At our blog, we pride ourselves on being authors who write
intelligent, strong, positive heroines. As a group of bloggers, we work to
support each other in our publishing careers. When you are around these types of women, you forget that
not all women are treated in the same manner. Three stories this week make that
issue abundantly clear.
First, Disney faced a maelstrom of criticism with their
choice to give Merida, from the movie Brave, a makeover.
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| Original Merida |
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| "Makeover" Merida |
Second, H&M rolled out their summer campaign featuring a
model more in line with the average American woman, only to face comments that
she’s too fat and she needs to lose weight.
Finally, an Oklahoma City Thunder NBA cheerleader, was
called out on a blog post, written by a woman, for being “too chunky.” The
passive aggressive nature of the post is a thin veil for its meanness. The blogger thinks the cheerleader is beautiful, but she's just "discussing what men like." Did this
post even need to be written?
The lack of sisterhood is disturbing and it’s very
pervasive. Even on something like reality competitions where the American
public votes, most of the winners turn out to be “attractive” boys, the magnet
for the tween/teen girls who tend to vote. While watching Good Morning America
on Friday, where they were discussing this week’s Dancing with the Stars finale,
an anchor mentioned she thought the lone male left standing would win because young
girls are the ones “who vote.” On shows like Survivor, where alliances are
important, you rarely see women align together, even when they have the numbers
on their side.
Am I the lone “conspiracist,” foil hat and all, for seeing a
link between these stories? Or am I a seeing a problem where none exists?
You're not alone, and there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat I see in a lot of these stories is another dimension of the manufactured "pretty vs. smart" dichotomy that was so popular in the 80s. There is very real danger in insisting that certain people should only look a certain way. There's also danger in denying women access to anything they are willing to work for, just because of their appearance. If we will not stand for this behavior from men, we absolutely cannot accept it from our fellow women.
BTW, I understood Merida's outfit to be a coronation gown -- pretty sure you have to wear something nice for those, even if you don't care for that sort of thing.
I could spend hours talking about this issue and I didn't even mention all the other problems I see. But you gotta start somewhere and I thought these three stories were great jumping off points for discussion.
DeleteI hadn't thought about the Merida change as a coronation gown. I don't think it was mentioned in any of the articles I read. But in the movie, Merida didn't like the fancy gown her mother required her to wear and I don't think she would have picked the sparkly one or lined her eyes. She might, however, tidy her hair a little, maybe an updo pinned with a twig and berries? ;-)
Excellent post. And so true. So, so true. There's always been a backlash against strong women. Good thing I know a group of strong women, all of whom stand in a circle, covering each others' backs.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel, Sofie. It's too bad we're a rarity. ;-)
DeleteTracy,
ReplyDeleteI really liked Merida as a tough, pretty, GIRL not as a sexpot. In fact, the point of BRAVE (one of them anyway) is that Merida wants to follow her own path, doesn't want to be defined by expectation. Yes, she learns there may be a cost to the choices she makes, but that cost teaches everyone around her about individuality and acceptance. Now, she just looks like a cartoon version of Ginger on Gilligan's Island. Ack.
As far as the fat thing goes...it drives me crazy that women complain about the beauty expectations set by Hollywood (which are fantasy) and then turn around and attack a real and lovely woman labeling her fat. Huh?
I agree, Maggie. It starts when they're young. It's pretty insidious: they make a movie, like Brave, and give girls a great role model, then after little girls have identified with her and feel good about themselves, they change her. "Sorry, girls, she wasn't good enough as she was. It's all about how you look."
DeleteTracey, you hit a button with me (for obvious reasons) and I won't clutter your post with a rant. Suffice it to say that I agree there is something horribly wrong. Women have to make a serious effort to disconnect with the dictates of society's expectations. And Be Verbal About It! Thank you for callin' 'em as you see 'em, Tracey!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise! Not everyone appreciates it when you question something. But this is so disturbing to me. It was all over the news and it seemed so obvious. Thankfully, I have a tiny platform to rant! :-)
DeleteI read somewhere that women dress for other women more than they dress for men. I think there's merit to that. If I ask for an opinion about a dress from both my husband and sister, I'll go with my sister's opinion every time. I'm not sure what that means, but this post made me think of that.
ReplyDeleteI also read somewhere that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16. I don't know if it's true, but it sure made me feel better growing up.
Good post, Tracey.
Thanks, Leah! We dress for other women because we know they will be judging us. Very uncomfortable, right? I'm trying my best to change things with my daughter; to emphasize different things. To not put so much emphasis on what she's wearing, but on her imagination and her brave (!) color choices. It's a struggle sometimes, but I think it's worth it. :-)
DeleteGreat post! My daughter was a lovely, skinny child, and teen. One thing I did right with her, and her equally skinny friends, was to remind them they were becoming women, which meant curves were healthy, part of the deal, and great to get. None of them were allowed to complain about their bodies around me, and I made them great meals.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I'm all for great meals. It's about being healthy. And our minds, our sense of humors, our kindness, our humbleness. We are so much more than what we look like. :-)
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