The Stepford Wives (1975) - w/ Kelsey Kramer McGinnis On Tradwives and Asking: "Do Stepford Men Even Like Women?"

MOVIE DISCUSSION:

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis on Instagram & Christianity Today

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, contributing author to Christianity Today and Professor at Grand View University, joins Melvin in discussing a classic film adaption in early feminist literature, The Stepford Wives! 

Topics: 

• (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 38-minutes discussing Kelsey McGinnis' article on Christianity Today titled "Big, Big Market: Why CCM Filled '80s and '90s Homes", where CCM developed during the '00s and the '10s, the transition in popularity from CCM to Worship music, and the impact of how we engage music in the modern day through streaming and algorithmic curation. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
• Kelsey McGinnis shares about her upcoming book with Marissa Burt on the history of Christian parenting, and some of its crossover with the modern TRAD-wife movement.
• The Stepford Wives is almost entirely mumblecore in its presentation. Apart from that one big thing, it feels like a simple, evenly-paced film about nothing.
• Nearly 50 years later... is The Stepford Wives still a good representation of feminist cinema?
• The two open up their spoiler-filled discussion early (for a 50-year-old film) so they can get into more interesting weeds of discussion.
• So... is The Stepford Wives a horror movie? Yes, but likely only for some.
• For 1975, Melvin isn't aware he's seen or read any stories that tackle systematic issues with such complex clarity. He's largely observed that in more modern material.
• The Stepford Wives is stupendously blunt. Is that useful?
• Tradwives are like a modern stepford wife, but what else defines them? The two discuss its complicated origin, and it's identity-altering and spiritually-toxic attributes.

Recommendations: 

• The Sopranos (1999) (TV-Show)
• Taskmaster (2015) (Game Show)
• Someone's Watching Me! (1978) (Movie)