Gender: Girl Talk

Briefly: I go to film school. Several of my professors are women. Working in a male-dominated industry, most of them are pretty aware of issues of gender, even though they rarely attempt to address this with a class that's seventy-five percent male.

Last week, a (female) professor of mine was doing a general pitch about interviews we were supposed to be conducting with an industry professional of our choice. She gave examples: if you want to go into cinematography, talk to a cinematographer. If you're into set design, try and get an interview with a production designer.  Female student? Try getting a hold of a woman in the industry.

So. To me, one of these things is not like the other. Guys, you're defined by your career goals - women? Just stick to your gender. Doesn't matter if you want to be a dolly grip and the woman you're talking to is an assistant director. The important thing is to get your girl talk on. Could you imagine a male student being given the directive to 'find a man in the industry'?

I think what she was trying to acknowledge is that the sexism inherent in the system means that if you want a good understanding of what your life will be like as a woman in the industry, you should, well, talk to a woman in the industry. And I don't think that is necessarily bad advice.

But to me, it came out all wrong.

I was mute because I didn't know how to articulate this at the time, but now that I'm mulling I'm not sure mentioning it to her would even have helped. She is clearly a feminist who cares about how women are treated in her industry, and I don't want to be policing people's language needlessly.

Thoughts?

CheersJulia