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therightfangirlA friend of mine pointed me to this article. It's Entertainment Weekly's review of Pixar's Brave. Well, it's not a "review" so much as a manifesto declaring that the main character is a lesbian because....she refused an arranged marriage and disliked wearing gowns that limited her mobility.
I think it's pretty telling that films starring single females who remain single for the entire film are so rare that, the moment a big studio makes one, everyone (including paid professional reviewers) goes nuts and assumes the girl MUST be gay or sexually confused or whatever.
I hate the implication that a girl who doesn't immediately want to date/marry once they hit the proper age must have some deep-rooted issue with her sexuality. Heck, Merida herself never said "I don't want to get married to a man EVER". She just hated the idea of being given out like a carnival prize to some bozo she's never met!
This article reminds me of how Velma from Scooby Doo (one of my favorite fictional characters, btw) has been pegged as a butch lesbian for ages simply because she's "ugly" (translation: she doesn't fit the Barbie mold that 90% of female protagonists fit into) and didn't act like a typical "token girl" character. Even as a kid, I never got why people pegged her as a tomboy (what self respecting "tomboy" would prance about in a red mini-skirt?). Her overall demeanor and behavior was rarely any less feminine than Daphne's. I guess it's because she had non-girl interests like....being smart. :P
While I sympathize with gay folks who want to find a character they can relate to; it still bugs the crap out of me when dumb stereotypes are used to prove that a character is a gay icon (even if their canon has established them as straight).
I think it's pretty telling that films starring single females who remain single for the entire film are so rare that, the moment a big studio makes one, everyone (including paid professional reviewers) goes nuts and assumes the girl MUST be gay or sexually confused or whatever.
I hate the implication that a girl who doesn't immediately want to date/marry once they hit the proper age must have some deep-rooted issue with her sexuality. Heck, Merida herself never said "I don't want to get married to a man EVER". She just hated the idea of being given out like a carnival prize to some bozo she's never met!
This article reminds me of how Velma from Scooby Doo (one of my favorite fictional characters, btw) has been pegged as a butch lesbian for ages simply because she's "ugly" (translation: she doesn't fit the Barbie mold that 90% of female protagonists fit into) and didn't act like a typical "token girl" character. Even as a kid, I never got why people pegged her as a tomboy (what self respecting "tomboy" would prance about in a red mini-skirt?). Her overall demeanor and behavior was rarely any less feminine than Daphne's. I guess it's because she had non-girl interests like....being smart. :P
While I sympathize with gay folks who want to find a character they can relate to; it still bugs the crap out of me when dumb stereotypes are used to prove that a character is a gay icon (even if their canon has established them as straight).
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Date: 2012-07-10 06:09 pm (UTC)This constant criticism of female characters has gotten to the point in which I don't want to write female characters because I don't want these types of feminists to destroy it because she doesn't fit this ideal, an ideal that I don't even think these feminists know what it is anymore.
Feminism has reached a point where a lot of female characters are contradictory. It demands that we create ~*~Strong Female Characters~*~, who are strong and perfect and can do no wrong, even when the characters in question are being jerks to their boyfriend/husband/etc. At the same time, however, we are required to only see women as Helpless Victims That Things Simply Happen To, rather than characters responsible for their own actions. If something bad happens to the character that could have been avoided had she used better judgement, you better not comment on it, otherwise you're "victim blaming".
no subject
Date: 2012-07-10 07:31 pm (UTC)I'm tired of 95-pound female cops and soldiers who win physical fights with big, thuggish attackers on TV.
That actually sends a rather dangerous message.
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Date: 2012-07-10 09:56 pm (UTC)That actually sends a rather dangerous message.
This is one of my big pet peeves with female heroes (mainly, superheroes). It's VERY hard for me to suspend disbelief and buy that a 95 pound, non-Kryptonian model could take a man 10 times her size with her mad martial arts skillz. In real life, even if a woman is the best martial artist on the planet, it's highly unlikely that she'll be able to take someone who towers over her (ESPECIALLY if she's clad in a bikini and heels).
I know it's fantasy. But it's hard for me to get lost in the fantasy when all the male heroes possess the proper build and wardrobe for crime fighting but NONE of the women do.
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Date: 2012-07-10 10:20 pm (UTC)"God made man and woman, but Samuel Colt made them equal"
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Date: 2012-07-11 09:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-14 05:49 am (UTC)Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of the women in the media actually train in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. They just rely on "grrl power".
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Date: 2012-07-10 07:32 pm (UTC)