Conversation Panel
On International Women’s Day, join us for a fascinating conversation with Anna Bogutskaya, author of the new book Unlikable Female Characters.
Female characters throughout pop culture history have been burdened by the moral trap that is likeability. Any woman deemed messy or crazy has been treated as a cautionary tale at best and disposed of at worst. Today, with unlikeable female characters everywhere in film, TV, and wider pop culture, how are these long-standing stereotypes still affecting us? Is unlikeability being marketed as aspirational? Or is pop culture finally ready to accept that women are—gasp—fully fledged human beings?
Anna Bogutskaya is a freelance writer, film programmer, and podcaster. She writes for BBC Culture, The Guardian, MUBI, The Face, TimeOut, amongst others, and programs for BFI, Edinburgh, and Fantastic Fest. She hosts The Final Girls podcast and contributes to many others. Her first book, Unlikeable Female Characters, was published in 2023.