Surfeminism: Changing The Media Director, writer,and producer, Sarah Lee, in her essay documentary,
Flux: Redefining
Women’s Surfing(2013), addressed sexism in the surfing world through the use of a rhetorical appeal, authorial intrusion, and her visual aids. Lees purpose is to bring forth the problems circling the surfing industry, problems such as; the media sexualizing female surfers , and not presenting women as athletes. There was a standard set for female surfers on the way they appear, and these issues are minimizing the power, and self esteem women once had. Utilizing the Pathos appeal is an essential part of the film, by using it the audience can better connect with the writer in a more personal way. Lee brings in feminist, and pro surfer, 37 year old Cori Schumacher. Schumacher is a threetime Women’s World Longboard Champion
(2000, 2001, 2010), Women’s Longboard Pipeline Pro Champion (2009), and twotime ASP
North American Champion (2008, 2009). From late 2001 to 2005. A real life woman, with real life issues that she faces everyday out on the water. Lee also presents
15 year old pro surfer,
Kahanu Delovio, a young girl who has already been affected by society and the cruel surfing world. Lees purpose of introducing these two female surfers and listening to the issues they face in the surfing industry was to help the audience connect with the problems in the film and what we also face in the real world. The media plays a huge part in the problems that female surfers have to deal with everyday, everytime they step into the water, and everytime they step out.
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Lee uses
Authorial Intrusion to establish a one on one relationship between her and the audience.
While addressing the long lasting effects that women are having to live with after they try to reach “The sexual mandate”, a harmful path women take to change into what society thinks is acceptable, a more serious and sad tone is adopted by Lee to catch the emotions of the audience.
By personally speaking to the audience Lee hopes to not only dig out any sense of sympathy we may have for the women that are being affected by this subject, but also to bring out real life issues normal women deal with to help us empathize with the film and its purpose.
The use of visual aids was very important in this documentary, visual aids helped the audience better understand the purpose of the film. One visual aid used was a commercial shown by Roxy, the number one surfing apparel company, the commercial was an ad for womens surfing, it began with a young, blonde, skinny girl prancing around in her bikini flaunting her body, and not once did the commercial lead to her surfing or showing the power and strength women have. Cori Shumacher started a petition on the issue of “All sex, No surf”’ ads,
Shumacher states
“I’ve been surfing for as long as I can remember and worked hard to become a professional surfer. In my time competing, I noticed that male surfers were able to earn a living off their prowess and performance and easily picked up sponsorships and large prizes at competitions. Female surfers, on the other hand, had to present themselves as modelesque beach babes in order to get meager sponsorships, and even to move forward in many competitions. “
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The media helped bring up most of the issues the surfers are dealing with, that is how
“The sexual mandate” began, women are trying to change their bodies so they look like the girls on tv or in magazines. It is very difficult for female surfers to get
