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The Tumblr that combines feminism and ‘Saved by the Bell’

At the intersection of feminism and fandom, a new genius arises.

 

Aja Romano

Internet Culture

Posted on Jan 30, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 3:49 pm CDT

Forget that Jan Brady meme: The latest TV nostalgia wave on Tumblr is the only one you need. And it’s intersectional, too.

Saved by the bell hooks unites your favorite ’90s high school comedy series with all the wisdom of legendary culture theorist bell hooks. The results are flat-out genius:

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As the owner of the new Tumblr notes, Saved by the Bell is “one of the most nostalgic, unexamined cultural texts that I, and everyone I know… ingested growing up.” So naturally, it’s ripe for being paired with a black feminist thinker whose work has spent decades at the forefront of sociopolitical thought. 

The first task of saved by the bell hooks? Critiquing the patriarchy using Saved by the Bell‘s white bread goodness:

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Next up? Addressing the media’s often overwhelming portrayal of expressions of traditional masculinity. At last, AC Slater’s tank tops have a purpose beyond showing us his manly biceps.

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But above all, saved by the bell hooks, in its impressive five-day run so far, has done a great job examining feminism and female identity through the lens of the most popular girls at Bayside High:

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While it might be easy to eyeroll at this macro-fest as just another nostalgia-driven meme, we have nothing but love for a meme that brings so many of our favorite things together. Like that old standby Feminist Ryan Gosling, saved by the bell hooks unites Tumblr’s fandom culture, hot people, and intersectional feminism for the maximum amount of hilarity, hotness, and crucial education about basic aspects of feminism. Which is, you know, only one of the most important academic theories going. So if Zach and Kelly can teach us about the importance of equality in gender relationships while Lisa is teaching us about the importance of, er, actually having more than two characters of color in your cast, we’re all for it, and we hope this meme lasts forever. 

Oh, and don’t forget the most important lesson of all:

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Screengrab via SwarmEvents.com/YouTube

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*First Published: Jan 30, 2015, 7:36 pm CST