“Women need not apply”: Sylvia Earle, binary oscillations, and the ecofeminist rhetoric of Mission Blue

ABSTRACT

Despite its relative compatibility with contemporary approaches to criticism and flexibility in application, few media studies scholars have “taken up” ecofeminism as an analytical framework. This study marshals insights from ecofeminist theory and critical rhetoric to analyze the Netflix documentary Mission Blue. Through its depictions of renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle, the film points ecofeminists and media scholars toward an alternative theoretical position capable of deconstructing power binaries. More specifically, we contend Mission Blue makes use of “binary oscillations.” These oscillations invite viewers to experience shifts between the extremes of a binary when depicting Earle in the film, thereby resisting the urge to see her as fitting into one side of a dualism. Implications of this critical ecofeminist approach and the notion of a binary oscillation are discussed, in addition to the limitations of the film itself in supporting intersectional feminist commitments.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecofeminism
• binary oscillation
• critical rhetoric
• Sylvia Earle
• Mission Blue

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors have no funding to report.

Notes on contributors

E.A. Welden

E.A. Welden is a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment. Her areas of expertise include environmental geography and environmental communication. E.A. holds a MPhil in Nature Society and Environmental Governance from Oxford and a B.A. in Communication Studies and Science and Technology Studies from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. E-mail: [email protected]

Richard D. Besel

Dr. Richard D. Besel is Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the School of Communications at Grand Valley State University. His areas of expertise include rhetorical theory, history, and criticism; environmental communication; science communication; media studies; and political communication. He is co-editor of Performance on Behalf of the Environment and Green Voices: Defending Nature and the Environment in American Civic Discourse. E-mail: [email protected]