Monday 23 April 2012

Feminism in Animation


By Jade Read 1034743

Feminism has been around for many years; it goes as far back as the 6th Century AD.  There is evidence to show that there were Greek women writers who ran all female schools.  Ever since then woman have continued to fight for equality between the sexes. There are many different examples of this such as during the French Revolution where woman tried to say that every woman is born free and has just as many rights as a man does. This was back in the seventeenth century, by the time the eighteenth century came around stricter laws were put in place and were therefore enforced so woman couldn’t even speak of such a subject. North America also had its fair share of Feminist activity; once again this was set in the eighteenth century. This is where a lot of boycotting of British made goods was done, along with black women defending themselves against men when it came to racial stereotyping, which included cultural and social activities as well, along with a general discrimination against woman. The best example of this can be seen when a black feminist named Sojourner Truth stood at the Second Annual Convention of Woman’s Rights in Akron Ohio in 1852. Feminism continued through the Industrial Revolution, the 19th century, the 1950’s until the 1980’s and finally in the 1900’s.

When it comes to animation it would seem that masculinity rules, whilst the feminine role is left behind in the shadows.  “When it defines man as the enemy, feminism is alienating women from their own bodies.” (Paglia Camille, Vamps and Tramps) However, the real question of this blog is what is Feminism and how does it relate to animation?  Well, this blog piece is going to explain how Feminism has come to be shown in animation over the years. The three films that will be analysed in this blog piece will be the following: The Secret of NIMH, Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. So, the first question that probably comes to your mind is what is Feminism? Feminism is when women feel that they should have the same equal rights as of that of a man. The reason why animation was chosen as the main subject, was due to the writer os this blog have a big passion for the subject. Also, lately it has become more and more noticeable than the previous years, the portrayal of women's looks has drastically changed in animation too.

One famous film has a very good example of how men seen woman as nothing but a sex symbol. Who Framed Roger Rabbit stars a female character named Jessica Rabbit. The famous live action animated film tells the story of Roger, a young cartoon rabbit who suspects his wife Jessica is cheating on him. So he hired a detective named Eddie Valiant to help him find out if this is true. However in the process Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger becomes the main suspect. The audience soon learns that a cartoon character, which later in the film turns out to be the real killer named Judge Doom who is also the man who wishes to make a motorway from the real world that leads to Toontown but in the process wishes to get rid of Toontown, killed Eddy’s brother. 

Jessica Rabbit. Notice the slim appearance and the sterotypical female look.

Jessica is designed to be the stereotype to a man’s perfect woman. Her features show this clearly with her long hair, perfect body, slim and beautiful looking in appearance.  The male gaze is particularly present in one clip in the film, where Jessica enters Eddie’s office.( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAnNvnViJpo) Whilst Jessica speaks, Eddie simply looks over her like he is longing to know her sexually. Eddie even goes as far as to imply that Jessica would pay him in sex, the scene clearly shows that she is meant to be nothing more than a sexual object. “When women's sexuality is imagined to be passive or "dirty," it also means that men's sexuality is automatically positioned as aggressive and right-no matter what form it takes.” (Valenti, Jessica The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women) Jessica even mentions that it’s not her fault she looks sexual with her own quote. “I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.” (Rabbit, Jessica, Rabbit, Roger 1988, Amblin Entertainment Walt Disney Feature Animation) When watching the film the audience is lead to believe that Jessica is cheating on Roger at the beginning, however later on you learn she is, in her own right, a female hero. An example being when she saves her husband Roger from Judge Doom at the end of the film.  
Spirit and Rain in a "typical" fairytale pose, showing that Spirit is dominant.
The next film that is going to be discussed is Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron. The story is based around a stallion horse that, like his father before him, grows up to be leader of his Cimarron herd. The film mainly focuses around Spirit, who's natural curiosity one day gets the better of him as man enters their land. Spirit is then captured by the men and is forced into a camp where the men try to break him but ultimately fail. This is where Spirit meets another main character of the film named Little Creek who is of the Lakota tribe. Once back at Little Creeks village Spirit’s heart is captured by a young mare named Rain and in the end he earns her trust. The village is then later threatened by the building of a railroad and Spirit is captured, only to escape and ultimately team up with Little Creek as well as saving the mare he loves. This film is a very good example of the typical male heroic story, in the sense of Spirit could be seen as a war hero. 
Spirit's Mother. Take note the typical gentle, caring and motherly look.
The whole film is very masculine and has hardly any female characters. The only two female characters in the film are Rain a young mare who Spirit meets later in the film and Spirit’s mother who is seen early on in the film.  Spirit’s mother shows the stereotypical female role of being a mother; the birthing scene however does not fully show all her rights of being a mother.  The beginning of the film simply shows her being affectionate to her new calf, taking care of Spirit and her watching him without showing much of how she took care of him, after that she is not seen in the film again. Most importantly, remember that as women liberated from traditional stereotypes, we have the freedom to be as traditional as we please and still communicate the strength and ability of our gender in and out of the home.”- ( Feuerbacher, Haley)  The other female character in the film is a young mare named Rain, who of which Spirit finds himself slowly becoming sexually attracted too. The mare is typically beautiful and has that you have to get me attitude, which Spirit takes and soon gets her attention due to it.  

One scene shows Spirit running away with Little Creek on his back, then Rain comes in to the picture and he stares at her like she is a sexual object and is so lost in her attractiveness that he doesn’t realise the on coming trap. Then later on, there is a scene where Spirit awakens to see Rain out on the field beside the pen, where she is simply grazing. 
Spirit instead tries to impress her, however Rain herself is not interested and simply ignores him. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb7ncLgR2tQ 4:37- 5:09) This can show how the masculine attitude continues throughout the film, as Spirit is looking over Rain with his male gaze.  Finally, there is a scene where Rain is defending Little Creek from Spirit and Spirit simply comments with “Mares.” "The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness...can be trained to do most things." (Jilly Cooper, SCUM (Society For Cutting Up Men, Solanas, Valerie). Which could be him implying that he feels that Rain shouldn’t be near humans and he finds it stupid that she is friends with one. 


Mrs Brisby and her children. An example stereotype of a mother taking care of her children.
Speaking of women being stereotyped for being a mother, there is another animated film that shows this very well. The film is called The Secret of NIMH; the film is about a mouse named Mrs Brisby a young widowed mouse. She is in the process of moving her family out of the field they live in due to it going to be ploughed. However, tragic news strikes the family as her young son Timothy falls ill and so the moving process is stopped.  After hearing the news, Mrs Brisby goes to visit The Great Owl who then advises her to go visit some rats beneath a rosebush. Upon finding the rats, she learns that her husband had been part of rats who were experimented on. The place links with the title of the film and is known as N.I.M.H. The rats agree to help Mrs Brisby move her home, whilst her friend Auntie Shrew takes care of her sick son. However, Mrs Brisby meets a nasty creature known as Jenner who seeks to overthrow the rats by ridding them of their leader Nicodemus. Later, it is learnt that Jenner will go as far as to her hurt Mrs Brisby’s children in the process, this is when the male hero figure of the film Errol Flynn steps in.
Mrs Brisby and The Great Owl Scene. An example of how Mrs Brisby will do whatever she can to help her children.

However, compared with the other films that have been analysed. This film in particular isn’t negative against woman; instead it shows a more positive approach. How you may ask? Mrs Brisby shows a strong motherly instinct, even though she is always saying she wishes her husband were still alive, in a way she is a heroine due to she carries on as a single mother anyway. "The family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come."  (Connor, O’ Sandra, How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice). Also, as the film goes on she faces fear after fear with only one goal and that is to take care of her family. This therefore shows a more positive rather than negative feminine approach and shows that men do not always dominate when it comes to a lead role. Mrs Brisby continues to show this throughout the film with various scenarios, such as rescuing a crow who has a strange meeting with The Great Owl who himself is a frightening character. Also she shows a very heroic side when she drugs Dragon the cat, only to later find out this was how her own husband died. One scene in particular shows her courage, when she is locked away in a cage and escapes only to then help save the other rats. 

The other character that is also present is simply known as Auntie Shrew. She comes across as a bossy, nosey neighbour type character, which once again can give off a typical stereotyping towards woman. That being, that all female neighbours are nosey, however she shows some courage later on by saving Mrs Brisby. So in her own way she is too a hero, along with the fact that she helps spur Mrs Brisby in to action in the first place.

Bibliography

Books

Estelle B. Freedman, EF, 2009. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women . 2nd ed. New York: Ballantine Books.


Jessica Valenti, JV, 2009. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women . 1st ed. New York: Avalon Publishing Group.

O' Connor, SD, 2006. Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.


Websites 

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About feminist mothers « blue milk. 2012. About feminist mothers « blue milk. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/10-plus-things-about-feminist-mothers/. [Accessed 11th April 2012].

Contemporary UK Feminism - The F-Word. 2012. Contemporary UK Feminism - The F-Word. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefword.org.uk/. [Accessed 3rd April 2012].

Feminism Quotes | Quotes on Feminism | Feminist Quotes. 2012. Feminism Quotes | Quotes on Feminism | Feminist Quotes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://womenshistory.about.com/u/ua/feminism/favorite-feminist-quotes.htm. [Accessed 17th April 2012].

Feminist Quotes. 2012. Feminist Quotes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://antimisandry.com/feminist-misandry/feminist-quotes-20106.html#axzz1sryGtVsG. [Accessed 15th April 2012].

Feminist.com:::Resources. 2012. Feminist.com:::Resources. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.feminist.com/resources/. [Accessed 13th April 2012].

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INSPIRING QUOTES BY WOMEN. 2012. INSPIRING QUOTES BY WOMEN. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.feminist.com/resources/quotes/. [Accessed 20th April 2012].



Jessica Rabbit Valenti posits that feminism must put women last: "socialism first, feminism last" | femisex.com. 2012. Jessica Rabbit Valenti posits that feminism must put women last: "socialism first, feminism last" | femisex.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.femisex.com/content/jessica-rabbit-valenti-posits-feminism-must-put-women-last-socialism-first-feminism-last. [Accessed 13 April 2012].
Men's Rights Blog: Feminist quotes. 2012. Men's Rights Blog: Feminist quotes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mensrightsboard.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/feminist-quotes.html. [Accessed 12th April 2012].

Quotes on Feminism. 2012. Quotes on Feminism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/feminism_quotes.html. [Accessed 21st April 2012].

SANDRA DAY O�CONNOR: HOW THE FIRST WOMAN ON THE SUPREME COURT BECAME ITS MOST INFLUENTIAL JUSTICE. 2012. SANDRA DAY O�CONNOR: HOW THE FIRST WOMAN ON THE SUPREME COURT BECAME ITS MOST INFLUENTIAL JUSTICE. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/biskupic0206.htm. [Accessed 17th April 2012].

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) - IMDb. 2012. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) - IMDb. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166813/. [Accessed 18th April 2012].

Spirit - Stallion Of The Cimarron Part 4 - YouTube . 2012. Spirit - Stallion Of The Cimarron Part 4 - YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb7ncLgR2tQ. [Accessed 3rd April 2012].

The Liberated Mommy: Confessions of a Feminist Mother - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com. 2012. The Liberated Mommy: Confessions of a Feminist Mother - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com. [ONLINE] Available at:


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1 comment:

  1. 1. Jessica Rabbit - drawn as a sexual object by simply highlighting and emphasising feminine physical attributes? This is what animation does - it is a caricature. And instead of being disgusted by her appearance as most feminists would have her do she embraces it and uses it to her advantage. Despite how she is perceived she is actually a strong character. So simply because it suited the storyline to draw Jessica Rabbit in that manner you are ignoring the very real power that women have through their sexuality? Plus, isn't it a feminist rule that you should be ok with your sexuality? You go and attack the character because she has embraced hers? Hypocrisy.

    2. Rain - the movie is about Spirit. It has NOTHING to do with women or how they are perceived. The story relates to friendships. As with all stories an element of romance is thrown in. You assume that the story makes a huge fuss over the "heroism" of the male character - but how about looking at the influence of the female character on his behaviour? She is the reason that he acts "heroically". Were it not for her and her views and criticisms as well as gentleness the male lead would never have changed the way he did. Why are you removing all power from her of your own accord? One does not need to be the lead character or play a central role to wield power.

    3. Mrs FRISBY (not Brisby - read the book it's called Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh) - A single mother cannot mourn the loss of her husband? She is not able to display any weakness in wishing that she had her significant other to help her? You mention her courage but then attack the fact that a MALE steps in to help her? So what? Half of being strong and independent means acknowledging that you cannot do it alone and knowing when to ask for and accept help. It teaches humility and teamwork as well as the benefits of friendship. You would have preferred for her to do it all alone and end up bitter because of the hardships she was forced to endure by herself which would inevitably have affected the way her children grew up and then the cycle would begin again.

    I really wish that feminists would stop looking at only the cosmetic surface and take a deeper look.

    Why do you have such a big issue with men viewing you as a sexual object? Have you never looked at a man an instantly thought "he's hot?". If you have then you are a hypocrite. Being viewed as weaker and and softer than men has its advantages - learn to use them. Femininity is NOT a bad thing, nor is it a weakness - it is a strength and a source of power. Learn that and stop trying to be like men to the point where you forget that you ARE a woman and that you ARE different to men.

    Men and women have always been equal and always will be. But the same way different people have different skills in art, science, humanities etc - men and women have different skills in taking care of their families and providing for them and in careers etc - you cannot expect men to view women the same way that they view men. And this is something no feminist wants to hear - you are less of a woman when you keep comparing yourself and everything gender based to men.

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