Liz Lemon

It's like The View, but we don't have free copies of The Blind Side on DVD to give away. And even if we did, we probably wouldn't distribute them.

Welcome back to another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Tune in as Kjerstin, Shaamini, and Kelsey discuss the ins and outs (zing!) of Fucking While Feminist, the (Re)Birth of Venus Zine, and Liz Lemon vs. Leslie Knope. Plus: Bitch Faves!



You can listen to the podcast right here, or you can subscribe to Bitch Media on iTunes to download it and listen on the go. (The episode is also available at archive.org.) Faves and links after the jump!

For the last several years, Dove has been busily branding itself as a socially conscious company on a mission to improve women's self-esteem. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty strives " to free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes." This is supposedly done through thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs, and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty (except for those that eschew using beauty products, I assume).

But Dove tested my patience with "30 Rock Beauty Moments" at NBC.com, in which they insinuate themselves into the hilarious work of Tina Fey...

The big pop culture news this week – and other than the death of Michael Jackson, likely some of the biggest pop culture news of the year so far – is that the Walt Disney Company has purchased comic book, film, and video game powerhouse Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.

While I’m personally in no way rattled by the acquisition/merger, I do think that it provides some opportunities to discuss gender, entertainment and marketing.

Marvel has over 70 years of history, and Disney will have access to over 5,000 characters (though the ones that have been mentioned most in the past week are the most profitable: Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men. Hmmmmm . … what could be missing here?)

The deal has included lots of business speak about "brands," "vertical integration," "long-term growth," "value creation," and my favorite, "synergy," (mostly because it reminds me of 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy telling Liz Lemon to "never badmouth synergy"). There certainly will be many opportunities for profit, but I’m interested in how y’all respond to the fact that one of Disney’s major motivating factors has been securing a young male demographic.