What are your daughters watching?

In the early 20th century young girls were given the role model of Olive Oyl. However, the Olive Oyl that we know today is not the Olive that started out in the 1920’s. The cartoon Popeye started out in the 1920’s as a comic strip that featured Olive herself. It was in the late 1920’s that olive’s skinny boyfriend Ham Gravy was replaced by the bigger-than-life-stronger-than-a tugboat Popeye. [1] But the 1940’s Olive’s new boyfriend completely stole the limelight and the cartoon was named completely after him.

I feel that this represents, in general, the way that society treated women. In the early to mid twentieth century women were taught a learned helplessness in the fact that they would always be taken care of by a good husband/boyfriend/sailor. They were also shown the paradigm that things that required much thought were better left to a male dominated society.

For the girls that wanted to be a little more adventurous and stray outside the lines of convention, there was Miss Betty Boop. Betty was the naughty side of being a woman in the 1920’s. Betty was the fun girl who wore short dresses, who constantly flashed her garter belts. Betty Boop taught young girls; that all one had to do to get out of a fix was to bat her eyelashes and say Boop-boop-de-doop. Betty did not have to be clever or even smart. Betty got along just fine with flashy garters and red lipstick. Miss Betty Boop was the shining example for young girls that said that it was much better to be adorable and dumb than not so adorable and socially co-dependant (as in the case of poor Olive Oyl).

Both these women were stuck in the idea of what women’s roles were supposed to be according to cultural feminism. Girls were shown by example that they had their role within society and that it should not only be valued but also strove for and treasured. The girls who watched Olive and Betty were shown that it was natural to be dependant on a male dominated society.

“Betty is best remembered for her red-hot jazz baby persona. With a head like a giant peanut, vast mascara’s eyes, too-kissable lips, baby-doll voice (courtesy of singer Mae Questel), flattened marcelled hair, and mere threads of a dress exposing miles of hot flesh, she was the perfect celluloid sex toy.” - Gary Morris

In the 1970’s, girls were given slightly more constructive views of women. Female cartoon characters regained some of their intelligence and became more independent. Although women were shown to be smarter than their predecessors, they were still in the shadow of their male co-stars. Wilma and Betty of the Flintstones—these women ran the show—but Fred and Barney’s endless days at the rock quarry is what most adults who grew up in that era will tell you about. Another example of this theory are the dynamic duo of Daphne and Velma of Scooby-Doo fame, both girls and their endless contributions to every mystery paled against Scooby snacks and the blond charismatic Freddy.

The media seemed to draw a clear line between the Daphne and Velma. Daphne had long hair, was tall and wore a mini dress. Velma was a short, stubby tomboyish girl who had short hair and plain Jane non-descript facial features. Daphne always paired up with Freddy. Velma hunted for monsters alone. Hence, illustrating once more to women that only pretty girls who could pretend they were somewhat smart got the attention of their male peers. While girls like Velma ended up hunting ghosts either alone or with a burned out pothead and his snack-eating dog.



It is my opinion that even though young girls of the seventies were given stronger role models to be in awe of, the examples they were given were clearly socially prejudiced. Daphne showed girls of the seventies all they to be was smart enough to stand back and let the man do all the hard work while they stood around, looked good and added a comment every now and again.

I feel that role models like Daphne and Velma once again divided the feminine population into categories—pretty and desirable—smart and single. Daphne and Velma illustrated to young girls that in order to be smart you couldn’t or wouldn’t be very attractive. On the flip side if you were smart like Velma you would end up hunting through life alone—looking for that ghost of a chance at a relationship with the opposite sex.

As the women gained more ground in the work force, the battle for social equality in female cartoon characters began to gain more strength on the big screen. In the 1980’s girls were given She-Ra: Princess of Power. This girl rocked. She fought evil, tamed wild animals and was He-Man’s twin sister. She was totally cool. Not only could she thwart Hord-Ak’s evil plan, and save Crystal Palace—but she could do so in half a dress and stiletto knee high boots. How cool is that? Girls were now shown that they could kick ass AND look good all at the same time. Everybody wanted to be She-Ra.

What attracted girls to the princess of power was the fact that She-Ra was (when not fighting evil) a sweet semi-timid girl by the name of Adora. Adora in turn was the animated girl next door. Adora symbolized to viewers that there was a princess of power in every girl just dying to break free. But no matter how much evil Adora/She-Ra fought she was still fit into a male dominated view of how women/ girls were supposed to be like. She was obedient to her father. She listened to her wiser-than-thou brother, He-Man. She was the ideal well-mannered daughter and sister. Unbelievably, when Adora was the main the character she was always fully clothed. She was only forceful and half naked when fighting evil. I never understood why Adora needed only half of her clothes when she morphed into She-Ra.

The Ideal Role Models She-Ra

And

Man

She-Ra showed girls that they could be strong and intelligent. Despite her stiletto boots and lack of clothes she was a strong role model with a somewhat positive message. This character was the start of the feminine cartoon revolution. She-Ra opened the door to the thought that young girls needed strong feminine role models through the media of animation. Society had at last begun to value the influence that cartoons could have on their daughters.

It was in the 1990’s where young girls began to see realistic female animated role models that represented more of a realistic female example. Little girls began to see female characters evolve from different ethnicities and backgrounds. Girls began to see that they could be smart and pretty, that they did not need to have a member of the opposite sex to be happy, and that they needed to take care of themselves instead of waiting for a man.

Girls began to see the Power Puff girls fight evil Monkeys and then return back to school. Female viewers from every ethnicity began exploring regions unknown with Dora the Explorer.[2] Girls began to see that friends came in every shape color with Penny Proud and her friends.[3] Through these animated role models young girls are now finally able to be shown examples of what pro-social behavior, acceptance of others, and determination can do for those who are brave enough to try the impossible.

Every day women are making great strides for equality. By having positive female role models in the cartoons young girls are given one more example that it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from—you can be anything you want to be and go anywhere you want to go - as long as you go to school and work hard.



[1] http://www.popeye-n-olive.com/olive.html

[2] www.nickjr.com

[3] http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/theproudfamily/index.html

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