Break the Glass Ceiling?...

...Let's Slam the House Down.

Presenter: Katelyn (Katy) Felton

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Fall

Faculty Mentor:

Department: Philosophy

Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=18RhDfDxdugIQLnp6PAmRm2ZMwCAUEOp2

Abstract:
This video is my creative interpretation of a second-wave feminist from the 1980s and what she might say at a Slam Poetry night. I took both positive and negative stereotypes of second-wave feminists into account when creating this character. The scene opens in "The Green Mill Lounge," where Slam Poetry began to gain traction in Chicago in the mid-1980s. The poet sets the stage by teaching the audience a ritual from a typical poetry slam. The poem encompasses quotes from Gloria Steinem and The Handmaid's Tale while also using historical elements such as "Take Back the Night Protests" and Nazi Germany's Lebensborn to detail the oppression and sexism feminists of the 1980s were working to dismantle. There are captions at the bottom center of the video to make it easier for an audience to follow the poem. The screen's top-right captions provide context for any important terms or historical elements that may be unfamiliar to the general public. This video draws on the philosophical concepts learned in my PHIL 273 course to question the world's reality and ethics in which my feminist character resides. This project has allowed me to construct a portal diving into the life of a second-wave feminist from the 80s, and I hope it creates one for you too.