Ppl be like “ I want an actual male gem, not just Steven.”
Jeez, it’s like having only one character
to represent your whole gender
in a group composed all of another gender
is a bit upsetting huh?
I wonder
what
that’s like
no really
can you
even imagine
what this lack of representation
MUST
FEEL
LIKE
This
post
isn’t
long
enough
none of the listed shows are named after the one female character, either
it’s actually physically impossible for me to not reblog this post.
I want to say I’ve reblogged this before, but I’m reblogging again for the brilliant addition of, “None of the listed shows are named after the one female character, either” because FUCKING THANK YOU.
mmmmmhm.
Every time I reblog this, there are new shows on the list.
Wow
it’s almost
as though
this happens
almost constantly
But normally you don’t notice, because it’s not about you.
If I stop rebloging this, assume that I am dead
Which is another reason why Scooby-Doo is better than the shows
which is another
reason why scooby-doo is
better than the shows
^Haiku^bot^9. I detect haikus with 5-7-5 format. Sometimes I make mistakes.
At the end of the human world, you will be baked. And then there will be cake. | PayPal | Patreon
It has a name. It’s called
The Smurfette Principle
Pls tell more????
The term ‘The Smurfette Principle’ was coined by Katha Pollitt in 1991 in a New YorkTimes article. Named after Smurfette, the only female among the Smurfs.
Here’s an important excerpt from her article
“Contemporary shows are either essentially all-male, like “Garfield”, or are organized on what I call the Smurfette principle: a group of male buddies will be accented by a lone female, stereotypically defined… The message is clear. Boys are the norm, girls the variation; boys are central, girls peripheral; boys are individuals, girls types. Boys define the group, its story and its code of values. Girls exist only in relation to boys.“
Quote from the web animation series ‘Brave Warriors’ exactly explains what Katha meant
Chris:I get it! So [points to Danny] you’re the cool one,[points to Wallow] you’re the funny one, [points to Beth]and you’re the…
Beth:Girl.
In the article, Katha talks about the poor representation of females in the preschool culture. Girls are never given the lead role and and are always stereotypical characters with little or no importance. They have very little in the way of individuality or personality. The storyline of such shows revolves around the males while the female are treated as the adjuncts to the male characters. She explains how this is not only bad for the girls but also the boys who grow up learning that women aren’t important.
An excerpt from the site tvtropes.org on Kathe’s article
‘The article focused on the trope as it applies to young children, and discussed the negative message: males are individuals who have adventures, while females are a type of deviation who exist only in relation to males.’ [Taken from here]
The most compelling thing about this principle is that it is in fact true. Mainstream cartoons which are incredibly popular such as Spongebob Squarepants , Pokémon, Winnie the Pooh are only some examples. While on the whole, these shows do have more than one female character, among the main characters (aka which appear frequently and are portrayed as good or heroes) there is always only one female [Sandy, Misty and Kanga]
Subtropes of this only one female trope include Never a Self-Made Woman (women cannot achieve anything without a male mentor or counterpart), Smurfette Breakout (the Smurfette character becomes popular on her own), and Territorial Smurfette (another female is added to the show and the original Smurfette reacts negatively). [Taken from here]
Even after the two decades of Kathe’s article, it still rings true and is very much relevant. Recent examples include :
Jumanji (in which four teens are sucked into a fantasy game world – two girls and two boys. But when they get there one of the girls finds herself in the body of Jack Black. That’s a funny gag, but it leaves Karen Gillan as the sole female lead.)
Tumblr Exodus 