Peter Sagal took on Hollywood in one of the most articulate teardowns of a movie I've seen recently. He's angry that girls in movies don't save the world. Go read the whole thing -- it's amazing.
Having read this, I'm trying to remember the media I consumed as a little girl, and how girl-centric it was... I think I picked well, looking back. Crappy anime about girl heroes and biographies about dead queens. Alice in Wonderland. At least it had females doing things.
Disney gave me Ariel the Mermaid and... The Lion King, Bambi, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, Cinderella, Lilo and Mulan
( ... )
Which is important. I read a lot of stories about princesses, but they were princesses who went around having their own adventures. Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing With Dragons series was one of my favorites. That carried over to Disney, as well -- I liked Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, and even Cinderella's stepmother because they were strong women. Even if they were evil. (And I had my own little fannish theories of how misunderstood they were and how King Triton was really a jerk who didn't want to listen to the point of view of women.)
But this article touches on one of those things you just accept as normal, that men are the center of a movie.There's a movie test someone came up with: see if any two female characters have a conversation that isn't about men. And yeah, I know part of the reason that movies with male heroes get made is because Marketing Research says that girls will watch movies about male characters but boys won't watch movies about female
( ... )
Forgot another: Little House on the Prairie. Charlie's Angels, the series. Remington Steele. (Those were on in afternoons over here when I was little.) Had women doing things. Random: The movie "My Girl" is one of my favorites because of the funeral scene. Kills me. It's one of my instant movie cry triggers. Even when I just stumble over it zapping through channels, I will start crying. With dignity.
(And I had my own little fannish theories of how misunderstood they were and how King Triton was really a jerk who didn't want to listen to the point of view of women.)
Miles ahead of me. Female villains didn't get my attention until my early teens. Or male villains, that is. Also: You are so right about King Triton!! *g*
There's a movie test someone came up with: see if any two female characters have a conversation that isn't about men. Oh, I know that one, and the results are often paining. Even Firefly... Inara's lines do tend to be about Mal. I tend to focus on the bits about her that unrelated to Mal, but when I thought about it
( ... )
Oh, I loved Little House On The Prairie! And totally went through my phase of "being rustic would be cool!" And then I remembered that we have winter, and curled up under my flannel sheets, and was happy.
Also: You are so right about King Triton!! *g*
Well, Ursula had the benefit of being Infamous. So I had this whole idea that she was powerful, and Triton was getting threatened, so he either started spreading rumors or forced her to show her hand of magical powers and generally being a badass. (Also, Cinderella's stepmother just wanted to get out of the terrible poverty in which they lived. You know how it is when you're a woman alone.)
Oh, I know that one, and the results are often paining.
I know! Even the cool feminist characters do it! (See: Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You -- shut up; Lyra in Golden Compass talks a lot about the boy she rescues, which, okay, but still; every episode of Sports Night ever.)
Pipi Longstocking should be appealing to a little boy crowd, right?I've totally seen one of those movies! And I loved
( ... )
Comments 4
Having read this, I'm trying to remember the media I consumed as a little girl, and how girl-centric it was... I think I picked well, looking back. Crappy anime about girl heroes and biographies about dead queens. Alice in Wonderland. At least it had females doing things.
Disney gave me Ariel the Mermaid and... The Lion King, Bambi, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, Cinderella, Lilo and Mulan ( ... )
Reply
Which is important. I read a lot of stories about princesses, but they were princesses who went around having their own adventures. Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing With Dragons series was one of my favorites. That carried over to Disney, as well -- I liked Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, and even Cinderella's stepmother because they were strong women. Even if they were evil. (And I had my own little fannish theories of how misunderstood they were and how King Triton was really a jerk who didn't want to listen to the point of view of women.)
But this article touches on one of those things you just accept as normal, that men are the center of a movie.There's a movie test someone came up with: see if any two female characters have a conversation that isn't about men. And yeah, I know part of the reason that movies with male heroes get made is because Marketing Research says that girls will watch movies about male characters but boys won't watch movies about female ( ... )
Reply
Random: The movie "My Girl" is one of my favorites because of the funeral scene. Kills me. It's one of my instant movie cry triggers. Even when I just stumble over it zapping through channels, I will start crying. With dignity.
(And I had my own little fannish theories of how misunderstood they were and how King Triton was really a jerk who didn't want to listen to the point of view of women.)
Miles ahead of me. Female villains didn't get my attention until my early teens. Or male villains, that is. Also: You are so right about King Triton!! *g*
There's a movie test someone came up with: see if any two female characters have a conversation that isn't about men. Oh, I know that one, and the results are often paining. Even Firefly... Inara's lines do tend to be about Mal. I tend to focus on the bits about her that unrelated to Mal, but when I thought about it ( ... )
Reply
Also: You are so right about King Triton!! *g*
Well, Ursula had the benefit of being Infamous. So I had this whole idea that she was powerful, and Triton was getting threatened, so he either started spreading rumors or forced her to show her hand of magical powers and generally being a badass. (Also, Cinderella's stepmother just wanted to get out of the terrible poverty in which they lived. You know how it is when you're a woman alone.)
Oh, I know that one, and the results are often paining.
I know! Even the cool feminist characters do it! (See: Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You -- shut up; Lyra in Golden Compass talks a lot about the boy she rescues, which, okay, but still; every episode of Sports Night ever.)
Pipi Longstocking should be appealing to a little boy crowd, right?I've totally seen one of those movies! And I loved ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment