Alyssa Klein is upset that men are reviewing “Captain Marvel” for major publications. Klein, who is a film journalist, tweeted that “I’m so excited to finally see Marvel’s first woman superhero movie. I’m less excited about the fact that many of the biggest publications are having men write their #CaptainMarvel reviews. Want proof? Here’s a thread of Captain Marvel reviews written by men.”
I'm so excited to finally see Marvel's first woman superhero movie. I'm less excited about the fact that many of the biggest publications are having men write their #CaptainMarvel reviews. Want proof? Here's a thread of Captain Marvel reviews written by men.#WomensHistoryMonth
— Alyssa Klein (@dj_diabeatic) March 5, 2019
She then proceeded to tweet reviews from The New York Times, Vanity Fair, NPR, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, CNN and others and all the pieces were written by men. That got to be exhausting, so she took a break and implored men to prioritize reading the reviews by women instead.
This is a much longer thread than I was anticipating! Think I'm gonna take a break.
One thing to note — all is not lost. There are a ton of brilliant women who have already reviewed #CaptainMarvel, and I'm sure many more to come. Men, try to prioritize reading theirs!
— Alyssa Klein (@dj_diabeatic) March 5, 2019
Also, @brielarson pledging to make sure the #CaptainMarvel press tour isn't overwhelmingly white and male is super inspiring. We just need publications to follow suit! After all, it is #WomensHistoryMonth 🙂 https://t.co/kYZ5hFODTE
— Alyssa Klein (@dj_diabeatic) March 5, 2019
Before signing off for the night, she then gave a lecture to the men in the industry who asked to write the review of “Captain Marvel.”
So if you're a male critic reading this thread and you're asked to write a review of #CaptainMarvel for a major publication, consider saying "You know, I think I should sit this one out and make room for women's voices."
— Alyssa Klein (@dj_diabeatic) March 5, 2019
If a movie is moving the needle forward in terms of representation, you have a role to play too! You too can move the needle forward as an editor, a publication, or even a prominent man writer simply by making room for new voices.
— Alyssa Klein (@dj_diabeatic) March 6, 2019
Needless to say, people eviscerated her for taking that stance.
You know a man created the character, right? https://t.co/fTrzFnyqsP
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 6, 2019
How about people write what they want to write about without reporting to preening thought police? https://t.co/4p9LssQnEk
— Erielle Davidson (@politicalelle) March 6, 2019
“WE’RE NOT MAN-HATERS,” they screeched. https://t.co/t9Nu2LTsMT
— Amanda Prestigiacomo (@AmandaPresto) March 6, 2019
OR, just maybe, anyone with an opinion whose job it is to write reviews can write reviews & people can get a mixture of voices instead of certain voices being shut down because of bullshit non-merit based reasons?
I dunno. Just an equality driven thought I had. YMMV https://t.co/rIMGxNBisC
— Donal DeLay (@DonalTDeLay) March 6, 2019