Scarlett Johanssons White Feminism Is Showing In Ghost In The Shell Defense

Scarlett Johanssons White Feminism Is Showing In Ghost In The Shell Defense


Maybe one day a white actor cast in a role thats intended to be played by a person of color will acknowledge the consequences of whitewashing on communities underrepresented on screen. But today is not that day, andScarlett Johanssonis not the actor.

Speaking withMarie Clairefor the magazines March issue, Johansson addresses the controversy surrounding her casting in Ghost in the Shell, the film adaptation of Masamune Shirows wildly popular Japanese comic. In the original source material and various other iterations, Johanssons character, a human-cyborg hybrid soldier named Major Kusanagi,has been traditionally portrayed as an Asian woman.

Yes, it is well worth noting that very few actresses in Hollywood get the chance to helm a blockbuster action franchise. But pivoting away from the issue of whitewashing by celebrating her own casting as a win for gender parity in the entertainment industry is a classic case of white feminism. Here, Johansson is prioritizing a brand of feminism that largely benefits white women, as opposed to the many capable Asian actresses working today, and uses it to divert attention away from the valid criticisms of the Asian community about the film.

Johansson went on to explain in the interview that even with her title as the highest-grossing actress in the game, shes struggled in this industry as well, working hard to be paid the same as her male counterparts.

Ive had to fight for everything that I have. Its such a fickle and political industry, she said. Some people felt I should talk about my personal struggle in order to shed a spotlight on the greater issue. Maybe Im being presumptuous, but I assumed it was obvious that women in all positions struggle for equality.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scarlett-johansson-feminism-ghost-in-a-shell_us_5899dd5fe4b0406131391257?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

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