making girls visible

i think i'll start staging photos for all my favorite books from now on:).

this morning i cried when i read this post (and the comments) by shannon hale on "the invisible animated girl."  have you ever noticed the representation of guys vs. girls in animated movies?  when shannon posted about it a few years ago--that was the first time i had even thought about it.   

so, i get teary easily when things affect me.  so maybe that's not saying much to say i cried reading about how women are represented or not.  and maybe i was emotional about it because it rang true.  and i was frustrated.  and maybe more frustrated that there were so many things i wasn't even really aware of.

in seventh grade i  fell in love with the blue sword.  perhaps it was the first book i had read that had a girl hefting a sword.  pretty much the same reason i wanted to go hunting.  just to prove i could.  lately i've noticed that i get a little tired of the girl hefting a sword plot.  shunning femminity, just because.  although there are several books i still love and will always love with this idea.  are there enough characters of strong women who are strong without creating war?  is gentleness ever seen as strength in books?  is it exciting enough?  i want all my children to learn about true strength.  and this post has made me wonder if i'm teaching it.   

i don't know, but i know its important enough.  i watched the kids play with their playmobil sets the last few days.  they each have a kingdom set up in different parts of the basement.  bronwyn asked, "who is going to protect me--i don't have any knights?"  and a little part of me died inside.  this was one reason shannon hale wrote rapunzel's revenge--she was frustrated with the idea of a girl trapped in a tower--waiting to be rescued.  now i ask--how could bronwyn have protected her castle without turning into a sword-hefting princess?  can we fight back without fighting?  i've not seen the power in my own life of fighting and anger but i have seen the power behind forgiveness and love.  cheesy, yes?  true, yes.  perhaps that is the genius behind bitterblue--a queen who comes into her own without the use of superpowers or swords--a queen who uses truth and accountability.   and cassia from matched  who "learns to choose" and then continues the hard path that her choice has led her to.  and the character growth of elisa the girl of fire and thorns who learns to grow up and do hard things while holding on to what she values.  and that's what struck a chord with me in everneath--a girl who not only doesn't posess superpowers--at the opening she is a broken, weak girl who doesn't seem to posess anything more than a desire to do the right thing-- and learning that is more powerful than you'd think.  but do our girls know that? 

so ladies--as mothers of daughters and mothers of sons and leaders of young women--please read shannon's post and let's discuss.  what do you think?

Comments

[becca]

I was just talking to my husband about this. He loves Pixar - he may be their biggest fan. And I love them too - they're brilliant. But it's a boys' club, both in story and in working conditions.

And I'm happy to have my own little girls' club, where I do my thing and find joy in it. It wouldn't make a very good story, but it brings me gladness.