeeper of a Major League Baseball team.
You can learn more about these titles — and many more — in our selection below. We hope you’ll consider using these films to spark discussions in your classes, on your campus, or in your community throughout the month of March!
EXPLORE FILMS ON WOMEN & WOMEN’S HISTORY
