Gender, sexual politics and power: Watching David Mamet’s Oleanna in the era of #MeToo

This article explores how the current gender politics, and especially negotiations of gender inequality, gender violence and sexual harassment via the #MeToo movement, impact audience perception of David Mamet’s film adaptation Oleanna (1994). How does the meaning of Oleanna transform in the era of #MeToo? Sexual harassment and abuse have gained particular visibility in the West in 2017, through multiple stories posted on Twitter and other social media. The #MeToo movement emphasizes that frequently women are used as sexual objects by men who are in power and that women are perpetually denied power as such. The movement also foregrounds gender inequality as a serious, global issue. This article examines how watching Oleanna today impacts the viewer’s perception of gender inequality, including in academia, as well as how the film reshapes the meanings of gender, sexual politics and power in the era of #MeToo. The article uses Oleanna as a popular culture text through which the current negotiations of gender equality can be taught and women’s subjugation recognized.