The American Dream was historically presented through a very male lens. No thought was given as to whether 1950s and 60s housewives

´homemaking´ and thus ´living the dream´ actually wanted to just do that and nothing else. The working environment then was tough and sexist for those women who did work, even in the supposedly more open-minded creative industries.  By the early 1970s, many women had had enough. The 1970s in LA for women weren’t all about Charlie´s Angels, The Bionic Woman or Wonder Woman. It was shockingly still legal to beat your wife back then; rape was commonplace – often without punishment – and sexism was rife throughout society.

Galvanized by the fledgling black and queer rights movements, a group of young women artists, annoyed by the lack of recognition and career opportunities for women in art, decided to campaign for women’s rights, both in the art world and beyond. Fed up by the lack of gallery representation for women, they first decided to create their own space, and LA´s iconic The Woman’s Building came to life.

A new documentary, Acting Like Women, directed by Cheri Gaulke, one of the ex-directors of The Woman’s Building and a key figure in the feminist performance art and activism movement, and exec produced by the legendary Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, takes us back to those heady times, and tells the fascinating story of how the pioneering movement came to being. The title Acting Like Women refers to the pressure many women felt to be the perfect woman – being on stage every moment of their lives, subject to judgment.

The Woman’s Building was a large non-profit arts and education space in LA. It opened in 1973, and was founded by three CalArts teachers – artist Judy Chicago, graphic artist Sheila Levrant de Bretteville and art historian Arlene Raven. This was the HQ for the feminist movement. It ran successfully until 1991, when it was forced to close due to lack of funding.  For those 18 years, however, it was a hotbed of community, art education, and creativity and a template for the power of collective action. The women also went on performance art tours to spread the feminist word around the USA, including a group called The Waitresses – several ex-waitresses who performed in restaurants around the US to highlight the plight/abuse of waitresses. Other performances highlighted issues such as rape, incest and violence against women, including a campaign against the notorious Hillside Strangler serial killer. Queer rights for lesbians were also championed. The Woman’s Building also inspired a series of other community spaces around LA.

Gaulke combines fascinating archival footage and photography, a punchy soundtrack, animation and interviews with founders and others to tell the unique, fun, important story of how a bunch of ordinary, yet extraordinary, young women artists and allies transformed their bodies and voices into powerful tools for activism, reshaping the cultural landscape for future generations of women. She interweaves her own interesting personal life story into the narrative. Many of the women were in their early twenties during the mid-1970s, so thankfully most of them are still alive to tell their special stories. What follows is a colorful ninety-minute feast of imagery and generous recollection. The women knew that just shouting for better human rights wasn’t as effective as visually jump-starting people’s sensibilities with performance art, thus provoking stronger emotions. The activism rapidly became more and more eye-catching. Luckily, they were in LA, the home of film, and very media-savvy, so capturing their actions on film was a priority, and easy. This video legacy is now in the safe hands of The Getty Research Institute and The Smithsonian, meaning The Cunt Cheerleaders and The Cock and Cunt play will live on forever!

This is a very timely, important documentary, given the constant attacks on women’s rights around the world, not least the current threat to abortion rights in the USA. The legacy of these women is huge – Pussy Riot, The Guerrilla Girls, FEMEN, Bikini Kill, Dream Nails and so on continue/d this important work. Great viewing!