Flawless, goddess-like features, a hint of mysteriousness, sultry stares and cruel intentions are a few of the most familiar characteristics that define the “femme fatale.” By definition, this particular woman has a damaging effect on those who submit to her charms, thus, the best way to defend oneself is to become aware of who this woman is, how she is portrayed and how she has managed to survive thousands of years.  Dr. Elizabeth Mix, an art history professor from Butler University in Indianapolis, will use the power of images to define the femme fatale further at convocation in Wine Recital Hall on Monday, April 7, and be available to eat lunch with students afterwards.

    
Dr. Katharine Ings, English professor and director of the Gender Studies program at Manchester, feels that convocations such as these will increase the visibility of various gender-related issues on campus. “There is a need to bring these matters to the surface,” Ings said. “When we look at visual images on the television and Internet, we don’t consider what is behind them.” 

Mix’s presentation, which will consist mainly of a slideshow full of pictures depicting the femme fatale, will bring various hidden messages to students’ attention. “Students will become savvier as they will be able to ‘read’ the images of these women,” Ings said. “This could very well lead to them making better choices in their lives.”

    
The convocation is not directed solely at females, either. While all of the images will consist of women, and Mix will discuss the characteristics of the femme fatale, it is important to remember that men are equally involved, as they are normally the target of these women. “The convocation is important in order for women to see how they have been, and are being, represented,” Ings said. “Men, too, need to be aware of how women are being depicted, especially in the media.”

Images, ranging from Eve in the Garden of Eden, to pop-singer Britney Spears on stage holding a large snake, will be accompanied by commentary and explanation from Mix. The symbols and imagery contained in each photograph and illustration will be decoded and cover several decades’ worth of material and touch many subjects women face, including abortion. “This is expected to be quite a provocative presentation,” Ings said, “similar to that of the ‘Sexual Politics of Meat’ convocation we held last fall.”

    
According to Mix’s book, with the same title, the femme fatale “came as a response from increasing feminism and the desire of men to stop its spread.” While the feminist movement is known for taking place most strongly in the late nineteenth century, with its second wave occurring in the 1960s and 1970s, some feel its revival is crucial at this time. “With tools such as the internet, [horror] movies that attack mostly female characters and certain degrading representations in the workforce, I do feel there may be a need for feminism to be renewed,” Ings said.

    
Obviously, the femme fatale cannot entirely be escaped. Untouchable models on the pages of magazine advertisements, female musicians surrounded by dangerous props on stage, relentless movie characters, the “Desperate Housewives” and others may display womanly characteristics that many consider normal, but in the words of The Velvet Underground, it may be wise to “just look into her false colored eyes… everybody knows she’s a femme fatale.”

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