The Hidden Meanings in Kids' Movies

While I question a few of the things he says, it's an interesting video and it fits in well with the theme of our blog. It's only 10 minutes long, so take a quick break and enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx8RRIiP53Q

Finally! Some "progress" in gender-neutrality of toys??

Hasbro to unveil gender-neutral Easy-Bake Oven

According to the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in the Media, "Hasbro has announced plans to begin selling gender-neutral versions of its long-successful Easy-Bake Oven. A teenage New Jersey girl launched a campaign, including a petition that quickly attracted over 40,000 signatures, against the company after she was unable to find an Easy-Bake Oven in a color other than pink or purple."

I give props to McKenna Pope, of Garfield, N.J., the young woman who took action against our overly-gendered culture of toys in the U.S. She's an example of how one person acting on her dissatisfaction with the status quo can positively change the culture we consume.  

At the same time, I find it disheartening that she had to do anything at all. When I was a girl in the seventies, the Easy Bake oven came in a variety of colors (among them turquoise, avocado green, harvest gold, white, and black) and its ad featured boys as well as girls. Why are we regressing?

Calling all in the multi-layered audience of YA lit

If you share Maggie Stiefvater's claim that you "don't care what a book is classified as: [you] care that it's good," then continue reading about five books you will never outgrow. Perhaps, like me, you might consider reading them, too, over break?
www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167562764/5-young-adult-novels-that-youll-never-outgrow

"Frozen" Disney Princess Movie 2013

On the topic of the first official concept art for Disney's 2013 computer-animated film Frozen:

The above images were released and met with a general disappointment for the character designs. The art is sure to be phenomenal (I mean just look at those ice-sculpture-things, wow) but many felt there was something lacking in the characters Anna and Kristoph.

I have included the rest of my post under the break. I tried not to have this post turn into a big discussion of "What Disney could have done." I am very interested in looking through original concept art of animated films, and I find it so interesting because the creators can literally create any appearance for a scenery or a person. It is always fascinating to see what could have been and what they officially decided upon.

Please read on for some thoughts on this Tangled lookalike, how it compares to the original Hans Christian Andersen story, fanart that potentially improves on the Frozen setting, and sketches from concept artists:

The Girl Effect

I just saw this posted on facebook (you all should follow Cranky Fat Feminist if you don't, she's a former Denison student!), and I though I'd share it here. I'd never heard about The Girl Effect before, but it would have been really cool to talk about... Here is the link to their website: http://www.girleffect.org/

Pink Loves Consent and Victoria's Secret

I heard about this on Sunday from Jordan, and I see it was mentioned briefly on our blog before the word broke that it wasn't officially connected with Victoria's Secret. But it seems http://pinklovesconsent.com/ is trying to do a really cool thing in making the line official, or at least raising awareness for "the consent revolution."

Googling, I found their twitter: https://twitter.com/loveconsent

A disheartened article on Jezebel from December 3rd: http://jezebel.com/5965323/no-victorias-secret-does-not-have-a-new-line-of-anti+rape-panties

A hopeful, December 4th article on Jezebel: http://jezebel.com/5965486/but-what-if-victorias-secret-launched-a-consent+themed-line-of-underpants

And a HuffPost article, "Why Pink Loves Consent Is Important": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-cheung/pink-loves-consent-victorias-secret_b_2264289.html

I have some problems with Victoria's Secret that stems not from the qualities of their products, but the way they advertise, especially when compared to Dove models (which I love). I saw this comparison a while back:

Above: Victoria's Secret and Dove comparison

Above: More of Dove's Real Beauty ad

Yeah, Victoria's Secret has some different skin tones thrown in there, but all of the women are the same height and have the same swoopy hair and skinny body build. Dove makes an effort to find diversity with their models, and it's something that I appreciate greatly.

Look how fun and beautiful everyone is! Silly faces, genuine smiles, as opposed to very glossy, rail-thin models posing for "sexy." It's interesting to observe the comparison from an compositional perspective: VS models pose and contort their bodies to have angles rather than smooth edges.

Speaking of Dove, body diversity, and squeamishness over the sexuality in old-age:

Dove's Pro-Aging Campaign.

I didn't know this, but the above video was "banned in the US for showing too much skin." Sigh.

I think Victoria's Secret should seriously consider a Pink Loves Consent line. Why not? It would be extremely progressive to see such a mass-consumed company like Victoria's Secret actively participating in the molding of impressionable pre-teens, breaking of stereotypes, and an attack on rape culture.

Even so, it seems far-fetched. In mid-November at the Victoria's Secret televised fashion show (a show produced "in order to show America the true meaning of the word 'sexy'"), a model on the runway wore a mock-traditional Native American headdress. Wearing faux-Native American paraphernalia has long been seen as offensive to those of the culture.

I'm a little weak in explaining this, but the tumblr account http://this-is-not-native.tumblr.com/ calls out tumblr posts (mostly of hipsters in headdresses) and gives a list of resources for combatting ignorance. 

An important link is "My Identity Is Not A Costume for You To Wear": http://whebrhotub.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-identity-is-not-costume-for-you-to.html

Interestingly enough, in response to the VS fashion show, Jezebel also writes on this topic: http://jezebel.com/5959698/a-much+needed-primer-on-cultural-appropriation

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012

Culture is not a joke, and when you are uninformed and insensitive when dealing with and displaying a person's culture merely for aesthetic entertainment, it is a serious offense. While VS formally apologized for their insensitivity (http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/15/victorias-secret-apologizes-after-using-a-native-american-headdress-in-their-fashion-show/), the whole thing makes me very skeptical about the potential for an official Pink Loves Consent lingerie line.

But that being said, WOW it would be awesome if this were made a reality: http://pinklovesconsent.com/pink/pink.victoriassecret.com/before_after.html
And wasn't that the intent? I agree with Erica Cheung's outlook in her Huffington Post article: "Even though I was disappointed that Victoria's Secret wasn't actually promoting this positive image, I was very happy to realize that I had been tricked. I was so impressed than an activist group was able to reach so many people and garner such a positive reaction to a campaign that has to do with women's bodies and sexuality."

This post has covered a lot of topics (Pink Loves Consent, Victoria's Secret vs Dove ad campaigns, and the importance of cultural sensitivity....), but I hope I provided some informative links!

**The group behind "Pink Loves Consent" is FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture. You can see their news and blog here: http://upsettingrapeculture.com/

conversations between mothers and daughters.....

Reexamining identity and difference in ways unimagined only a few decades ago. Watch this video showcasing the love between parents and children grounded in the grit of experience.

http://www.onbeing.org/blog/stories-identity-and-love-difference-video/4933

Speaking of black barbies and hair?

Although facebook is very distracting and a great way to waste time, sometime every now and then I come across interesting and empowering.  I know that in one our recent classes we were talking about hair and acceptance, image, and so fourth.  While on fb I came across this page that promotes the "natural hair African American women, ummm how interesting if this was in our society; if we seen this in stores, on television, and throughout our lives, just as much as we see the white barbies, princesses, etc. Stanisha I think that you would really enjoy this and have much to say. :)

Old People and Sex?

Now when I watch television, look at magazine articles, or browse through the library looking for books, various issues we have discussed in class randomly pop up in forefront of my mind. So, as I was watching TVLand this past Sunday, I couldn't help but notice how the sitcom Hot In Cleveland covers our discussion on "senior" sexuality. That is, older men and women, 60+ in age having active sex lives and how sometimes that makes a lot of us uncomfortable. I love this sitcom because the humor that goes into defying stereotypes about middle aged and senior women is just great!

 Just to provide a little bit of context, Hot in Cleveland showcases the lives of 3 women (Melanie, Joy and Victoria), who have moved from Los Angeles to Cleveland (who would have guessed?) and happen to fall under the care of Elka, the oldest house member who is played by Betty White. Yes, Betty White from The Golden Girls. In this scene, the girls go to Elka's favorite hair salon. Her stylist, who is also in the same age range as she is, is quite flirtatious. Here's the link: watch from 2:49-4:46 and 16:35-19:10. 

Hilarious right? 

So, while we might be disappointed that the VS website "Pink Loves Consent" is a "hack(er) job," here is something we can applaud, a great list of books from The New York Times that offer diverse protagonists!

 

 

Victoria's Secret: Resisting Rape Culture (and even using the term rape culture!) and Celebrating Body Diversity in Advertising in one Fell Swoop

Have you all seen this yet? Victoria's Secret actually did something pretty cool! Celebrating women's rights to be "sexy," still wanting to have fun underwear, and also to be able to say yes and no as they choose! Also, should you need stocking stuffers... haha

http://pinklovesconsent.com/pink/pink.victoriassecret.com/about_pink_nation.html#

Entertainment Weekly Review: Brave

My contribution to the Brave discussion comes in the form of this, a review of the movie by Entertainment Weekly magazine's Lisa Schwarzbaum.

The first thing to notice about the review is that Schwarzbaum brings up one of the main things we talked about in class: Merida's hair.

Schwarzbaum explains that, despite Disney Princesses almost always (Snow White being the exception) having long, flowing hair to represent their femininity, Merida is different:

"Merida is defined by a huge unruly tumble of long bright-red curls that, in its refusal to be combed, let alone pinned down, signifies the opposite of ladylike passivity. Her untamed tresses are a Samson-like manifestation of her strength and independent spirit."

Suzanne Collins is Writing a Picture Book

Autobiographical Suzanne Collins Picture Book Slated for Fall 2013
Bestselling author Suzanne Collins will examine the effects of war for a much younger readership than that of her Hunger Games series with the autobiographical picture book Year of the Jungle, which Scholastic will publish on September 10, 2013. The book, to be illustrated by Collins's longtime friend (and Hunger Games dedicatee) James Proimos, follows the struggles of a girl named Suzy while her father is serving in Vietnam

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54928-autobiographical-suzanne-collins-picture-book-slated-for-fall-2013.html

Women, Power, and Compromise in Brave

Hanna Rosin's article on the movie Brave caught my eye because its title: "Critics Are Missing What's Radical in Brave." Written by a woman with an 11-year-old daughter, the article went into depth with themes of female power in the movie. However, it did not just focus on questions of leadership (as the author states,"it’s perfectly clear that the Queen is the only legitimate leader."), but rather explored raw female power, edging into violence, in the film.

We associate dominance with physical force, a typically male quality. However, Merida channels pure force, always moving and shooting arrows and fighting her mother, her wild red hair moving just as much as she does.
The juxtaposition of power and compromise is fostered with the inclusion of the bear themes. As Rosin relates, "in original fairy tales, bears are a mortal threat to girls ... [However,] in Brave, females and bears merge in a whole new strange way." Fairytale tropes assign bears to the role of antagonists and monsters. While Brave's Mor'du is in all instances a villain, we see a softer, protective side of animalistic ferocity with Elinor's transformation.
In addition to these notes, what sticks with me is the moment just after Mor'du's demise. His spirit rises up and gives a nod of thanks to Merida before shifting into a will o' wisp. The raw violence of the film can be frightening, but the terror is always reconciled through compassion and understanding.

I looked through a few other articles to see positive, empowered reviews of the movie and came across Amanda Marcotte's review, "The Shocking Radicalisim of Brave." Her article emphasized instances of compromise in the film.

I see the film's overarching theme as one of responsibility - to your country, to your family, and to yourself. Merida struggles to find the balance between all three, and I think that her position as a princess highlights the relevance and importance of her choices.

She finds that her individual actions can make a situation worse, and at the heart of the story, compromise and understanding are most important. I agree with Marcotte when she states, "Only when the female characters start to work together—to take the collective action so beloved by progressive organizers—does actual change occur."

It interests me that a movie can at once be so forceful in its character and dynamic plot, yet at the heart have lessons for compromise and understanding.


Marcotte, Amanda. "The Shocking Radicalism of Brave." The American Prospect. The Prospect, 3 July 2012. Web. 29 Nov 2012. http://prospect.org/article/shocking-radicalism-brave

Rosin, Hanna. "Critics Are Missing What's Radical in Brave." Slate. Slate Magazine, 20 June 2012. Web. 29 Nov 2012. http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/06/20/pixar_s_brave_a_princess_with_raw_physical_power.html

Target cashes in on promoting cute over clever (err, pretty before brave)

http://jezebel.com/5913959/beauty-comes-before-bravery-for-target-girls

Gender inequality in family films

Findings from a massive study of gender inequality in family films commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute –

Does _Brave_ pass the "Smurfette Principle" test?

http://www.feministfrequency.com/2011/04/tropes-vs-women-3-the-smurfette-principle/
"The Smurfette Principle was named two decades ago by Katha Pollitt [in a NYT article], when she noticed that there were a disproportionate amount of male characters in programming aimed at young people.  Even in adult programming, when women do appear in the primary cast of a television show or movie, they are usually alone in a group of men. Sadly, this trope has made its way into the 21st century."

Ms Magazine: "The Bold and the Brave"

"Brave, Pixar’s 13th feature film, is indeed rather brave. Yes, it strays from the romance focus; yes, it gives us a strong female lead; yes, it questions hetero-monogamous-marriage as the happy ending. But the real derring-do comes from the fact that it is woman-centered and focused on a mother-daughter relationship. Less overtly, it also supplies a witty visual onslaught of gender as performance, particularly via the body-swap portion of the narrative in which Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) acts out her uber-feminine ways in big bear drag."
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/06/21/the-bold-and-the-brave/

"The war on women begins with girls"

http://ideas.time.com/2012/03/19/why-fathers-must-speak-out-against-sexis/

The vibrator or WORST Clitoridectomies

Interesting article about the vibrator and clitoridectomies. Some man once thought it was good to remove the female clitoris, what nonsense? How would he have liked it to get one of his testicles removed? Not such good idea  now uh? The removal of the female clitoris isn't something that is done in the United States on a regular today from my knowledge, however is it being taking place in other countries. What are your thoughts about that?

http://jezebel.com/5914350/vibrators-and-clitoridectomies-how-victorian-doctors-took-control-of-womens-orgasms?tag=genderal-interest