| Brown Bag Series continues strong |
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| Written by Amberly Beckman - Argonaut | ||||||
| Thursday, 19 November 2009 | ||||||
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The small room of the Women’s Center lobby was packed with both men and
women to discuss the impact of the “Twilight” series on culture. The couches were filled and the line of office and wooden chairs strewn around the room were taken as well. Women’s Center director Heather Gasser and her partner, Ray Gasser, sat at the front of the room to lead the discussion on race, gender and class within the “Twilight” series. Gasser explained that while initially the “Twilight” series was hailed as an achievement for the women’s movement — the novel was written by a woman author, the story had a female lead and the first movie was directed by a woman — serious questions have been raised about its message within the feminist community. Some of the issues that may have initiated these themes in the book, said Gasser, is author Stephenie Meyer’s background. Meyer is a stay-at-home mom with three sons. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and graduated with a degree in English from Brigham Young University. Common themes within the book that were discussed include the dependence of Bella, the main character, on the two male characters and the unhealthy relationships she models to younger children. Other issues were the racial and class inequalities in the book, such as the lack of diversity among characters and the distinct classes set up within it, Gasser said. Turnout for this week’s discussion was unusually high, said Lysa Salsbury, coordinator for the Women’s Center programs. Roughly 20 people attended the discussion of the “Twilight” series. Salsbury said the monthly discussions rarely exceed ten participants. She said this was because people often feel intimidated by the Women’s Center. “We’re incredibly inclusive — we provide services to everybody,” Salsbury said. The Women’s Center has been following a theme for the first time this year. Each Brown Bag event, as well as the film series, follows the theme of Complex Cultures: Worlds of Women. “Culture is an extremely broad word,” Salsbury said. “It covers race, ethnicity and nationality, but also social factors like popular culture and media culture. It’s very inclusive.” The goals for the Brown Bag series are for students and faculty to walk away with knowledge of gender influences and structures in society, Salsbury said. The second goal is for them to be able to articulate that knowledge to someone they know. The next Brown Bag discussion is Dec. 9 in the Women’s Center Lounge. The discussion will be based on Crossing Boundaries: The Narrative of U.S. Latina Writers. It includes McNair Scholar Jorge Tapia-Ortiz and his research on three Latina American writers.  Add as favorites (30) | Views: 748
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