How are contemporary feminisms negotiated in TV comedies?

Christina Mansueti loves stories told through the lens of comedy because she loves how it can challenge social norms and permits people to talk about taboo topics that “polite society prohibits.”

During her fall 2023 Arts and Humanities Colloquium lecture, Mansueti used the TV comedies Chewing Gum and Fleabag to illustrate how these shows negotiate contemporary feminisms. She says the comedies under review expose and challenge cultural narratives – especially those concerning women and gender and what’s termed post-feminism.

Mansueti is in the final year of her PhD at the University of Sunderland in Media and Communications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Vancouver Island University and a master’s degree in Cultural Studies and Critical Theory from McMaster University. She has taught English at VIU, both in Adult Basic Education and the English department since 2021.

Watch Mansueti’s presentation:

Since 2009, Arts and Humanities Colloquium presentations have inspired conversations about ideas among members of the Arts and Humanities faculty and their communities both at VIU and in the mid-Island region. Presenters show how important the arts and humanities are to understanding today’s world.