...one of the hush-hush topics that society has carefully skirted rather than fully acknowledging. The way that we acknowledge lesbianism, however, has evolved considerably over the years. Our social constructs of the concept of lesbianism are impacted by a number of factors. One of the more insidious of these factors is the media. To some degree, our contemporary ideas of lesbianism are constructed in, by, and through media representations. Film portrayals of lesbianism document the evolution that has occurred in regard to depictions of lesbianism.
One has only to look to the cinema to observe how our societal perception of lesbianism has gradually changed. In the 1930's, for example, lesbianism was only hinted at in films like "Maedchen in Uniform (Girls in Uniform)" and "Morocco". Event those hints, however, resulted in significant societal rebuff. The German-produced "Maedchen in Uniform", for example, was immediately banned in...