You Too Can be a Model or a Pop Star: Living the Barbie Dream

Remember when Barbie was President of the United States? A vet? An entrepreneur with a string of high street stores? An astronaut? A paraolympian? A jockey?


Remember when Barbie's body measurements were hateful but Barbie herself could do anything and be anything?

I do.

It's unlikely my kids will remember Barbie this way since Barbie is now either a model, pop star or actress. It's not that Barbie can't be President of the United States since a limited edition Barbie for President 2012 doll was produced or that Barbie the Vet is no more, it's simply that the most easily available versions of Barbie for sale on the high street are fairies, mermaids, princesses, models and popstars; all of which are tied into films and all of that subsequent merchandising. 

To be fair, I also had Pop Star Barbie; mine owned a record company, spoke 6 languages and had a PhD in archaeology. It's probably fair to say I was a nerd. It's not also that I think girls today lack the imaginations to make their Barbie mermaids into something; my small has made her Barbie mermaid into a superhero but Barbie used to be every girl [even with the ridiculous figure]. Now, even with the new more "realistic" bodies, Barbie is actually more 
limited in terms of careers and adventures.

The Barbie films may be predicated on the notion of girl power and female friendships, heck Barbie and the 3 Musketeers is practically Germaine Greer-approved, but they are reinforcing an even more narrow version of femininity that is inherently harmful for girls. The opening of the first life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse in Berlin is just further reinforcing the idea of Barbie-as-Object rather than Barbie-the-Adventure-Girl of my childhood. 





Barbie-of-the-Dreamhouse only allows two careers: model or pop star. Girls can pretend to bake cupcakes in her fake kitchen and rifle through her wardrobe. There is no evidence of President Barbie or Barbie The Musketeer or Barbie the Vet here. It's just the plastic pink version of femininity that Barbie has been criticised for more than 40 years. At this point, I'd love a return to Malibu Barbie and Stacey who hang out at the beach surfing. At least they were athletes. Barbie-of-the-Dreamhouse doesn't do adventures and I'm not entirely sure when she works as a model or pop star when she seems to spend all her time baking cupcakes and dressing up.

Barbie had an opportunity to change into something really quite radical with the return of President Barbie. Instead, Mattel has returned to the pink princess twaddle. 

And, don't even get me started on Barbie the TV series which is available on youtube. I can't tell if it's supposed to post-modern irony or the brainchild of someone deeply stupid but it is well past creepy.

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Dear Disney, Fuck You. Love, Merida's Fans

A Mighty Girl has started a petition to ask Disney to stop trashing Merida. Now, I'm not the greatest fan of Brave, as I blogged here, but I cannot believe Disney is turning their first real female character into another cookie cutter pastiche of femininity.

This is the text of the petition:

Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for -- a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready. She was a princess who looked like a real girl, complete with the ‘imperfections’ that all people have.

The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls' capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value -- to be recognized as true princesses -- they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty.

In an interview with Pixar Portal, "Brave" writer and co-director Brenda Chapman stated, "Because of marketing, little girls gravitate toward princess products, so my goal was to offer up a different kind of princess — a stronger princess that both mothers and daughters could relate to, so mothers wouldn't be pulling their hair out when their little girls were trying to dress or act like this princess. Instead they'd be like, ‘Yeah, you go girl!’”

This new Merida is a paler reflection of her former self without the spark and the 'you go girl' quality that her creator intended.

We write to you on behalf of all the young girls who embraced Merida as a role model, who learned from her that they too could go off on an adventure and save the day; that it's not how you look that matters but who you are. For them and for all the children -- both girls and boys -- who benefit from seeing depictions of strong, courageous, and independent-minded girls and women that are so scarce in animated movies, we ask you to return to the original Merida that we all know and love. We ask you to keep Merida Brave!

To:
Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company
Zenia Mucha, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, The Walt Disney Company
Nidia Caceros, Director, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company

Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for -- a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready. She was a princess who looked like a real girl, complete with the ‘imperfections’ that all people have. 

The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls' capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value -- to be recognized as true princesses -- they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty. 

In an interview with Pixar Portal, "Brave" writer and co-director Brenda Chapman stated, "Because of marketing, little girls gravitate toward princess products, so my goal was to offer up a different kind of princess — a stronger princess that both mothers and daughters could relate to, so mothers wouldn't be pulling their hair out when their little girls were trying to dress or act like this princess. Instead they'd be like, ‘Yeah, you go girl!’”
This new Merida is a paler reflection of her former self without the spark and the 'you go girl' quality that her creator intended.

We write to you on behalf of all the young girls who embraced Merida as a role model, who learned from her that they too could go off on an adventure and save the day; that it's not how you look that matters but who you are. For them and for all the children -- both girls and boys -- who benefit from seeing depictions of strong, courageous, and independent-minded girls and women that are so scarce in animated movies, we ask you to return to the original Merida that we all know and love. We ask you to keep Merida Brave!
Sincerely, 

[Your name]

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Barbie and the 3 Musketeers: Not actually anti-feminist sludge

I know, Barbie is really an odd choice for a feminist blog to be writing about in anything but negative tones but Barbie and the 3 Musketeers is a really interesting film. It many ways it is actually quite a feminist film; if you ignore all the references to crushes on princes, fashion, the dancing kitten and the fact that they use fans and ribbons as weapons. Yes, it's a lot to ignore but there is a really odd pro-feminist sisterhood message running through the film and not just in the reference to the original Buffy film. 

The film is about 4 women whose dream is to be Musketeers, which, obviously, women aren't actually allowed to be. But, they do become Musketeers without the help of any men and in spite of the malicious interference of an old woman [because they couldn't quite escape the evil witch motif so enamoured by fairy tales]. They become Musketeers and don't date the prince. They ride off into the sunset together. To defend their kingdom.

Don't get me wrong, there is a whole lot wrong with this film but the emphasis on the power of sisterhood, the direct challenge to Patriarchal constructions of femininity and a film aimed a little girls which does not end with a marriage to the incredibly dim prince is a whole lot better than the insipid Disney princesses. It's actually pretty radical, despite being wrapped in pink ribbons. 

On the other hand, these lyrics are just sludge:

What are the chances, that we'd be here today?
Different girls from different worlds
Tryin' to find our own way
Now we're the perfect team, sharin' the same dream...

All for one who knew,
Together we'd know what to do?
Strong hearts, strong minds
Fighting for what's right every time
United... decided, we'll never be divided
All for one... one for all

Don't try to stop us, or keep us down and out
The power of four forevermore
And now there is no doubt
Answering the call, breaking down the wall

All for one it's true,
Together we know what to do
Strong hearts, strong minds
Fighting for what's right every time
United... decided, we'll never be divided
All for one, one for all

We may look beautiful
We may be dutiful
But don't be fooled of our finesse
We're here to save the day
Come on, on grade, touche
We're no damsels in distress
Don't mess with the dress

All for one you too,
Together we know what to do
Strong hearts, strong minds
Fighting for what's right every time
United... decided, we'll never be divided
All for one, one for all

All for one it's true,
Together we know what to do
Strong hearts, strong minds
Fighting for what's right every time
United... decided, we'll never be divided
All for one, one for all

All for one and one for all
All for one, one for all x2

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Monster house: Reinforcing VAW in a Children's Film

My kids have watched this film a few times while I've pottered about around them listening but not really listening. It is incredibly dire with the over-protective mother and emotionally distant father routine. Honestly, it's like Feminine Mystique: The Animation. This Halloween, though, I actually sat down and watched it. And, whimpered. Followed, swiftly by rage. Lots and lots of rage. I haven't actually binned the film as I don't want other children to watch it so it's joined Scooby-Doo meets the Harlem Globetrotters in my box of Evil Films.

The film starts with a young boy spying on his neighbours with binoculars. Now, technically, the boy is spying on his evil toy-stealing male neighbour but his father seems to be under the impression that the boy is looking at women with his binoculars. Apparently, it is totally normal for young boys to spy on women and then wank. It's not at all creepy or, you know, sexual violence. I may have shrieked in rage at this point. After I said, WTF is that doing in a children's movie. They don't actually say wank but the implication is there.

Mom and Dad then piss off leaving the boy in the charge of a baby-sitter who hates him. Baby-sitters boyfriend, who is a pillock, rocks up and sexually assaults the baby-sitter. Yep, it's a kids movie where the boyfriend pins his girlfriend on the couch to force her into having sex with him. Now, she does kick his ass out of the house telling the boyfriend that he lacks respect for women which would be good if the next morning the she doesn't go looking for the abusive boyfriend because she loves him. We couldn't possibly have a film where a sexually abusive boyfriend gets the boot. Permanently.

Then, along comes a new girl who is the same age as the young boy: about 12. There's a lovely line where she responds to the boys confusion by asking if they are mentally challenged because if they are, she's certified to teach them baseball. I may have been whimpering at this point in sheer rage.

Oh, and the basic plot of the film: house is possessed by the spirit of a dead woman who steals children's toys which land on the grass around it. The old man is her husband and he is only "evil" because he's trying to protect the neighbourhood children from his dead, morbidly obese circus freakshow of a wife. Because, you see, that is why is she is angry and frightened. This woman spent her life in as a freakshow act in a circus where people paid money to come and laugh and humiliate her. She dies by falling into the foundations of the house as its being built because she is paranoid about being humiliated; a fairly justified paranoia. 

FFS, the entire point of the movie is that the evil house is possessed by the frightened and angry spirit of an emotionally abused and tortured woman. The children destroy the house and the old man thanks them from saving him from his evil dead wife. 

I actually can't believe that anyone could think this was a good film. But, then, I don't understand why people watch reality TV. To me, that is nothing more than the 21st century version of a 19th century freakshow. We are invited to laugh and jeer at vulnerable people and we pay to financially support their exploitation. It doesn't feel like much has really changed in 200 years; just how we exploit the most vulnerable members of our communities for our entertainment: in reality television, the music industry and pornography.

And, I can not stress how guilty i feel having allowed my kids to watch this without knowing just how awful it really is.

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Ice Age 4: Another Kids Film, More Asinine Gender Stereotypes

I'm not sure why I even bother taking the kids to the pictures anymore. They inevitably serve to make unbearably cantankerous with the constant gendered stereotyping and, frequently, the erasure of female characters. However, it was pissing with rain and my house already looks like  a Turner prize installation art project what with the layer of paper mache, painted shoe boxes and toilet paper tube mobiles and that's without mentioning the cat who bears more than a passing resemblance to a disco ball with the amount of glitter stuck to her. So, off to the pictures we went. And, yeah, I'm cheap so it was the kids club movie which is why I'm reviewing a film that's been out for several months already.

Ice Age 4 has, at least, a few female characters. You know, the ubiquitous ones: the crazy old bat, self-sacrificing mother, and the "evil" temptress who falls in love with a cock and then learns to be good. Plus, there's the whole rebellious teenage daughter who learns that doing exactly what Daddy tells you to do is the only way to be "good". And, yeah, a character actually does refer to the grandmother as a "crazy old bat" because there is nothing funnier that disablist comments about dementia. She's also spiteful because  it wouldn't be funny if a character with dementia wasn't spiteful too.

Ice Age 4 had some funny moments but the female characters were just awful. Some of the worst written characters I've seen in a while. The evil, stubborn temptress who just needs to be rescued and fall in love with her rescuer to become a "real" woman is just so tedious and repetitive. As is the story of a teenage girl dumping her best friend to go off with the "cool dude", slags off her friend and then everyone, miraculously, becomes best mates. That's bullying. It isn't something we should be showing young children. 

Yeah, there are places where the female characters "rescue" someone but it is never as important as being rescued by Daddy/ Lover. Because Daddy/ Lover knows best. Daddy/ Lover always knows best and where would we be without the Anxious Patriarch trope? I mean, kids might actually learn to engage critically with the Patriarchy. And, then kick the ever living shit out of it. And, we couldn't have that. Nope. Not at all.

Oh, and from a completely non-feminist perspective, what is it with kids movies and lame song interludes? Sure, if the movie is supposed to be a musical but one random and seriously fucking stupid song in the middle? Just, why? Are there no competent musicians in LA who could be brought in to write non-stupid songs for children? Or, better yet, just skip the musical interlude all together.

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Brave: Not Quite the Feminist Film I Imagined

I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed by Brave. I liked Merida as proto-feminist heroine but the rest of the characters were really just tedious gendered stereotypes. The men, including the king, were all irresponsible and prone to violence. Merida's younger brothers were incredibly badly behaved but rewarded for it. I find the "men are all stupid and violent and irresponsible" cliche tedious and dull. The maid was silly and prone to hysterics. The kingdom itself is held together by the Queen who suppresses her whole personality and needs into ensuring that the others don't kill one another in an orgy of violence. Yep, that tired old "women have to be extra special good to compensate for the men being arseholes" trope so beloved in victim-blaming. 

I really, really wanted to like Brave. As a heroine, she is one of the best Disney Princesses; possibly second only to Mulan but the rest of the film lets Merida down. And, that's without getting into the way Merida saves her mother by learning to darn. I mean, seriously, what's with that? Yeah, darning is an important skill to have and no doubt has saved many a soldier but when you're trying to stop gendering fictional characters for children, a girl saving someone through darning isn't a step in the right direction. Merida is a warrior queen. Warrior Queens do not save people by fixing tapestries. And, the end isn't really a brilliant one for Merida. After all, she winds up weaving with her mother which isn't what she wanted. It was an unnecessary compromise that should never have been required because Merida's demands weren't unreasonable. Everyone else needed to learn to compromise [and the father to actually act like one instead of being a drunken bore] but Merida herself should not have had to change.

Plus, the love story is still there. The last scene is of the "ugly" laird kissing her hand. The implication is that Merida ends up with him which isn't really losing the princess marries the prince storyline so much as holding out for a sequel a la Tangled.

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The Lorax: Would Have Been Funnier Without the Fat Jokes or the Misogyny

Took Small to see The Lorax this morning. It was actually pretty funny in places and less patronising than Ferngully with the whole destruction of the forest killing the planet story line. Thing is, The Lorax still felt obligated to go with two utterly stupid and dire tropes: the fat, stupid sidekick and the "it's only okay to hit girls that aren't pretty". I know I complained about the trailer to The Lorax previously but it just annoyed me even more in the film. This is what I said about the trailer:

It was the same tired old joke about not threatening violence against women unless they don't 'look' like women: that is too say fat. Because, it's just totally okay for children's films to reinforce the same tired old stereotypes about women only having value if they are skinny and pretty. Or, that women can only 'look' like women if they are skinny. Or something. 

It would be nice if just one film directed at children didn't include threats of violence and gender stereotyping. Is that really so much to ask? Is Hollywood so lacking in imagination that they can't imagine a world where people don't run about threatening to punch anyone who disagrees with them or denigrating those who don't fit Patriarchal Constructions of Fuckability?

The normalising of male violence is harmful for everyone. It teaches boys that they are nothing but violent thugs incapable of self-control and tells girls they are responsible for the violence because they aren't pretty enough or nag too much. And, this is without going into the whole basis of the plot which is that boys only do dangerous and stupid things to get the attention of girls. Because, boys are never, ever responsible for their own bad decisions. Always has to be the fault of a woman, [and its worth pointing out that the young boy is being raised by a single mother whilst the man who caused the tree crisis was being raised by an emotionally abusive mother reinforcing the "woman are responsible for male behaviour trope on several levels].

The fat, slow, and dim sidekick in The Lorax was a bear; one who just couldn't keep up either intellectually or physically. It didn't anything to the story. It wasn't funny. It was just the same old pick on the fat kid shit which is everywhere. It was the same demeaning behaviour as evidenced in most Hollywood comedies which are anything but. Being overweight doesn't make one stupid and it's unbelievably tedious to see this trope used over and over again. The Lorax could have been a brilliant film; instead in went for crass jokes and offensive stereotypes. Plus ca change and all that.

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Top Ten Feminist Friendly Movies All Kids Should See

The Huffington Post's Puff-Piece du Jour is the Top Ten Movies Kids Should See Before They're 10. Some of them are pretty good movies but most are the usual misogynistic twaddle; 4 of which are by Disney. Now, Disney makes some great films but most of them are documentaries about animals made over 30 years ago and are not available on DVD.

10. Up: I haven't seen this so can't really comment but, let's face it, the two main characters have penises. Like every other fucking movie ever made. It needs to be dumped. I'd replace this with Racing Stripes. Now, I need to go on record here and say I fucking hate this film. Every time I see it, I want to cry. However, it's a great film for young girls because it really is about a girl defying all forms of patriarchal conformity and doing exactly what she knows she can do despite being told she can't do it.

9. Matilda: I'd keep Matilda. Okay, it has some problematic portrayals of mother and headteacher but it's a little girl who defends herself and her friends by being intelligent, resourceful and kind. These are characteristics that we need to be teaching ALL children.

8. The Never Ending Story: I love this movie so it's staying in. Should have starred a girl but still a brilliant film.

7. Wizard of Oz: I have never understood the fascination with this film. It stars an adult woman trussed up like a child complete with bound breasts. There are some seriously creepy subtexts about sexuality and misogyny in the film. I can't think of a musical that I would replace it with since the whole genre is riddled with misogyny. I'd replace it with Hoodwinked since it has two great female characters; one of whom is a snow-boarding, cookie baking grandmother.

6. Mary Poppins: I love this film and I don't care how bad Dick Van Dyke's accent really was. It's a film about suffragettes, male stupidity and questions patriarchal conformity. What's not to like?

5. The Jungle Book: The soundtrack to this film is utterly brilliant but the film itself should only be watched whilst questioning gender conformity and racism. 

4. Labyrinth: A film starring a teenage girl where she doesn't get naked, give blow jobs or is clinically stupid. That alone makes it a worthy feminist film. The fact that she's also brave, intelligent, and kind is just an added bonus. It stars Jennifer Connelly who is a brilliant and criminally under-used actress. I've never entirely understood the fascination with Bowie but he's a great creep.

3. Home Alone: This must have been nominated by people who hate their children because I can't imagine why anyone would force their offspring to watch this. Kiki's Delivery Service is an utterly brilliant film about a young girl coming of age, making friends, and learning to take responsibility for herself and not a whiny self-involved child surrounded by whiny self-involved adults who don't listen to one another.

2. Lion King: The Lion King was a piece of misogynistic twaddle about a couple of whiny, self-involved men ruining everything for everyone else. That's without the not-so-subtle subtext of racism. I'd dump it in favour of the Wild Thornberries which is another great film about a young girl coming of age and learning to take responsibility for others. It's about relationships between sisters and parents and caring for one another without losing yourself.

1. Toy Story: Oh look, another movie by Pixar/ Disney where Only Those Who are Three Dimensional Characters Get To Have Adventures. Otherwise known as: Only Toys with Penises Count. None of the Pixar Films are feminist-friendly and I don't want to hear about the freaking Incredibles. Mrs. Incredible covers up for her useless husband's abusive, self-destructive behaviour whilst wandering about wondering if her ass is fat. Teenage Incredible's special power is invisibility: which makes her exactly the same as every other teenage girl with low self-esteem. Hardly, what I aspire for my daughters.

Mulan is way better: a young woman defies gender constructions, the Patriarchy and kicks arse saving her "man", the Emperor and the rest of China. She's also brave, resourceful, intelligent and doesn't take shit from anyone.

And, every child should be given a copy of Miss Representation.

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The Lorax: Interesting Environmental Message Served With a Side of Sexism

I took small to see The Muppet Movie; an experience which was ruined by the inclusion of the utterly misogynistic Aquafresh Nurdle World ad. And, then we saw an add for the new Dr. Seuss film The Lorax. It looks brilliant fun; a film about being yourself, questioning authority and respecting/ caring for the environment. That would be brilliant fun right up until the point where there was a lurvely 'joke' about gender and violence.

It was the same tired old joke about not threatening violence against women unless they don't 'look' like women: that is too say fat. Because, it's just totally okay for children's films to reinforce the same tired old stereotypes about women only having value if they are skinny and pretty. Or, that women can only 'look' like women if they are skinny. Or something.

It would be nice if just one film directed at children didn't include threats of violence and gender stereotyping. Is that really so much to ask? Is Hollywood so lacking in imagination that they can't imagine a world where people don't run about threatening to punch anyone who disagrees with them or denigrating those who don't fit Patriarchal Constructions of Fuckability?

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