"We hear the Wilderness, and It hears us": The Queer and Feminist Wild in Yellowjackets

Representations of femininity in survivalist television have historically relegated women to the margins of the narrative, centering men and masculinity, and deeming them central to survival. Showtime’s Yellowjackets reframes the survival genre to encompass representations of femininity that are volatile, monstrous, and chaotic. In doing so, this paper argues that Yellowjackets invokes the queer and feminist “wild,” where feral expressions of femininity and feminine sexuality are privileged. Specifically, the queer and feminist wild manifests itself through Yellowjackets’ narrative as (1) a queer geographic space where an “unmaking and unbuilding [of] worlds” (Halberstam, 2020; p. 4) occurs, (2) a feminist-focused state of mind that the characters adopt to help them survive both in the wilderness and in reality, and (3) a queer re-enchantment that transforms the characters’ relationship to and perspective of the world (Moore, 1997). To explore the queer and feminist wild, this study conducts a close textual analysis of Yellowjackets’ first two seasons, along with a paratextual analysis of interviews with the writers and actors, critics’ reviews of the show, and the Yellowjackets subreddit (r/yellowjackets). Yellowjackets’ representation of femininity and feminine sexuality ultimately pushes the traditional boundaries of television, opening the door for more subversive representations in future television programs, while also providing women in the current moment with new subjectivities to explore and embrace.