Questions I have after watching Moxie…

How does this film contribute to an advancement of feminism, currently? And although whatshisface, Jordan Peterson, does a whole thing on intersectionality being the devil’s spawn (kind of), doesn’t Moxie just point to an actual practical application of this… where an appreciation/understanding of the experiences of an other (just someone who experiences things different to you based upon their conditions of life) is a positive force in the sense that it breaks down/highlights privilege? And listening to JP talk on this subject just leaves me feeling that the old-ish white guy isn’t happy having such privileges Qd at all… but hey, maybe I misunderstand him (but I don’t think so).

Why does Bikini Kill not receive more airplay on radio stations? I have a real personal dislike of the music of Oasis – simplistic lyrics, an over-reliance on rhyme, that whiny, nasal voice of the tall Gallagher, the uninspiring melodies of the shorter Gallagher, so obviously obsessed with The Beatles (and not a huge fan of them also), yet Oasis ‘anthems’ ring out all over the place… even on banking ads now. The same cannot be said for Bikini Kill. But why would it, you may ask. Well, the music industry does seem to overly promote its male bands at the expense of females… that’s just a fact you can’t even argue with… as if heavy/experimental/indie/worthy/whatever music has to be male-led… but the music of Bikini Kill kind of kicks that all in the nuts… so why not more widely known (and I’m reading that some of the actors in the movie were not even aware of Bikini Kill (and on the subject of names for bands, is that not just one of the best band names ever???)).

What is pushing this recent revival of Bikini Kill? It was obvious when watching Sex Education that someone in the production team had a vested interest in them, as by episode three there were posters on show, they’d been referred to a number of times, and ‘Rebel Girl’ made the soundtrack. And then Miley Ray Cyrus (is that right?) is running on a treadmill belting out ‘Rebel Girl’ just prior to Super Bowl something or other. And now Moxie, where the premise for the film is literally built upon Bikini Kill’s music and musical influence – if Vivian doesn’t take an interest in her mother’s 90s feminist activism, there’s no film, right?

How powerful can a piece of art be when it is produced within a rigid system of capitalism that is controlled, effectively, by non-feminists/anti-feminists? And by that I’m asking what conditions for change need to come to pass in order for the film’s message to bear fruit? You’d think we’d be past the stage of sexism, sexual abuse, bullying and intimidation in schools, but we’re not. And if it festers there then it stands to reason that it will manifest itself in other forms in the wider society – Eve Sedgwick discussed this on arrival at Amherst in 1984(?).

Why can’t women be pirates (quote from the film)? Kathy Acker asked this Q also.

Intersectional enough? Mostly cis-het representation, but tackles issues of ability, race, colour, and definitely takes aim at toxic masculinity, which it just is… toxic. But doesn’t exclude men entirely, which is interesting.

Who will this film inspire? What does it do to the generation going through schooling now?