Since the US invaded Iraq in 2003, military women have been featured
in stories that have influenced our understanding of the current
political situation. Christy Gast's video "Amazonian News Network"
explores women's roles in the military via today's lowest common
denominator media
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dia form: the visual language of a twenty-four hour news
channel with over-the-top graphics and audio, fast cuts, bright
colors, sensational stories, endless promos for upcoming segments, and
a continuous scrolling text. The news stories are narrated by
cross-dressing soldier dolls. One segment, in the style of an expose,
examines a so-called Riot Grrl Boot Camp, asking, "are little girls
becoming too empowered?" In another, a reporter checks in at the scene
of a Phoenix area mountain that recently had its name changed in honor
of a Hopi military woman killed in Iraq. Camouflage fashion trends for
women are the topic of an opinion poll, and tech news is about "doing
a Lynndie," a fad in which people parody Lynndie England's thumbs
up/finger pointing gesture and document the situation with their
digital cameras. The faux news segments address contemporary
politics' place in the media humorously yet earnestly, magnifying a
trend in which reporting on individuals' experiences overshadows the
larger sociopolitical context.
Flash preview.
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