MOVIE SPECIAL: ‘Moxie’

TW: discussion of rape and rape culture

Welcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is joined by childhood friends Rosalie Murray and Dondré Taylor-Stewart to break down the teen feminist film MOXIE (2021). We have a soft spot for this group of outcasts who form a feminist movement at their high school, drawing parallels to our own short-lived feminist action in our 2011-2012 senior year. While we celebrate teen girls uniting to fight sexist dress codes, sports inequality, and rape culture, we also critique the lack of meaningful intersectional representation that ultimately places this movie in the “white feminist” category. We wish we’d gotten to watch a more fleshed-out ensemble film rather than what felt like a white woman’s journey propped up by diverse side characters. As Dondré says in our Letterboxd review for this movie: “There’s a world where the palatable avatar for feminism doesn’t have to be a white woman.”

For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with MOXIE, streaming on Netflix.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky: @leftistteendrama | twitter, letterboxd: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator, organizer, and writer who watches too much TV. She splits her free time between devouring teen dramas, creating this podcast, tenant organizing, and writing and reading (fan)fiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. 

ROSALIE MURRAY (she/her, recurring guest) is an elementary school social worker/human living in Queens, NY.  Besides spending time with her cat, Louise, she loves to cook tasty ass vegan food with friends, karaoke-ing or starting another unfinished crochet project. She also loves to watch endless youtube videos, reality television and, of course, Degrassi.

DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him; recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer in Los Angeles. His writing focuses on Black and queer characters finding themselves amid society's margins. By day, he works in environmental public policy; by night, he's busy crafting original pilots and DJ-ing. IG & TWITTER: oxtail_papi 

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, works in the cannabis industry, and loves talking old TV.

CHARLES S. O’LEARY (they/them; art) is a “writer,” “designer,” and “content strategist” based in Brooklyn, NY. A survivor of the 2010s Tumblr wars, leftist media criticism is all they know. To learn about them professionally, visit charles-oleary.biz. To learn about them personally, visit their Instagram at @c.s.0.l.

Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned. 

intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats

All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.

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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: 

• Autostraddle, March 8, 2021, Moxie Review: Netflix’s Teen Feminist Revolution Falls Short by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
• Screenrant, March 2, 2021, Moxie Review: Amy Poehler's Riot Grrrl Movie Has Its Heart In The Right Place by Molly Freeman