Following on from the abortion in fiction thread, can anyone thinknof a film/ TV show where female masturbation....

[SilverIce]

is shown in a positive light?

I can think of three terrible examples which send a clear message that only "bad" women masturbate:

-- Single White Female
The new room-mate is seen mastrubating in her bedroom....oh! And guess what, she turns out to be a psychopath

-- Presumed Innocent
Harrisson Ford vehicle from the 90s. His wife is a SAHM and one day he comes home from work unexpectedly during the day and discovers her in the bedroom masturbating....oh! And guess what, she turns out to be a murderer, too

-- Black Swan
The horrid, manipulative direcor actually tells Nina to prepare for the role as the black swan by trying to get in touch with her dark side.....yes, by masturbating. Because only women who need to channel their dark alter egos ever masturbate.

So, other than Sex And The City which is the obvious reference point, any positive examples?

Is it any wonder! some of the sinister prudes radical feminists in my circle say that any recreationally sexual woman is a brainwashed slave of a pimp male dominated society. (-or- a witch?) The whole thing is a bit weird, but non US/UK popular films are less weird about it.

Antichrist has Charlotte Gainsbourg masturbating in a forest. I couldn't really say it's shown in a positive light or not, but it's realistic I suppose. It's a quite graphic and disturbing film.

Don't get it if you want a feel good Friday film. My friend got it because she has a thing for Willem Defoe and was mortified as we sat and watched it - neither of us had read a review or heard about it.

Worried, if that is what you think of them, why are they still in your circle?

Also I wasn't aware of a heavy radfem influence in Hollywood.

One of my favourite things about 2 Broke Girls is that both women's sex lives are clearly not dependant on men or relationships.

OK Punk, here's the thread that sparked Darlene's FWR Friends thread, as a gentle intro to it. Showy's Ross analysis was spot on:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/1208727-Janice-and-Chandler

Fantastic Doctrine, I'm out for the morning but shall have a read on my return. Thank you.

What about Sex, Lies and Videotape by Stephen Soderburgh? James Spader gets his female friends to talk of their sexual experiences as he videos them, sometimes they masturbate during the experience. But he does not touch them. It is empowering for them, but when he masturbates, whilst watching the tape alone, it is considered to be because he is unable to sustain a relationship.

Last Tango in Paris by Bernardo Bertolucci has images of Maria Schneider masturbating. It is not negative either.

Tony Manero (2009). The male lead commits murder by firearm, the perfectly sane female lead is seen masturbating to orgasm.

Horrible Bosses (2011) much more anti-feminist in that the "boss bitch" dentist who sexually harasses her male assistant calls him up asking him to talk dirty while she masturbates in the bath, not letting up when he informs her he's in a public place, another sign of her nymphomania.

No masturbation but I approved of The Last Waltz (out recently) from a feminist perspective- the way relationships were handled in general, some dialogue and particularly a shower scene for challenging standards and not pretending women who are fat, grey-haired or of colour don't exist. It's the only film I've seen recently that really struck me as being pro-woman, not that all the others are necessarily misogynist but just didn't go far enough in either direction for me to notice.

24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4lcjghKRu1rv30ddo1_1280.jpg ( shower scene, diverse cis female bodies)

Iirc (and its been a long time) the color purple.

And, yes to friends. I can't watch it now without ranting about ross being a plonker.

There's another one in Mad Men: the night Peggy realises what the "magic knickers" (or whatever they are called) are all about, first casts them aside in horror, and then reconsiders and retrieves them. I don't think that was too unsympathetic. It was like her first response was "OMG CARNAL PLEASURES WHAT WOULD THE NUNS THINK?!" and her second was "What the hell, why not" and while it was not exactly glamorous or aspirational I think it was pretty affectionate. (Haven't seen it for years so not sure if I remember it correctly, but that is what I remember)

Jennifer garner in the invention of lying? Didn't show it but she says she was with no embarrassment.

Already mentioned but Pleasantville has a lovely one - she literally comes into colour as it happens!
Monica makes a reference to the shower head in one episode of Friends - something like "I was cleaning the shower when you walked in".

Oh, Stacey in Gavin and Stacey talks about it (cracking one off duing cash in the attic, I think!)

I was going to say Stacey. And Ness borrows the batteries out of the remote. Neither remotely embarrassed.

And shock horror Ness is pregnant at the time.

I'm sure there's a reference in Spaced to Daisy masterbating but I can't recall it.

There is a pretty hard and horrific film called Precious, which is explicit in its scenes of incestual child abuse of a teenage girl..

But for all its horrors, including repeated rape, the hardest scenes for me to watch were the ones that involved the mother. One where she was just sat masturbating with her daughter in the room, and another at the end where she graphically described how the abuse began.

Horrid film but I suppose it's only now that I am thinking why the scenes with the Mother were so much harder to take?

Does that make about half a dozen positive examples? And only another dozen more negative ones? Does this mean that female masturbation has slipped under the radar, or is it generally only used in a humour and mainly in relation to sex toys?

Another negative one springs to mind: in Nightmare on Elm Street one of the first female victims is murdered in the bath while she is / because she is masturbating.

Gah, only used in a humorous way / comedy

meryl Streep in the new film Hope Springs

was hope springs any good? Have a rare opportunity to go to the cinema tomorrow and that is one of the options.

The acting in Hope Springs by all three of the main characters was just brilliant. The story is a bit overdone in places. But overall, yes, well worth seeing. We are in mid 40's and brought down the average age in the cinema! Definitely a 'grey pound' film!

The masturbating scene was done very sensitively. And as with all her roles was very convincing and touchingly performed.

Ooh, that sounds good, thanks!