When I look back on all the Disney movies that I watched over and over as a kid -- Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas -- I feel a short burst of nostalgia, and then I feel apathetic. I still know all the words to the soundtrack, but all the heroines feel interchangeable to me. Why?
I think, after awhile, so many of those classics blur together because they're all so heavily focused on the heroine finding love. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total sucker for a sappy love story -- after all, as you recall, my favorite movie is The Princess Bride -- but it's problematic as the primary representation of a woman's life goals (animated or otherwise). Over the years, more movies have come out that are not so singularly focused on the happily ever after, but a lot of them feature male main characters rather than female ones.
I'm not the first to wonder if that Disney-princess influence has done more harm to little girls than good; it seems we should be teaching them that there is more to being a woman -- and a human -- than getting married and popping out babies (and I say this as someone who very much wants both of those things). I won't get into a heavy analysis of all this, as it's well-covered territory, but it's something I've thought more about as I've gotten more comfortable in my own views about gender roles, and closer to possibly having a little girl or boy of my own.
I find it odd that so many women try to distance themselves from the label of "feminist," even though it means something that most people actually want: equal treatment of women and men. (If you think feminism means hating men, you're wrong, plain and simple.) The fact that all these "men's rights" groups are suddenly popping up turns my stomach -- they are completely missing the point! -- and although many of their claims are clearly sexist in nature, I think some of that anger comes from ignorance of what feminism actually is. No one is asking for special treatment, here, y'all.
The fact is, we're not living in a post-sexist society any more than we're living in a post-racial society. If you really need proof, take a look at the case of the eleven-year-old girl who was essentially blamed for her own gang rape because she "dressed older than her age"; sympathy was given to the rapists, of all people, because they would have to "live with this for the rest of their lives." This happens all the time -- women are routinely accused of lying about their own sexual assaults; they are told they "asked for it" by wearing a short skirt or a low-cut shirt, or by daring to go out alone at night; they are told that if they were dumb enough to get too drunk to consent, or if they found themselves alone with a man (even if, again, they did not give consent to sexual activity), they deserved it; they are told that carrying their rapist's baby is the "right" thing to do, despite the many potential emotional, financial, and physical dangers. I hope it's obvious why this is damaging to women, but it's damaging to men, too -- they're often painted as these lust-filled, uncontrollable animals who can't stop themselves from attacking a woman when she's doing all those "wrong" things.
Anyway, I could go on forever about the ways in which we could improve the standing of women (and men!) in American society, but I'll get back to what got me thinking on all this in the first place: a lack of intelligent, forward-thinking, not-love-obsessed female role models in my childhood. Somehow, I had forgotten all about Lisa Simpson.
I watched a lot of The Simpsons growing up, and although I no longer follow it (as I feel the quality has declined over the last decade or so), it holds a special place in my heart. I can't help but have a soft spot for Lisa in particular; despite the merciless mockery and rejection that nearly always ensued when she pursued her progressive interests, she always stood firm in her beliefs and trusted herself completely. I certainly know how it feels to be put down for asserting myself -- especially growing up in the South, where it seems women are punished more severely for speaking up -- and even though she's just a cartoon character, she deserves some respect and props for that.
Go on with your bad self, little Lisa. It gets easier.
hey Miss Mandy; it's Chris, digging into your blog.
ReplyDeleteI want to tell you a story about how I converted a guy who was talking shit about feminism at the Plough & Stars, the night of Jade and Alana's New Year's Eve-eve show.
He was talking shit about mean, hateful feminists, and I had to tell him that feminism does not mean what he thinks it means. He asked me, then what feminism is. I told him, that feminism means creating a world where a woman can walk down any street anywhere in the world, wearing a burqa or wearing a four-inch long miniskirt, without feeling threatened or afraid.
And that idea amazed him. And he admitted that that would be a pretty awesome world. And he apologized for misrepresenting feminists.
That's awesome. I hate that we still have to even have that conversation with people in this day and age, but I'm glad you're fighting the good fight along with me. <3
Delete