(Sure, many into exploitation may know these, but others may not...)

Other subdivisions include:

The female vigilante (Coffy, Zero Woman, Ms. 45, I Spit On Your Grave, Lady Snowblood, Thriller)

Coffy	Zero Woman
Ms. 45	I Spit On Your Grave
Lady Snowblood	Thriller

Women in Prison pics (like Big Doll House, Women In Cages, Black Mama, White Mama, Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion,  which is the inspired Japanese version of the subgenre [highly recommended]).

Big Doll House	Women In Cages
Black Mama, White Mama	Female Prisoner #701

(Meiko Kaji probably deserves her own section.)

Quentin Tarantino (who of course I love) paid tribute to the above films with Pam Grier in Jackie Brown,and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, but while doing so completely left out the sexploitation elements. Even in the big Grindhouse double-feature made by Tarantino/Rodriguez, there was a kind of sexual conservatism: a self-conscious absence of T&A, with “Missing Scene” placards appearing whenever a sex scene popped up. Part of this is a sign of the times and the pressure of political correctness, I guess. While violence has always been A-okay in America, sex has not.

Yet part of the badass power of these films lies in their very political incorrectness, the comfort and ease with which these kick-ass mamas have in using every advantage at their disposal, especially their physical assets.

Sexploitation is a weird animal, I’ll admit. Totally contradictory in nature. Both progressive and regressive, sexist and protofeminist at once.

“Coffy”: feminist or sexist? I don’t know. Maybe both?

For my list of top 50 sexploitation/grindhouse books and DVD recommendations, please click here.

(Oh, and one last remark.)