Body Parts Discussion Guide

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BODY PARTS

FREE DISCUSSION GUIDE:
BODY PARTS

Help your students think critically about the portrayal of "sex" on-screen and its influence on our individual and collective conceptions of gender, intimacy, and power.

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E X P L O R E

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Activities for Building Media Literacy

These exercises prompt students to sharpen their media literacy skills, particularly when parsing sex and intimacy on screen.

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Questions for Discussion & Writing

These questions can be used in different ways: as guideposts for

class discussion, as a framework for smaller group discussion and presentations, or as prompts for free-writing.

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Steps for Active Viewership

These steps empower students to be informed, ethical audience members when consuming media that contains nudity, intimacy, or simulated sex.

T E S T I M O N I A L S

“Smart, engaging and masterfully crafted, we expect it to connect to a wide audience and change the conversation.”
— Deadline

“Clever and damning … [a] sweeping yet focused analysis that exposes the truth about the power of images to shape the world’s views of women.”
— Indiewire

"Body Parts is not simply a behind-the-scenes look at on-screen sex, nudity, and the necessity of intimacy coordination. The documentary also serves as a broader crash course on Hollywood cinema's often troubling representations of female bodies, desire, and agency. … Though Body Parts’ initial draw for some audience members may be frequent appearances by women actors such as Alexandra Billings, Jane Fonda, and Rose McGowan, it also features the perspectives and expertise of a broad array of women working in film production. It is through the combination of these voices that the film becomes a fantastic primer for those interested in a Hollywood history of sex and women’s agency on screen. As such, it possesses great pedagogical potential.”
— Video Librarian“Astonishing … What makes [Body Parts] so remarkable is its steadfastly non-puritanical approach. Despite the horror stories, many actors and filmmakers remain enthusiastic about depicting intimacy and shaking up representations of desire."

-The Video Librarian

“Insightful, comprehensive, and thought-provoking … It’s timely, valuable work.”
— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“Astonishing … What makes [Body Parts] so remarkable is its steadfastly non-puritanical approach. Despite the horror stories, many actors and filmmakers remain enthusiastic about depicting intimacy and shaking up representations of desire.”
— The Guardian

“The editing is a triumph. As figureheads speak, recreations and famous scenes throughout history play out, making the doc incredibly accessible to a wide audience, cinephiles and casual film fans alike. Body Parts is such a conversation starter. It’s nothing short of a Wow."
— Reel News Daily

“Ambitiously takes on … onscreen sex via the female perspective – its history and evolution, and where it may be going … Loaded with fascinating facts and important triumphs.”
— Edge Media Network

“Engrossing … Shows an industry focused on sex and female nudity that hasn’t often thought about its performers, their portrayals, or the effect of sexualized material on audiences.
— Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Anna Hamling

Associate Professor of Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of New Brunswick

Anna Hamling

Associate Professor of Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of New Brunswick

"The Codes of Gender will be of interest to all who question the visual images of what is deemed natural and normal."

“Smart, engaging and masterfully crafted, we expect it to connect to a wide audience and change the conversation.”— Deadline

Your compelling “Clever and damning … [a] sweeping yet focused analysis that exposes the truth about the power of images to shape the world’s views of women.”— Indiewire

"Body Parts is not simply a behind-the-scenes look at on-screen sex, nudity, and the necessity of intimacy coordination. The documentary also serves as a broader crash course on Hollywood cinema's often troubling representations of female bodies, desire, and agency. … Though Body Parts’ initial draw for some audience members may be frequent appearances by women actors such as Alexandra Billings, Jane Fonda, and Rose McGowan, it also features the perspectives and expertise of a broad array of women working in film production. It is through the combination of these voices that the film becomes a fantastic primer for those interested in a Hollywood history of sex and women’s agency on screen. As such, it possesses great pedagogical potential.”— Video Librarian“Astonishing … What makes [Body Parts] so remarkable is its steadfastly non-puritanical approach. Despite the horror stories, many actors and filmmakers remain enthusiastic about depicting intimacy and shaking up representations of desire."
-The Video Librarian

“Insightful, comprehensive, and thought-provoking … It’s timely, valuable work.”— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“Ambitiously takes on … onscreen sex via the female perspective – its history and evolution, and where it may be going … Loaded with fascinating facts and important triumphs.”— Edge Media Network

“Engrossing … Shows an industry focused on sex and female nudity that hasn’t often thought about its performers, their portrayals, or the effect of sexualized material on audiences.— Alliance of Women Film Journalists

S A M P L E E X E R C I S E

S A M P L E
E X E R C I S E

Your compelling text goes here

What kinds of bodies and physical characteristics are overrepresented in film and television? What kinds are underrepresented? Identify a film or show you have seen recently. What “rules” about physical characteristics—size, shape, ability, race, gender presentation—did the film or show adhere to? How did the way the film was shot and/or edited place value or emphasis on those characteristics? Did you find it representative of real life? Of your own experience as a person with a body?

D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E F O R

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