GWS Sets It Off

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 9, 2010) - The University of Kentucky's Department of Gender and Women's Studies continues its spring film series with a viewing of "Set It Off" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, at the William T. Young Library Auditorium.

The premise is simple: four black women from the Los Angeles projects decide to rob a bank after struggling to make ends meet lawfully.  

The quartet of female criminals, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox and Kimberly Elise, continue their law-breaking spree after an encouraging initial heist. But the women are unaware that a police detective has them in his sights, not to mention the toll that the burglaries take on their relationship.

This year's GWS film series' focus is masculinities. One may wonder why "Set It Off" would be included in a series dedicated to such a topic, but according to Hispanic Studies graduate student Betsy Dahms, who will provide commentary and discussion following the movie, there is a lot to draw from.

"If you look at Queen Latifah's character, Cleo, you may see that masculinities studies can offer a different perspective on the movie and the genre," Dahms explained. "In my discussion of the movie, I will be focusing on Cleo's 'female masculinity'--a term coined by Judith Halberstam." 

"Set it Off" director Felix Gary Gray has also directed "Friday," "The Italian Job" and music videos for TLC, Dr. Dre, Queen Latifah, Jay-Z and Ice Cube, according to Dahms.

"Halberstam, among others, argues that if we look at masculinities divorced from men, we might be able to better understand the constructed nature of male masculinities," Dahms said. "If we concentrate on Cleo's female masculinity we might better understand urban African-American male masculinities as depicted in films of the same genre."

This film showing also coincides with an "Introduction to Masculinities" course that Dahms is teaching this semester.

GWS began its film series in 1993. Each year, the department chooses a theme, and faculty and students choose films to elaborate on the subject. This year, Latin American Studies Director Juana Suarez is in charge. "I take suggestions from faculty members and students for the film series," she said. "This was Betsy's choice."

While the event is free and open to the public, GWS faculty often ask students to attend at least one film and the discussion for class, according to Women's Studies staff member Betty Pasley. "Depending on the film, we get varying participation from the community, and that really adds to the discussions we have," she said.

For more information, please contact Pasley at 859-257-1388 or betty.pasley@uky.edu.