I got this comment in response to my post: Are there imaginary worlds where sexism doesn’t exist? It made my day, and it’s the reason I created Reel Girl.
I’m so glad I found your blog! I have known there was something wrong with the media’s portrayal of women for as long as I remember. When I was little I always played Batman or Superman or just boys in general because the only thing I saw girls doing on TV was being rescued, then getting married off, then…
And because of this I think I may have actually thought I was a boy at one point.As a beginner writer I would love to write an imaginary world without sexism! I’m trying to do it now.
The appalling lack of female characters in movies and such is so aggressively brainwashed into us that I didn’t even notice it until I read it in your blog. It is so bad, that it wasn’t until I read your blog that I realised my first wannabe-feminist-and-spiritual-soapbox novel has a male main character and a mostly male castYour blog has inspired me even more to write more and better females! For some reason my characters just ‘look’ and ‘feel’ male when they come into my head. Even the genderless ones. And now I am trying to figure out why.
Do you think it might have something to do with how I have seen women portrayed in the media?
Women, write! And if you need a push, read my post: Why aren’t there more women artists?
As a member of the transgender/genderqueer community, I just want to put out there that it’s actually ok for girls to be boy-identified, and vice versa. For some (but not all) transgender people, this identification is apparent at a very young age. I was born female but was very boy-identified for as long as I can remember. The key is to help kids explore and figure out what feels authentic for them as they grow up – for this, we need a much broader spectrum of role models for both girls and boys. MM, I appreciate what you are doing to spread this message.
Thank you for saying that! 🙂
My first novel is in its second draft. My first goal is to keep writing until it is perfect then find a way to publish it. (I haven’t decided on how I want to publish it yet.)
My entire novel collection may fit on one shelf, but I have noticed there are no women writers in it! There aren’t that many women writers in the fantasy world genre. I think there are more in the young adult genre. There are probably heaps more in the romance section (I say ‘probably’ because I never look in the romance section.)
So I agree with your post. Women need to write! And make art! And do anything really! Because we can!
nigelthedragon,
Word.
MM
Excellent comment! Have you seen “The Help” yet? Finally an example of mainstream entertainment showing women as real people, not just “characters” – who empower themselves to make a difference in their own world.
Hi Tamara,
I haven’t seen “The Help.” While it provides some great roles for women, it sucks that again its the white woman saving the day and african-americans playing maids. I understand its historical, I’m just so frustrated with the limited roles out there and what we have to be grateful for.
MM
So true. It’s a good movie though.
If the lack of females in movies is bad then imagine what it must be like for a non-white actress to get a job as a lead.
Hi Oveeja,
Being nonwhite and female is even worse for kids as far as representation in kids movies. As far as the race issue without considering gender, non-whites do pretty well in animation because so many characters are animals or magical creatures. Yet even robots get assigned genders as in Wall-E. This is why girls fare so badly is kids’ media.
MM