Ana helen petersen: PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
Anne Helen Petersen, a news feature writer for Buzzfeed is coming to DePauw.
Petersen’s talk entitled, “Too Loud, Too Fat, Too Slutty: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman” is a part of the Media Fellow's speak series. It will focus primarily on these "unruly women" and the overall policing of women in the media.
“I use the term 'unruliness' to describe any woman who's ‘too’ much of something — thus, ‘too loud,’ ‘too slutty,’ but also ‘too old,’ ‘too queer,’ ‘too honest,’ ‘too gross,’ etc.,” said Peterson. “Historically, women who act like this, either in ‘real life’ or in the media, have been ideologically policed in some way — there's usually a period of fascination and then a rejection because they trouble the status quo.”
After earning her PhD in media studies from the University of Texas and working as a columnist for various media websites, Petersen began writing for Buzzfeed in 2014. She is now on the verge of releasing her first book, which serves as the platform for her talk.
Peterson’s talk has been much anticipated by the DePauw community, especially among communications majors and professors.
“Petersen’s incisive, probing analysis exemplifies the kind of liberal arts education that DePauw strives to instill in students,” said Justin Rawlins, communications professor. “She is a tremendous example for DePauw students that a liberal arts-honed critical lens is essential for being conversant with the world and understanding its complexities.”
Molly Doerhmann, a sophomore Media Fellow, is looking forward to Petersen's talk.
“It’s really exciting that they're having a writer for Buzzfeed come talk at DePauw because I know Media Fellows in particular have been very interesting in Buzzfeed and the way in which it has brought forth a fun medium of media information,” said said.
Peterson hopes that discussion of the media images that surround society will resonate with the students, and in particular, “Unruly Women”.
“In recent years, there's been an embrace of some of these women — think Amy Schumer, the girls of Broad City, Lena Dunham — but it's also fraught: they're treading a very fine line of unruliness,” Peterson said. “So my talk with really define what I mean by unruliness, and then ask questions about why it matters to see these representations, and whether this particular "class" of unruly women will be rejected in similar ways to past ‘classes.’”
Peterson will be speaking Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Watson Forum.