photo credit Daisy Carlos
Hurray, for the women of Outlander! Anne Kenny, Anna Foerster, Toni Graphia, and Caitriona Balfe were recently notified that they had won Women’s Image Network WIN award nominations for film and television. The nonprofit organization celebrates, “media and deserving individuals who promote gender parity to advance the value of women and girls.” I believe that this award is something these women, the fans, and the show should be very proud of.
The Hollywood film industry has been around since roughly 1910. In the plus 100 years since, we have seen many changes in the productions produced by the studios located there. Technology advances alone have enabled show runners to make films that can truly suspend our disbelief and boggle the mind. They have helped us cope with and make sense of the changing world around us. Which makes the issue Hollywood has with women that more puzzling. Few advancements have been made for women in over 60 years. In fact, their record is so dismal that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is reportedly investigating their hiring practices. How can what is perceived as a progressive or liberal industry be so behind the times when it comes to treating women as equals? The disparity is staggering. Women are paid less then men in all areas of film production and aren’t being hired for positions as “content creators” in its inner sanctum of writing, directing, and producing.
There are many who believe that this disparity is part of a much larger issue about women and Hollywood. It isn’t just employment opportunities and parity in pay, but how films are marketed to women and the portrayal of women in film. In short, male-dominated Hollywood, those who run the studios, finance, and cast films don’t value women. One female star, Geena Davis, has been voicing her concerns about Hollywood for quite awhile and has gone beyond just talking about gender bias and created a foundation that studies gender bias in film and advocates for change. She recognized the power Hollywood has and became concerned that its influence on future generations of women was significant.
Here are some facts gleaned from her institutes’ website
“Founded by Academy Award®-winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, the Institute is the only research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate, and influence the need to dramatically improve, gender balance, reduce stereotyping and create diverse female characters in entertainment targeting children 11 and under.”
Research Facts
- Males outnumber females 3 to 1 in family films. In contrast, females comprise just over 50% of the population in the United States. Even more staggering is the fact that this ratio, as seen in family films, is the same as it was in 1946.
- Females are almost four times as likely as males to be shown in sexy attire. Further, females are nearly twice as likely as males to be shown with a diminutive waistline. Generally unrealistic figures are more likely to be seen on females than males.
- Females are also underrepresented behind the camera. Across 1,565 content creators, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female. This translates to 4.8 males working behind-the-scenes to every one female.
- From 2006 to 2009, not one female character was depicted in G-rated family films in the field of medical science, as a business leader, in law, or politics. In these films, 80.5% of all working characters are male and 19.5% are female, which is a contrast to real world statistics, where women comprise 50% of the workforce.
All facts are supported by research conducted by Stacy Smith, Ph.D. at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
I’m happy to say that since Patricia Arquette’s Academy Awards speech in 2015, other highly visible women in Hollywood are speaking out and calling-out gender bias; Jennifer Lawerence, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, and others. Bullock, in a recent article in VARIETY, expressed her frustration and hopes.
“I always make a joke: ‘Watch, we’re going to walk down the red carpet, I’m going to be asked about my dress and my hair while the man standing next to me will be asked about his performance and political issues,'” she said. “Once we start shifting how we perceive women and stop thinking about them as ‘less than,’ the pay disparity will take care of itself. There’s a much bigger issue at hand. I’m glad Hollywood got caught.” Sandra Bullock in VARIETY
So, why should we care about this situation. For the same reason Geena Davis started her institute, because our children are watching.
“We are in effect enculturating kids from the very beginning to see women and girls as not taking up half of the space.” Geena Davis
Many reviews of Outlander have included praise for the way women are portrayed and much has been made of the “strong female protagonist” Claire. Like this. http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/starz-outlander-woos-women-with-strong-female-protagonist-1201277091/ The show has been called ground-breaking for its realistic portrayal of sex and relationships. Given the current climate of self-introspection (hopefully) in Hollywood, I believe this WIN award may give the show some attention that we can be proud of and hopefully, result in more shows with the types of women’s roles found in Outlander. These women deserve the attention they are getting and more. Another person who should be getting some credit is Ron Moore. He recognized that Diana Gabaldon’s story of a strong, smart, resourceful, and kind woman needed to be told and fought for it. He also deserves credit for hiring these women writers and directors. He is evidently more sensitive to gender equity than most of his peers.
If you were around back when the series was first filmed and then reviewed, you might remember the frustration fans experienced reading write-ups on the series by critics and entertainment journalists. It was truly a lesson on what the industry thought of a show they knew was being marketed to women. It was insulting to say the least. They questioned the show’s worth if men couldn’t be convinced to watch it (by the way they are, but that is beside the point). They stubbornly hung on to the idea that Outlander was a Harlequinesque bodiceripper that would only appeal to middle-age bored love-starved housewives. We fought back the little that we could, but were frustrated in our efforts when Starz/Sony began a marketing campaign that seemed to reinforce the “Bodiceripping Romance” idea (the kilt drops…really?) We finally sort of gave up and hoped the story and the production would speak for themselves. I felt kind of smug when the reviewers seemed surprised by how good it was cuz…we tried to tell them. Outlander is a quality program that presents women as something more than sex objects or stereotypes.
Congrats to Outlander and its talented women.
My Outlander Blog! 
YEP! Exactly Beth! It was so very frustrating today to see so LITTLE on the WIN Awards and so much on Sam! I adore Sam, but the whole sex god thing with him has become sort of blasé. It’s expected…fine…move on to other stuff. I had one specific comment to me today saying that, all this constant Sam/sex stuff was turning her off to the show. How sad is that?! And how can we combat the image in public and get a wider audience if people cruise social media to check out the show only to find 95% of the stuff is women gushing about Sam/Jamie.
Thanks for focusing on the WIN awards – I started out in a different place with my blog (hadn’t even SEEN the award noms when I started writing) so just kept on that track. You covered it beautifully as always!
Thanks! I’ll go read yours now!
Beth,
You got right! Hope PR is listening.
Your blog post was spot on. I love that all the female characters are strong and opinionated. Even Mrs. Fitzgibbons…telling off Father Bain. A friend of mine told me that Claire was pissing her off, doing whatever she wants, getting into trouble all the time. Well I was a bit taken back by her observations and we had a great discussion about it. She has since changed her tune.
BTW I love Jamie’s character as well. Strong male who appreciates a strong female. Such great writing!
I concur!
I had to share this with FB Hope PR gets the message! …thank you Beth.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
And Kudos to You, too, Beth! Excellent observations on things that needed to be said – – and done so well, too. As always, thanks for your insights and your ability to verbalize them – – hope this all gets some deserved attention. Tulach Ard!
Thanks Julie!
Great writeup Beth. I’ve found myself getting more aggravated with this issue as time has gone on. I don’t think I was aware just how underrepresented women were behind the camera. Being a fan of the tv show and following its production has opened my eyes. I admire Maril Davis for working in the male dominated industry and doing it so well. But as any fan who follows Maril on Twitter knows, she works her ass off. She’s dedicated to her craft as a producer. Same goes for Cait, Anne Kenny, Anna Foerster, Toni Graphia. So happy for their WIN award nominations. Couldn’t be a better representation of strong talented women.
PS Thanks for including my comment from fb. LOL
You’re welcome!
Seeing women as objects continues to plague us – every day. I struggle with my young daughters seeing adult cheerleaders on tv – bizarre that THAT is acceptable. I am a Sales Director in a male dominated field and have had to work 10x harder than my peers – it’s always been that way. I don’t want my daughters to think for one minute that it’s okay to be used or presented in any other way but the strong, intelligent women they will become. I don’t really care about the people’s dumb list – they are all wonderful actors. Unfortunately, pop culture sells. Things don’t always have to be a certain way – we have the power to change them. Thank you for striking a cord – Hollywood plays an enormous role in portraying women as objectives (and in the case of the red carpet…live coat hangers). Time to wake up and give our girls something to be really proud of!
I have six granddaughters and I find myself VERY concerned about the messages they are exposed to!
Maybe some of the problem is most of Starz productions are macho ones that many don’t watch, including me.. Every time I try to get friends to watch, they say they don’t get Starz.
Good point!
Beth, you are spot on. Great article. Thank you again for all you do.
Thanks for reading!
I agree with you about the PR, the “street team” of kilted muscles at SDCC always bothered me. They only seem to advertise the sex, just to women instead of men.
Beth…I love every one of your posts and find them entertaining and thought provoking. This one got my attention enough to respond. I do agree that women in general do not get the credit they deserve but we certainly are making headway in most walks of life. I was first drawn to the Outlander series because the gals at my local library (this was the mid 90’s) after my asking for a book recommendation couldn’t believe that I hadn’t read Outlander! Their comment being that it had a great female “heroine”. I read the book in a week and read it over again a few times before going on to the only available sequel at the time (DIA). I read it over and over because I loved the female lead but it was her relationship with Jamie that won me over. It is the reason I watch the series on tv. That being said, I am a woman and I adore Sam Heughan. He has given the character of Jamie a reality I never thought possible. Caitriona is wonderful and I love her and she is doing a masterful job of portraying Claire…but the tv series’ success is reliant on Sam Heughan first and Caitriona secondly in my opinion…he has become the series’ lynchpin. The books are different in this regard as so much of the story is told from Claire’s POV and her character drives the story. The change with the tv series is due in part to the writers and the producers. They have moved the story into the direction to which they wish it to go and that is Jamie as the lead character. I certainly don’t mind this new direction but it is a glowing example of how we as females have a long journey still ahead to find ourselves equals to our male counterparts.
Thank you and yes we seem to continually fight fir validation!
Totally agree with you Beth.
There are still a lot of fans who objectify Sam/Jamie which supports the Starz PR trend. A think we all need to scream a little louder.
I’ve been following women in film issues for quite a while, as a screenwriter.
I wrote this about Claire/Cait to explore the issues women in film face: http://outlandercastblog.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-ever-fckable-claire-fraser-and.html
Thank you for sharing!
And I also give thanks for Terry Dresbach who has helped educate us on these issues! Starz could attract more viewers if it was more fearless and woman-powered, producing the kind of quality story telling generated by Diana Gabaldon.
Thank you so much for writing this piece. I can only hope Starz will pay attention.
Well stated. I will say that I feel badly for Sam too. He is a terrific actor and it must get very old to always be referred to as the hunk. Starz PR doesn’t need to do an either or. They need to celebrate what is truly great about Outlander, strong endearing characters all around and absolutely terrific actors of both genders. Creative genius in both genders of the production company. That is true equity.
I agree!
👏👏👏👏 to Diana Gabaldon. Otherwise none of this could or would happen.
TRUTH!
Yet they did not use any female directors for season two.
not because they didn’t try
I agree with Sarah. It remains to be seen how hard they tried. If it’s not a priority setting….
I know for certain that many women qualified directors are unemployed. If you look at Anna and at Catherine Hardwick, it’s not like before their “big breaks” they had action-oriented films, and yet they both did great.
My 3 favourite episodes were directed by Anna. If we could see the scripts, then we would know just how much more of an impact she had.
After reading a thread begun by Terry Dresbach today on Twitter about this very subject, I spent some time trying to locate a link to Starz!, particularly the PR dept, to express my disappointment not only about their failure to promote the 2nd season of Outlander, leaving us devoted fans hanging in Droughtland with nothing but Season 1 BTS pics ad nauseam but also to let them know that they were erring by not recognizing the devotion given to Caitroina Balfe by so many Outlander fans. The links I looked at didn’t seem to want comment. That Claire was not invited to Rim-Con was the proverbial straw for me. To whom should I address my disgust (tempered, of course) at this slight. For crying out loud, without Claire there would be no Outlander!! And yet, she, as the main character, and Cait, as the actor, continue to be dissed, by Starz! in favor of promoting the sexy male stars. Yes, Sam is sexy and deserves recognition as such, especially in American publications. (He gets a lot of print space in Scotland.) But far more important is that Sam is extraordinarily talented as an actor. Starz! should recognize that facet of their very popular star and promote that!
The best I can advise is twitter or an email!
I’ve seen this coming for a while and have a few thoughts. The male-dominated HW studio Starz has expropriated a female voice and smothered it under a male-dominated writing team, all in the name of profit. Jamie was brought forward in S1 Part 2 with more overt violence added to get the male viewers. So Sam has been pushed out in front, since with both male and female fans he gets the lion’s share of attention. Given what he posts on his social media, it’s obvious he’s enjoying it. It just got him to #5 on People’s SMA list. It’s all great for his career. Starz PR figures it’s giving the punters what the want, making oodles of $$ in the process. For the thinking fan; the true fan with a bit of a broader interest in the show, he/she is SOL. It doesn’t increase the STARZ bottom line to promote Caitriona, the lead, because they’re making their money off that fanbase that currently dominates the fandom – the Sam-obsessed older woman (But betting on that future male audience). Sadly Caitriona played into it today by tweeting her support of Sam’s SMA popularity. Of course there is nothing wrong with supporting a colleague, but she invited repression of her own character Claire by playing the wife and saying he should be #1 on that list. It just reinforces Sam-obsessesed female fan sentiment that was tweeted many times today: “Sam should be number 1!” She also put herself in the weaker position by mentioning the wife bit. She was trying her best, but it was misguided. I have my own ideas on how I’d like to see this sexism change, but figure it’s a waste of breath. The HW male-dominated studio system is too big of a well-oiled machine at this point. And since Sam seems to be running with the fame bit securely in his mouth, and loving being Starz PR’s pet actor to the point it’s pretty much all-Heughan-all -the-time on his social media, I’m ready to gag, I’ve pretty much written Outlander off and am ready to ditch being part of the fandom. Good luck to those who remain.
Great post. Highly agree. This is true in the theatre world as well. This may be a little off topic but I wonder what would happen if women didn’t get all dressed up for award shows. If they wore business casual or just casual clothes and fun shoes that they can walk in, light makeup and simple hairstyles and jewelry. I don’t know that it’s written anywhere that they have to “dress to the nines” or be uncomfortable. A new trend. Maybe I’ll contact some of the actresses mentioned above and ask them what they think.
I understand what you are saying but I find I’m uncomfortable with the idea of dressing down to conform. I’m actually researching the topic
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Just saw your reply. I’m not sure what you mean by dressing down to conform. My off topic question had to do with Sandra Bullock commenting that on red carpets all she gets asked about is her dress, jewelry, etc. So, if women didn’t wear designer dresses, expensive jewels, the interviewers would have to ask women different, perhaps important questions.
I think all of this is coming very close to Sam bashing (you know who you are, Terry) and I am in total agreement with the lady who said she watches the show because of the relationship between Jamie/Claire. Neither one can be divided against the other without diminishing the show. I have watched Sam give everything he’s got to this role and I am in awe of his courage and dedication. Cait is excellent too but it is her interplay (chemistry) with Sam that makes this show so special. Can we just agree that Sam deserves every bit of recognition he gets without saying in the same breath….yeah but what about Cait? Let’s uplift them both but not at the expense of the other. And I just want to go on record as saying that it is the extraordinary character of Jamie that drew me and kept me drawn to this story. And it is the extraordinary acting of Sam that has me thanking God that he was cast in this roll.
Never bashed Sam. Never have. Total agreement that the actors are great. Written about it a lot.
Reblogged this on wine words & nerds and commented:
I usually stay on the fray of things like this, but it’s so very true, and as a big fan of Outlander–both the TV series and books–it’s been easy to get caught up in the hype. However, stepping back, I see many moments where the marketing has failed a bit. The fact of the matter is, though, that these ultra talented women deserve the spotlight and have since day one. I hope that this is a wake-up call to the Starz PR and marketing team. Let’s put these women on the forefront more. After all, this series wouldn’t even exist without one particular WOMAN and HER immense talent as a creator and storyteller…
This is a wonderful piece Beth. I think that some women have been so exposed to this male focus that they thinks it’s the norm for women too. The wonderfully written and directed Wedding episode had so many nuances and beautiful layers to it which Caitriona Balfe so adeptly translated to the screen. Sam was wonderful too, but the focus was primarily on what Claire was going through in her inner dialog. Incredibly, I read some comments in some groups from women that thought there was too much story, not enough sex and not fast enough and wanting to see more of Sam’s bum. This is an example of getting caught up in the male focus on sex. Many women don’t realize how much they have been drawn in. This judging by their indignation at being asked to tone it down or be more respectful. “I have a right to say what I want to say.” or “Don’t be such a prude.” “The actors like it or they wouldn’t be in that business.” Many men used to say the same thing about women, some still do. I am so glad this is being discussed. The goal is not to stifle people, but to acknowledge the opinions of those who haven’t gotten on the male focus bandwagon. Thank you Beth.
Great article. Love the show, love the cast. The PR has always bothered me as well. Did you see the bus in London with Sam’s naked butt on it? I know they thought they were being funny and I’m assuming he had to approve the usage but I was actually embarrassed for him. I know we see women objectified like this which I also hate.
There is power in numbers.
Why don’t the Heughligans and Caitriots combine forces, as one, and approach STARZ to improve the fan experience?
I would love to be surveyed about my wants and needs. And I think STARZ would love to know more about who we are, no?
I don’t usually take the time to comment on most of these blogs but today I felt the need to. If I get crucified for my opinion than so be it we are all entitled to one. First I want to say that of all the blogs written on this topic yours was the most eloquently put piece. It was also the most thought out piece. It made great points about issues of inequality of woman in the industry and it even pointed out how Outlander has been a sort of platform for woman in the industry to excel. I really thought this piece was going somewhere but your ending point took away from the rest of the blog. I will say I agree with the sentiment in all the blogs I have seen posted and I understand the point they are trying to make. However, I don’t necessarily agree with everything being said in them and I do think a lot of them are inadvertently making Sam the bad guy. I know it’s not the bloggers intentions but their wording does make it seem that way. With that being said I just want to put my own personal experience with discovering the show out there. I will say it was never Sam’s attractiveness that got me into the show in the first place but rather the storyline and the great talent of all the actors involved who I believe have a way of truly embodying their characters. I think the entire production of the show captivated me from the start and continued to keep me wanting more. When I talk about the show to others I never once mention the sex appeal but instead I talk about how well it’s written and acted. I never thought starz over pushed sam on me or made me feel he was more to the show than Cait. I always felt they were a dynamic duo and they presented them as a package deal. They traveled together and did lots of press together. They were sold as one. Which was brilliant by starz PR team because that’s exactly what the characters on the show are. They are a unit and you can’t have one with out the other. All avid outlander fans know that. There is no Jamie without his Claire and vice versa. Right now we are going through droughtlander and there is no PR going on for the show but when there is I’m sure the two of them will be bundled together once again traveling around the world promoting it. That being I wouldn’t take starz tweet mishap yesterday to the heart so much. I mean the person running the Starz twitter account messed up on a tweet about the women of the cast a couple times, not really a big deal! Did you see them retweeting Anne’s tweet from the previous day or even Sam’s in regards to the nominations? It’s not like those nominations went unnoticed. I think sometimes people are too busy focusing on the negative instead. Then there is the whole Sam being listed as one of the sexiest man alive tweets fiasco where the StarzPR team retweeted it. You know it was most likely a tech person or intern. It was probably retweeted by PR team because it came from a bigger outlet. If you notice the StarzPR is very lackluster with its tweets in general and not just those related to outlander. I don’t think it is something to get upset over and start a whole movement about. It’s just twitter and it was just a tweet!! I do think if you are going to write a piece about how fans feel you should try approaching from both sides and not just show a one sided view. It’s all about perspective and most these blogs only looked at one side of the spectrum instead of both. Correct me if I am wrong but Ron has taken a role in helping woman in the business. This show has taking a stand in the industry. It’s a show with a woman lead that is powerful, strong willed, intelligent, sexually liberated, quick witted and passionate, its about a woman who is not afraid to question authority a woman that lots of other women can look up to (great job to Diana for created such a woman). How many other shows have that? Don’t take away from that because StarzPR team failed in their tweeting department. Review their initial PR tour I don’t ever think their selling point was just sex appeal. As for what you see on social media you probably see more meme’s/tweets of Sam/Jamie so often because Sam is very active on social media and the fans are simply hoping he retweets them as he does so often. I do not think there is anything wrong with that! I think most of us are a rather good bunch who support all the stars and people related to the outlander fanmily. Last thing I will say is fans shouldn’t feel demonized because they find Sam attractive these blogs seem to make it out to be a horrible thing. We know Sam is more than just his looks. Some fans just have a fun time drooling over Sam and him as Jamie but I don’t think people should be demonized for that. We know there’s more to him then his looks he’s a hell of an actor and that’s where the show and it’s writing comes in to prove it. Those last two episodes where incredible. Believe me people in the industry have taken notice I am sure. There are many articles out there about his talent and there are many articles out their about his attractiveness it just depends on which ones you are choosing to look at.
Hi, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I don’t think we are too far apart on this issue. I can’t speak on what other bloggers have to say. And I know it is tough to keep folks opinions separate when they were published close together like they were today, but let me try to clarify what I was trying to say. First, this had NOTHING to do with Sam as a person or an actor. I agree with everything you said in regards to him including not demonizing fans for thinking he is attractive. I hope that you would be willing to admit that some fans do cross the line. What point I was trying to make was that Starz has had its own role to play in Hollywood’s issues with women. Especially, in the way they marketed the show from the very beginning. I think THEY believe all we care about is Sam or Jamie and the focus on the sexual aspect of the show. You are right that a messed up tweet isn’t the end of the world, but for a lot of folks it was systemic of what is their focus. There were no women from the cast invited to Ring Con in Germany a major fan event, Sam doing the advertising for the special edition DVDs.
I agree with you also that Ron is a champion for women in film. He both retweeted my article and put it on his Facebook page. If you haven’t read any of my other blogs you might be surprised at how positive I am. This was one of the very few times I had a bone to pick. And I think my readers know that and sometimes when you aren’t that negative all the time it makes the times you do have a disagreement more impactful. Thanks once again and I hope you’ll read some of my previous blogs they might give you a better idea of how I feel about the series.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. I can see where those feelings come from and I agree with you to a certain extent. I will also agree with you and say that yes there are some fans that absolutely cross the line when they talk about Sam. Believe me, I at times, find myself blushing from what’s being said. I cringe everytime I hear one talk about their ovaries exploding but that’s only a few fans. Most fans tread the line carefully. I understand your disappoint with ringcon but we don’t actually know what happened there all we can do is make assumptions and that helps no one. Besides diana and Cait, sorry to say, but there is no other female connected to outlander, at this point, that can bring in a crowd besides maybe lotte. However, we know she’s been busy with other things. Ringcon said they were struggling and this year may be their last so they invited who they thought may bring in a larger crowd. Again, we don’t know if Cait was invited or rather she had prior engagements until she says flat out no she was not invited we can’t be sure. Ringcon went with diana and the males who star in the show. A lot of people in other countries don’t know the behind the scenes people you have to remember even though its filmed in Scotland its actual a US show that has just recently been distributed to other countries. Diana is why this whole outlander phenomenon even exist so of course she would draw in a crowd. I don’t think starz had anything to do with it. I will also agree with how they failed with the special edition dvd release. I think it would have been nice to see both Sam and Cait present it. You’re right our social media habits do dictate how Outlander is presented ro other outlets. With that being said I will end there because I can probably go on and on lol. Again, thanks for replying. I will definitely look at your other blog post because 1.) I love reading others perspective and opinions on anything Outlander and 2.) Ummm they’re about outlander! Now off to immerse myself in your post.
Another thoughtful, interesting and timely post. I love how you write and what you have to say, Beth.
Do people know that Cait was slighted regarding Ring Con? I was happy for her that she wasn’t required to go since she worked sooo much In Season 1. Those things look grueling and the multitudes adoring Sam ( whom I greatly admire) are getting so ad nauseum. That could ruin a good person if they aren’t vigilant.
Thanks for this thoughtful article Beth. I am so glad the some of the women of Outlander have been recognized by the WIN nominations! (I am wondering of Maril qualified for a nomination? Would love to have seen her included!)
I have been a fan of the book and the series because I see them as “intelligent” for many of the reasons you all have stated. I really like the characters of Claire & Jamie – and especially their relationship over the years!
While I would most definitely agree that both the characters and the actors are very easy on the eyes, also very intelligent! – I have been concerned and wished that the marketing would give equal focus to the incredibly high quality of ALL of the acting, the high production values, and also I believe it would be a gold mine, as well as more truthful to the production, if they would tout the facts that they believe in/took a chance (whatever they wish to call it) a show with an intelligent female (also in a “professional” – medical field) lead, the 2 leads have a “healthy”/positive/more realistic relationship that lasts for their lifetime, the production employs/strives to employ women in the (still) typically underrepresented production positions, etc. Wouldn’t this be groundbreaking for “Hollywood”? Wouldn’t this be also worthy of much publicity??
I believe that this would go a long way toward acknowledging a large portion of the fan base (although I believe a less vocal one) that they already have, and I would expect would garner them many more viewers/fans of demographics that they may not have expected.
I was also wondering, while I follow a little on social media, I do not post much and therefore am not very SM savvy – is there a place online where people interact/can see posts from fans that appreciate Caitriona? I am aware that there are many for the male actors. I wonder what all could be affected in the “Outlander world”, if there were anything like what they have? Would things be any different?
Ooh sorry – getting too deep! Will stop now…
Thanks!
Lori
Thanks for taking the time to reply! Yes, Caitrionation is a fan club for Cait on Dacebook! It is a private group, but you just have to ask to join.
Another great blog. I agree. A lot of my comments on.promotion weren’t really about just Starz but the greater media and those bloggy media sites who often lead with Sam hunk kilt lifter of outlander ad nauseum. That in the wider world it is thought of as a chick show. That it is lesser because well woman.
But that they do this because that is what the readers and fans show they want by the tweets etc. I know most think there is more to them than being objectified. But often don’t discuss any of that because the drool aspect is easier fun and light. I am not trying to stop any of that if it is what people enjoy and Sam seems to like or encourage it. But for myself need more. So enjoy deeper discussions with Terry and others.
I have never thought Starz needed to do more promotion. I am not getting disillusioned because there has been little S2. I don’t think it starts till March so what’s to promote. I of course would be onboard with different promotion that showed it as more than a kilt dropper. I once read a comment that someone was dissapointed thst their mills and boon (Harlequin) turned into some horror story. I would love it known this isn’t for the faint hearted it is going to rip your heart out and do unexpected stuff more times than not.
On the ringcon that isn’t anything to do with Starz/Sony so no point going at them for that. That was a ringcon decision so ask them and Cait for that answer.
Thank you so much for sending me to this post, I am behind on reading your blog.
You, are now my 2nd favourite writer.
I have little influence on this issue, but can see that I could easily become quite “militant” about it, when I retire from work. You have expressed your thoughts so well and confirmed what I always knew in my heart – with statistics.
I’m going to tweet this blog to Starz, right now, and I am also going to tell them how I dislike the tactics of marketing the series in this way. I don’t live in the US, so was unaware of the “kilt drops” marketing for Season 1, which I only watched recently.
Keep up the great work. Your blog (no matter the subject matter) is always insightful, thought-provoking, and RIGHT ON.