INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @RIPANNANICOLESMITH SUPERIMPOSES ACADEMIC TEXT TO YOUR FAVOURITE CULT FILMS |
Love Magazine
By Juno Kelly.
Instagram account @ripannaniclesmith, helmed by film studies academic Kristen Cochrane, brings both obscure and cult academic readings into the mainstream via memes.
Stills from pop culture films of the 90's and 2000's are overlaid with academic text by the likes of Susan Sontag, Ara Osterweil, Roland Barthes and gender studies pioneer, Judith Butler. The work is not only hilarious and palpably relatable, but confronts everyday sexism and questions patriarchal norms, whilst dissecting the the role that gentrification and capitalism play in the modern world.
We sent Kristen some questions about her 40,000 follower strong account, her take on the pervasive nature of meme culture, how she de-stigmatises female sexuality and the importance of a sense of humour when combatting the patriarchy.
How would you explain the power of meme culture?
Contemporary memes are going through what various popular cultural objects have historically faced. Whether it's novels, television, or video games, popular cultural objects are typically judged as "low brow" and devoid of any intellectual value. But things that are popular are popular for a reason. These negative perceptions of popular cultural phenomena are rooted in things like classism, racism, and sexism. An example of the classism as it applies to memes can be seen in fashion styles—when styles become popular, they are abandoned by the wealthiest social classes until they can find a new object that can represent an "elite" status. Memes are not elite because basically anyone can make one and go viral.
The embracing and de-stigmatising of female sexuality by inserting intellectual reading to cult films such as Legally Blonde and Mean Girls is genius. How did you come up with the concept?
That's so kind of you to say. Thank you! I grew up with Legally Blonde and Mean Girls, so I generally have a personal, historical relationship with each film. I focus on the same films because consistency is crucial in getting people excited about something (whether it's the pleasure of recognising something you like or whether it just makes you laugh for whatever reason). I mostly want to make people laugh and recognise nostalgic items, because that's what I like to do when I'm scrolling on the internet. Both of these movies are really interesting and meaningful in their own ways. Legally Blonde is great in that it's a utopian fantasy of a woman proving that enjoying fashion doesn't mean that you can't intellectually defeat your colleagues at Harvard Law School. Mean Girls is tremendous because the theme of interpersonal cruelty and backstabbing is a universal experience irrespective of gender, and I think most people can relate to the characters (whether they have been a bully, a victim, or both—and it's usually both).
Do you believe that linking feminist readings to popular culture is the best way to make sure they segue into the mainstream?
This is a good question. My theory is that there are a lot of people who follow me and tag their friends in the comments because they want to share their collective trauma over theorists whose texts feel impenetrable. A lot of people feel the pressure to go to university and end up in these humanities programs or courses where they have to read critical theory, but would be better suited in another field. I find this sad—if I was socially pressured to be in a STEM field, I would be traumatized and fail. The field is also gendered—a lot of Millennial women are now in the humanities and are reading dense, migraine-inducing theory that doesn't make sense in a contemporary context. It's especially brutal if you don't enjoy the theory. I've gotten some feedback where people say that my work has made the theories more accessible, which is a dream to hear. When I can't help someone understand something, I feel a bit devastated. One of the nicest comments I've recently gotten was something like "you explain things better than my professor does". On the other hand, if a quote is taken out of context, it can lose its critical purchase and not be great for women. For this reason, I'm always fact checking quotes and seeing where they came from, what the author has said they meant, how other people have interpreted it, and so on.
Your account is named after model and icon Anna Nicole Smith, what is it about her that you admire and why does her story link so well to what the account stands for?
I always aesthetically admired Anna Nicole Smith and found her really fun to watch in interviews and on her show The Anna Nicole Smith Show in the 2000s. When she died, I felt really disturbed and really sorry for her. The idea that there is a binary of women who are smart and women who are stupid is complete bullshit. Women who like to dye their hair blonde, do their makeup, and alter their appearance (whether it's through surgical procedures or going to the gym) are not vapid. It is ignorant and awful that these assumptions are made. The judgment and reduction of people considered beautiful or sexy happens to men too, but it seems to affect women in ways that can compromise their livelihood or well-being. I've seen a lot of women feel utterly destroyed by people who feel jealous and threatened by their perceived beauty and sexual expression. I suspect that Anna Nicole went through this—Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe were treated similarly, and were not "stupid". With my work and my Instagram account, I want to shatter ideas of "stupidity" that are perceived when judging people who want to play with their appearance and become walking art. They're like sculptures and they are the author of their body as a work of art.
Why do you think maintaining a sense of humour and satire with regards to sexism is important?
We need people who are serious about sexism, and we need people who will make jokes about it. If one is missing, resistance doesn't work. I'm depressed if I'm not joking about my misery related to the lack of education on gender and sexuality that impacts people of any gender (or non-conforming gender identity). Feeling angry and negative is personally not sustainable for me. I feel tired and exhausted after feeling angry for so long and I'm only 28. I'm grateful for the people who stay angry and use their anger as energy—we need them. But at the end of the day when people are feeling like they are about to lose their minds, I want to make them laugh.
Do you have an all time favourite post?
I usually forget what I post, because the verbose texts I add to images are like the surplus of all the theory I've been reading for whatever reason. I recently posted a still from The Simple Life, the reality TV show from the 2000s with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie (which I see as a travel-comedy show à la Louis Theroux, especially in his Weird Weekends phase in the 1990s). This post had Paris and Nicole working as maids at a nudist colony and they're on the phone, where I think Nicole is asking if whatever they are having delivered to the room will have a naked person delivering it. It's deadpan, bizarre, and sounds like something one of my friends would ask in the same situation.