Wild Idea of the Day

I'm often met with the argument that little things like whether a protagonist is female or male just don't make an impact on real individuals' lives. Those who make this argument believe that people are people and that girls can look up to men as role models, boys can look up to women, etc. The individuals who hold this viewpoint are also the ones who argue that it's no big deal if brides take their husbands' last names or that little girls wear pink and little boys wear blue. According to them, these subtle messages just don't have an influence on our lives.

I respect and understand this viewpoint. I kind of admire the idealism it represents. People who make this argument are saying that we are strong, tough, independent individuals who don't let anybody tell us what we can and can't do. But I disagree.

Here's some evidence to support my point.

I just read an article by a very smart, very respected economist that compared 500 or so sets of sisters on their likelihood of taking advanced math and science classes in high school. The shocking finding is this: Girls with more feminine first names were less likely to take these advanced courses than their sisters with less feminine names.

The idea is that having a feminine name either makes others treat you as more "girly" OR makes you think of yourself as less "into" traditionally male-dominated subjects (or both). Remember that these findings occur within individual families. So, there are no background differences between these girls - they have the same parents, grew up in the same houses, and go to the same schools. The only difference is how feminine their names are.

I truly, truly believe that messages about who we are supposed to be as men and women are everywhere. I believe we internalize them and make a lot of our decisions according to them. And since I hate limitations and pigeonholes, I believe that if we heard a greater variety of messages, we would be happier, healthier, and have lives that better fit who we really are.

Pixar & Garden State Discussions

If you're a Pixar or Garden State fan, you might want to check out a fun back-and-forth my smart and movie savvy friend Mike and I are having. Head to this post on Up or this one on Garden State to check it out!

Write the future

This is a really cool commercial. I can appreciate a good commercial.



I liked this one so much I called my husband over to the computer last night and made him check it out. Then I joked, "I'm glad the World Cup is giving us an extra opportunity to worship 18- to 22-year-old men this year."

Now, I don't begrudge people their sports (often... ;). But have you ever seen a commercial like this about female athletes? I haven't. I'd love to.

The Bechdel Test

Wow. Wow. Wow. How did I not know about this?



Also, this:

http://bechdeltest.com/


Also THIS! I need to meet this young lady. She even goes to my old college!

http://thebechdeltest.blogspot.com/



Thank you to my wonderful friend Sarah for pointing out these sites to me!

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation"

Now here's a good on-screen female role model for you!



Video found on red letter daze.

10 Chick Flick Cliches

This is pretty funny, first of all. Secondly, it's an interesting marketing strategy to convince guys to see a "chick flick." (I'm sure you can guess how I feel about that term, though.) Finally, this kind of speaks to the point of my last post about how movies that are overly traditional when it comes to gender tend not to be that creative when it comes to other important aspects of the film.

Thoughts on Lost

I watch Lost. I'm not the kind of fan who thinks and talks about it all the time, though. I don't love it. In fact, I only like it. I like it just enough to stick with it until the finale in a couple of weeks. If the show was going to go on for another year, I'd be out.

Lost is not a movie. But I had an epiphany last night as I watched it that has to do with the portrayal of women and girls in film.

I think Lost is guilty of some pretty obnoxious gender portrayal. The show is dominated by white males to an embarrassing extent. And women tend to have two defining qualities in Lost's world: long flowing hair (because that's totally practical on a dangerous tropical island) and baby fever. Oh, and low-cut, sweaty shirts.

What hit me during the most recent episode (in which we were introduced to two NEW long-haired, baby crazy women and learned that two white brothers are the universal embodiments of good and evil) is this: I have yet to view a truly high-quality tv show or movie that is thoughtless about the portrayal of gender.

Here's what I mean by that. First, Lost is less of a show because women are represented poorly. It makes the characters less realistic and the relationships between them less believable.

And second, an unthinking, overly traditional portrayal of women and girls signals, I believe, that the creators of a show or movie aren't paying attention to detail the way they need to in order to make their work truly excellent. I see examples of this kind of laziness in Lost all the time. And many of these examples have nothing to do with gender. Some of the sets look fake, for one. And the dialogue often gets sloppy and obvious. There's also plot padding. (I remember one season that seemed to consist entirely of Michael criss-crossing the island yelling "Walt!")

I think the quality of gender portrayal in television or film is a good indicator of a lot of things: how nuanced a set of characters will be, how much time and research will go into a set and a script, and, in the end, whether a film/tv show will be a masterpiece or a missed opportunity.