~ Ｍａｃｉｎｔｏｓｈ Ｍｉｎｕｓ ~One thing that has been bothering me since watching Wreck-It-Ralph 2 and the She-Ra reboot is the realization that western media doesn't really have aspirational figures of feminine power for young girls that can't be fit into the label of "princess".
mrs. real spooky kidElsewhere we have figures like witches or magical girls occupying the same space. We still use those tropes here - you can have western magical girls, for instance, but they generally ALSO have to be princesses of some kind.
There's nothing wrong with the archetype of "princess", but it does carry with it a lot of baggage: Historical, Cultural, and in the very power dynamics of its definition.
I'm just saying that I am tired of there only being one main archetype of feminine power in fiction for girls to aspire to.
Which is why the scene in WiR2 with all the Disney Princesses really bothered me - I read it as Disney bragging, showing off the power of their near single-handed domination and homogenization of young girls' mass media and the figures they can aspire to.
In the scene, Vanillope basically has to cram herself into the archetype of princess in order to move the plot forward. This is poked fun at, but the movie ultimately implies that it is the correct choice regardless.
This is honestly part of why I like magical girl or witch characters - they feel like genuine alternatives to the homogeneous princess trope.
Shekhinah@QuestForTori Yeah that bothers me.
Isn't Wonder Woman even technically a princess? Why can't she just be strong?
Stuart F. Otterson@QuestForTori On a slight tangent here. Since most modern princess stories are not just western creations, but specifically American creations, it has struck me as a little at odds with the country's history.
I dunno what it says about the psyche that fathers usually nickname their daughter 'little princess'. It's never 'my little president'.
And the media has an obsessional with telling stories of benevolent rulers.
witchlectical runeterialist@QuestForTori i mean, maybe a bit biased what with the "digital super coven" over here, but,,,,,, aspiring to be a witch rules, and should extremely be presented as an aspiration and goal
@QuestForTori but of course the reason witches have historically been hated is that we are a rejection of the status quo, patriarchy, and the idea that men are required for happiness. disney would never encourage girls to do something badass like that.
@anna Couldn't have said it better myself!
@anna Hey, I'm biased, too - Kiki's Delivery Service is my favorite movie and it influenced me a LOT as a person, lol :P