 Academics have written of how transgressive themes in cult films can be regressive . David Church and Chuck Kleinhans describe an uncritical celebration of transgressive themes in cult films , including misogyny and racism . Church has also criticized gendered descriptions of transgressive content that celebrate masculinity . Joanne Hollows further identifies a gendered component to the celebration of transgressive themes in cult films , where male terms are used to describe films outside the mainstream while female terms are used to describe mainstream , conformist cinema . Jacinda Read 's expansion states that cult films , despite their potential for empowerment of the marginalized , are more often used by politically incorrect males . Knowledgeable about feminism and multiculturalism , they seek a refuge from the academic acceptance of these progressive ideals . Their playful and ironic acceptance of regressive lad culture invites , and even dares , condemnation from academics and the uncool . Thus , cult films become a tool to reinforce mainstream values through transgressive content ; Rebecca Feasy states that cultural hierarchies can also be reaffirmed through mockery of films perceived to be lacking masculinity . However , the sexploitation films of Doris Wishman took a feminist approach which avoids and subverts the male gaze and traditional goal @-@ oriented methods . Wishman 's subject matter , though exploitative and transgressive , was always framed in terms of female empowerment and the feminine spectator . Her use of common cult film motifs – female nudity and ambiguous gender – were repurposed to comment on feminist topics . Similarly , the films of Russ Meyer were a complicated combination of transgressive , mainstream , progressive , and regressive elements . They attracted both acclaim and denouncement from critics and progressives . Transgressive films imported from cultures that are recognizably different yet still relatable can be used to progressively examine issues in another culture . 
