Be Rational, People

The idea for this post (parts 1 and 2) came from my friend Mike, and has since grown into a monster that I’ve sat down to write at least seven different times. Mike and I worked together at the Auburn University library over the summer where we bonded over a mutual love for science fiction and fantasy. Among other shows, he told me about the show Warehouse 13, which he particularly liked for its strong female character, Claudia. He considers Claudia, a resourceful and tech-savvy inventor, a good role model for his teenage nieces. “Who else do they have?” he asked. “Paris Hilton?” Mike’s nieces sound like pretty awesome young women already, but I think he brings up a relevant point.

Claudia, from Warehouse 13

I started writing this post in my head months ago and, at that time, it had a clear thesis. I have since lost all concept of what it is actually about and where it is going. But it’s my blog so I’ll ramble if I want to, right? My conversation with Mike led me to poll my friends about their favorite female role models in books, film, television, and comics. So I started compiling a list that included Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), Eowyn (Lord of the Rings), J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jennifer Lawrence.

And one metaphorical can of worms was opened after another. First of all, we couldn’t all agree and some delightful analysis of fictional women ensued. Apparently, we should have all been lit majors. It is no secret that Hermione Granger is my personal heroine, but my sister-in-law pointed out that, though Hermione is a positive role model, she often plays second fiddle to Harry. Similarly, some people thought The Hunger Games’ Katniss was an example of a strong, brave young woman who became the face of a revolution. Others felt that she lost this persona in the second and third books after suffering various traumas. The media hype surrounding the films portrays the story as a love triangle, and I love the below response to that.

Going off on a tangent here, but I don't understand love triangles. How does one romantically love two people at once? Sherman Alexie describes my feelings exactly: "He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing."

I came across the second can of worms – in the form of this infographic – while scouring the internet for fictional female role models. I admit that it has some troubling character/plot inaccuracies. The title alone, however, brings up an important point: “Why do all the girls who save the day only look a certain way?” Basically, the author asks why popular heroines are all “white” and shy. I believe Suzanne Collins actually describes Katniss as having olive-toned skin, but she is portrayed in the films by the light-skinned Jennifer Lawrence (whom I adore, by the way). All the other heroines are, in fact, “white”.

(Another tangent: I use “white” only because I can’t think of another word. Caucasian suggests these heroines hail from a mountain range in Russia so that doesn’t work either. I am bothered by the use of “black” and “white” as descriptors, though because 1) they are colors, not descriptions of ethnicity, and 2) they are not even accurate as we are all just varying shades of brown. My five-year-old nephew came home from kindergarten and told his mother “Some kids at my school have light brown and dark brown skin. Our skin color is bright brown.” When his mother explained that his skin color is called “white”, Preston exclaimed “What? We’re not white! We’re not Voldemort!” Children are the best social commentators.)

"When I was nine years old, Star Trek came on. I looked at it

and I went screaming through the house, 'Come quick! There's a

black lady on television and she ain't no maid!' I kew right then

and there I could be anything I wanted to be." - Whoopi Goldberg

Revenons à nos moutons…The author is making his point about the scarcity of African American heroines specifically in film adaptations of popular books. I wonder if authors tend to write characters that resemble themselves, and writers probably fall into the quiet bookworm personality spectrum. So the real question, perhaps, is why are we not reading best sellers written by African American women? It really bothers me to present a question and not provide a solution but I don’t have one. I would love recommendations though!

Austin opened the third can of worms by informing me that men are people too. I suspected it might be true, but now
I’m sure. I feel that my previous post provides too simplistic a discussion of body image and media. For one thing, a number of the men I know are also concerned about sexualized media portrayals of women. They don’t buy into the “beauty” stereotype and are offended when television and film portray men as doing so.

But even beyond this, media portrayals of men also affect how they see themselves. My friend Kacey recently attended Dragon Con with her husband and commented that “plenty of men there were looking on their buff-tastic fellow geeks cosplaying their favorite characters with body envy.” Male super heroes and members of the Enterprise crew also wear skin-tight uniforms. Most male heroes (in visual media) are portrayed as very fit and physically strong. The general feel I get from this is not sexualization as much as a show of strength. My dad suggested that it is not so much an issue
of physical objectification. Rather, each gender is presented in their stereotypical ideal. According to these “ideals”, sexy = feminine and strong = masculine

This = Untruth

So, why don’t I hear much about how media representations affect men? Are women more sensitive to social pressures? Does society train us to believe that stereotypes about men are true while those about women are not? Surely, it is as great a concern: boys should not be made to feel “unmanly” because they don’t look like Thor.

The last can of worms (which no doubt Preston would inform me is a disgusting and not very vegan-friendly metaphor) almost prevented me from publishing this post. It is that I am a huge hypocrite. I complain about these stereotypes and simultaneously consume the media that perpetuates them. For example, I like to listen to Pandora’s Dance Cardio radio station when I exercise, and I don’t think there is a song on that station that does not objectify the female body. It’s not the message I’d like to send, but it serves the purpose of getting me pumped up to suffer.

Then there is my newfound devotion to the show Supernatural. I love the series, but the main characters (two 20-something brothers) are often depicted using their good looks and fake badges to gather information (and a phone number) from a scantily clad barmaid. In spite of this, the show actually has many of the positive themes found in some of my favorite books like Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings: family, loyalty, courage, and free will all set against the backdrop of an epic battle between good and evil. So, should I feel guilty about watching a show where this is fairly standard dialogue?

I’m going to say "no", and my blog means my rules. What I actually need (rather than guilt) is greater media literacy and a better grasp on reality. I say this to partially poke fun at my love of all things outside the realm of believability (time-traveling alien, demon-fighting siblings, school for wizards and witches...), but it’s also really true.

Example: I have devoted a large chunk of the last five to seven years of my life to writing. I am told that I am good at it, and I desire to be good at it, but I do not believe myself to be good at it. I mean, I’ve written enough "A" papers to know logically that I am, but I don’t believe it. When I write, I get nervous, I have an irrational fear of accidental plagiarism, I obsessively reread and re-edit papers I already turned in. People told me over and over again that I wrote well, but I thought they must have missed something. Then, I recognized the irrationality of that thought and feared I might be mentally unstable.

The jury is still out on the latter, but if I'm crazy then so are a lot of other people. Because there are, apparently, doubts about this woman's physical beauty. What I am trying to say is this:

There's nothing wrong with liking books, movies, or TV shows, but it's not real. And I don't mean the part about dragons and magic. While no doubt they come from somewhere, the stereotypes are not real. Masculinity and Femininity cannot be simply defined and nobody is just one thing.

and this:

We look at ourselves and we can't see that we are beautiful. We see fat and flaws and we're not even looking at what our real value is. We spend so much time looking at ourselves that we don't see what other people see. And that is just crazy.

When Austin and I were still in college, he decided to take me out to dinner after a hard week. We were broke so this was a big deal, and I grinned and gave him a hug. He looked at me and said, "You look so pretty right now." I was so stunned, I remember actually looking in the mirror to see what I looked like. I was wearing jeans, a baggy purple t-shirt, no make-up and a crooked pony tail. "How?!" I demanded, and he said, "Because you love me." (Yes, he actually says things like that. It's like living in a movie.)

Be rational, people: look at yourself and see what the people who love you see.