Being a Feminist

Alright! Here we go, musing #3. Being a Feminist. Let the hate mail begin!

First, yes, I am male. In fact I am a white, (mostly) heterosexual, middle-class male. I am a nerd, but not in the "Big Bang Theory" kind of way. And this musing is more about portrayals and good influences and positive role models

I am by definition NOT a 60's bra burning feminist.

I'm a white male, and therefore the devil to a lot of that type of feminist. BUT I am a feminist by the standards of believing in equal pay for equal work; Equal opportunity based upon your qualifications, and not your gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion; Women and Men should both have the option to go out into the workforce and make a living OR stay at home with your family and take care of the house and children; and that women should be respected and loved, and not bullied, pressured, or raped, and that it is everyone's responsibility (men and women) to do what they can to protect and care for everyone else. 

The last part may seem chauvinistic, but really, I believe and feel that men have as equal a responsibility to avoid rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment as women. In fact, there are some studies that show that rape prevention directed towards men are more effective than anything else. And there are increasing numbers of male-directed and led anti-rape initiatives. men can stop rape being one that I found rather quickly. So yes, it might seem un-PC to say, but Men have a responsibility to care for the well-being and safety of women.

My personal biggest grudge as a feminist right now is the lack of good female role-models for girls and women. There is a severe lack of good female role models in all forms of media. Be it TV, Movies, Comics, Video Games, or Books; strong positive female role models are missing.

Avengers and Justice League being two very good examples. In the Avengers, there is only one female Avenger, Black Widow, Agent Natasha Romanoff, who does kick ass, and is a good role model, but is a secondary character, and her introduction in the movie is all about the sexualization of her character (being tied up and provocative much?). And the dependence that was implied between her and Hawkeye. It gave a subtle lesson that "girls can kick as much ass as they want, but they must be sexy while they do so, and they're better if they have a love interest."  And the Justice League isn't much better. While they have TWO female members (Black Canary and Wonder Woman), the focus on strong and intelligent female leaders is lacking. I'm not much of a DC fan, so I can't talk too much about the JLA, but from what I have seen, it's more of the same.

In fact, one of the few places where strong, intelligent, female leaders was in fact common and accepted was the X-Men. This doesn't surprise me at all because the entire focus and message of the X-men is acceptance for who you are, regardless of how different you might be. Since it started, it has been the hallmark of acceptance, and found strong support for all people. Some early attempts were very. . . . crude

But they had Female characters, Black characters, Native American, Immigrants, Americans, South Americans, Canadians (lots of them), Physically and Mentally Disabled. And in fact, just last year, the first openly gay X-men proposes to his boyfriend. Storm (Ororo Munroe) is not only female, and black, and a mother, but has been the de facto leader of the X-men more often than you can shake a stick. In fact, she's often been the voice of reason for Scott Summers (Cyclops), and Professor X (who is physically disabled btw, but who notices that anymore?). Jean Grey is another one. And in fact, most of the female X-men are fantastic role models for little girls (and boys, why not?). And yet, in the X-men movies, they had the perfect Actress to portray an African Rain Goddess (Halle Berry), and they nerfed the character. They decreased her significance and pulled back on her leadership and take charge attitude. It was there, but not as much as was portrayed in the comics, or in any of the cartoon series. It's exceptionally frustrating for strong female characters to get movies that aren't up to the same caliber or reception as their male counterparts. In example, Catwoman, Barbed Wire, Elektra, and they haven't even tried Wonder Woman.

It seems that TV is one of the few places that you can have a strong female role model, and even those are far and few between. But I am going to mention the one actress that I am absolutely in love with as a STRONG and wonderful female role model. Kate Mulgrew. Best known for her role on Star Trek Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway, and on Ryan's Hope as Mary Ryan. She is a phenomenal actress, and from every show I've seen her in, she shows a strong, capable, compassionate woman who is a natural leader and a presence. Having met her this past year at Shore Leave, very briefly. She IS that strong, and has that much presence. And I would recommend that all you little feminists in the making look her up, and see at least some of her shows. If you have the Sci-Fi bend, Star Trek Voyager is an excellent place to start.

And with all of that said, I am going to leave you with the hope that you were inspired by something I said. And I look forward to hearing your responses and rebuttals.


Quick Edit: io9 posted the-10-most-badass-cartoon-heroines-of-the-80s