I'm really happy about Amy and Bernadette having regular appearances on TBBT now, but the show still reinforces sexist stereotypes (and it pains me to say this cause I really like the show). For example, in a recent episode Amy is upset when Sheldon does not acknowledge her work and distinction. The (rather forced) apology that reconciles her is explicitly not Sheldon's reluctant acknowledgment but jewlery. Instead of the successful rightfully awarded scientist she becomes a gold digger.
I remembered the first time I realized that as a kid I related to the male character more than the female characters. Female characters were never the main part of the story so I disregarded them. I was disregarding my own gender without even knowing it.
I don't think Ellen Page would appreciate being called "smurfetted" since she's short in real life, heheh.. All jokes aside, I love all your videos. I find myself agreeing with your enlightened opinions constantly or feeling educated or my eyes opened about things I didn't notice before. Yours is definitely my most-est favorite youtube channel of all time. Also, great job with the editing!
It's funny how there's the lazy one, grouchy one, the leader one, and the lady one. It's like woman aren't half the population, they're a sub-category of human. Male is the default in our world, sadly. This really needs to change.
The newest Star Trek movie DOES pass the Bechdel test, actually. Only just, I will admit. There is a scene where Uhura and her roommate, Gaila, discuss the unusual readings Uhura found the night before in the lab.
Unfortunately, the movie suffers from busily establishing the relationship between Kirk and Spock, and doesn't get around to establishing any of the other characters particularly satisfactorily (female or otherwise).
Hopefully, the sequel will improve upon this particular failing.
I really don't see Ellen Page as a smurfette- because Marion Cotillard's character is incredibly important to the story and can be seen as a main character despite being dead and merely a projection.
Otherwise I really agree this principle is incredibly overused and tired. The extreme following of Buffy The Vampire Slayer should have showed Hollywood it's possible to make money with more than one woman in the cast.
Hi, I just discovered your videos they're really interesting. I don't really agree with the smurfette principle in the big bang theory, I mean that's the whole point of the show: 4 geeks who have never met a girl in their lives, so the smurfette principle in that case is the very reason why we love the show. And i was wondering: What is your point of view on sex and the city? I know everyone seems to be thinking carrie is the ultimate feminist but I don't agree with that at all.
@helloolittleworld Just because you like the format of the show doesn't change the fact that it is a still engaged in the Smurfette Principle. As for SATC, I have lots of thoughts about it, more then I can fit here but I would never in a million years think of Carrie as a feminist.
TBBT does have recurring female characters, though. I'm thinking about Leslie Winkle, Penny's friend Bernadette, Sheldon's friend Amy, Raj's sister Pria... She's NOT the only female cast member.
Now that I think about the TV-shows I watched in my youth, Maya the Bee had an interesting combination of female and male characters and wasn't particularly aimed at boys or girls. But you probably didn't have that show in the US.
@feministfrequency I just want to point out that while the Muppets may follow the Smurfette Principle, Henson made other things too. What about Fraggle Rock? Mokey and Red are female, don't revolve their entire lives around Gobo, Wembley, or Boober, and exhibit fully fleshed out, well-rounded characters.
This video is interesting because I actually did notice that most of my favourite tv shows consisted almost entirely of male characters when I was a kid. I was never really into overly girly shows, yet I noticed that any show that wasn't obnoxiously girly had virtually no girls in them. You didn't see many female superheros, Z fighters or Pokemon masters, and for some reason it bothered me.
Should we be worried about Avatar Legend of Korra? I know it's early and the show hasn't been on TV yet, but it seems that Korra will have two male side kicks and she will be very tomboyish. I am not sure if there is another female in the group. One of the things that I liked about Katara was that she could kick butt with out being masculine.
@Kaldary I suppose we will have to wait and see, I am (surprisingly) optimistic though since Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of my all time favourite shows, I think they did a lot of things right....
@feministfrequency Yes mine too. I was so excited to see Legend of Korra announced. I think I'll like the show either way but I hope they give her another friend that is a girl. I also hope that there is character development like in Last Airbender (for all characters)
Star Trek could have easily changed Sulu to a female, but it would have enraged the straight, white, male fanbase. They had the perfect opportunity to do so, considering the timeline had already been changed at the time of these characters being born. A gender difference is just one chromosome away!
My problem with this is that in the 80's you also had the reverse taking place. Look at She-ra. Token male. Rainbow Brite? Had a token male. Oh! Strawberry Shortcake? Well, you had the Pie Man, but you only had Huckleberry as the boy. And Buffy, when it started? She had her mentor, Giles, and her one guy friend, Xander. And is that healthy as well?
@audthorn1 The idea of a "token" character is that they are from a marginalized group, often female or people of colour, you can't have a token character from a dominant group such as male or white because they are most often seen on television. If a handful of shows have more female characters then male, that's great, because it's incredibly rare. He-Man wasn't a token character, he had his own show! Plus there were many other male characters on She-Ra.
@feministfrequency - wouldn't a "token" character be based on the make-up of the show? If you look at the cartoons of the 80's (which seems to be where you are basing most of this from), there were two distinct types of shows - those to sell toys to boys, and those to sell toys to girls. The corresponding shows tended to be heavy in which ever gender toy was being sold, and had a token character of the opposite gender. (I'm using token in this sense and that character's gender is
@feministfrequency (con't) gender is in the minority compared to other characters on that show. As for She-Ra, the token good male on that show wasn't He-Man, it was Bow (and his horse Arrow). Were there other male (good) characters? Probably, but not ones that were in the main cast. The same could be argued for the Transformers cartoon (80's) that the token female was Carly, the human girl, not Arcee who showed up in the movie. Also, the cartoon did have other female characters -
@feministfrequency - that were minor: Elita-1, Chromia, Firestar, Moonraker, Nightbird. The same could be said for any cartoon - G.I. Joe had two main females, even the Smurfs later added another female character (girl, red hair, braids).
You're saying a boys' cartoon should have more girls. Except that you're not saying that girls' cartoons should have more or better boy characters. (And let's face it, boy character on the girls' show: always pining for the pretty, smart lead female.)
@audthorn1 1. I never said that cartoons directed at girls shouldn't have male characters on it. 2. "wouldn't a "token" character be based on the make-up of the show?" No, a token character is based on the make-up of society.
We won't have as many female characters as men in movies until more females start writing/directing/producing movies and shows. Because the movie industry is sadly dominated by men and that shit needs to change.
I never realized this, but this was uploaded on my birthday! :D.
Woo~
Anyways, I am sick and tired of the Smurfette Principle, but I am even more sick of Harem. That stupid idea that if a male lives in a house full of women everyone of them will fall in love with him. -_-.
I wrote a Monster in My Pocket screenplay that the copyright owners strung me along about reading before they declined. I expanded the roles of several of the ordinary females and gave one an older sister, and let female monsters have a lot of conversations together, including Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Penanggalan, Medusa, Stheno, Euryale, Echidna, Chimera, Vampiress, Sphinx, Undine, Dryad, the Sirens, Skylla, Lamia, Kali and others. Vampiress and Medusa were the token on each side in the original
Leah and Uhura.. are two very strong independent female leads... and there is more to them then a love story... yes in star wars leah eventually falls for solo, but before that she is defending the galaxy and trying to rebel against the empire.. that is not a weak female character... and Uhura is a very smart and important part of her crew.. I do understand what you are referring to the smurfette principle.. but I dont think you gave these two films a fair shot..
To be honest, I didn't even notice the Smurfette principle going on in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". I guess I'll have to add that as reason number #387 why I hate Michael Bay.
The smurfs and other cartoon shows such as the transformers may not have a whole lot of female characters but they have been shown many times quite strong and capable of doing heroic deeds. Smurfette's 1st appearence has her betraying her Gargamel and saving the smurf village.
There are a lot of shows that have pretty strong female characters such as Naruto, Bleach,Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure to name a few.There was also Hedi, Pippi Longstocking and Mini-Fee that were pretty strong heroines.
When I was growing up, watching things like The Muppets and Winnie the Pooh, I actually didn't even think about the fact that the characters were mostly male. I think as a kid I focused more on the personalities of the charaters more than their genders. Now that I'm older though, it does bother me a little, especially in live action movies. (i'm a girl btw)
It's not exactly fair to mention the Big Bang Theory in this video. The majority of people who work in that field are men, and while there should be more women going into math and science, there's not. To have even half & half men and women would be unrealistic.
Token example: glee. All the minorities have like two lines per episode. They just "sit there being diverse". And the gay character has no other characteristics other than being gay.
Interesting stuff. It's got me thinking now about all the shows i've watched and it actually is quite surprising how few female protagonists there are. It's great that you've made this video, and hopefully these hollywood writers are made more aware of this because there really is no reason for the majority of characters to be male.
Does anybody else remember Showbiz Pizza restaurants from the 1980s? The ones with The Rock-afire Explosion? Three stages full of animatronic robots, and exactly 1 female character...a blond cheerleader. (sigh)
It's great that the big bang theory has added two more female series regulars to the show recently, but they do seem to be the "female counterparts" to the guys.
I have a question about the Bechdel Test. If two female characters in a movie talk about a Father/Uncle/Male teacher, would it still pass the test? (Considering that the character might be male, but his purpose in the film is being the Parent/Adult figure, & his gender isn't really important to the situation)
funny, in the Russian version of Winnie the Pooh the owl is female, but that is probably because Russian is a gendered language and every word has an inherent gender, and the word for owl "sova" has a female gender.
Wait a moment, are you telling me that Rabbit and Piglet are GUYS? When I watched the show as a child I always thought they were supposed to be female. And that is how I've thought of them ever since.
weren't those cartoons aimed at little boys? As a little boy myself, i didn't give one thought into the genders of the characters of those cartoons. If anything the cast was small and relatable as a little boy (im thinking mostly of winnie the poo when im saying this)
I agree with your opinions, but I would like it even more if the video where more argumentative and less educational. Surely there must be some good movies/series that dont use the kind of tropes you describe?
Very thought provoking video. I really enjoy watching all of these, every time I watch a movie now I ask myself the same questions. It really saddens me that most movies reflect the ideas that women are either not important enough to include as leads, or they are objectified as sexual objects, and the most hilarious of all...man eating, killer beasts (because that's how we all are in real life!).
Its because men can relate more to their own gender in much the same way that women can.
you say that women leads are normally copy pasted from men leads or a "bagina'd version" of one but if a woman was given a role of a coward or a greedy person as men often are it would be sexist.
You never once mention cartoons with majority female casts (Powerpugg girls) or cartoons where a female character saves helpless men often (kim possible)
Michael Bay movies should be avoided like putting your head in a pig. However, I found Arcee to be the coolest character in the movie, and painfully under used. She's the Boba Fett of that movie, does not say much and is under used. Maybe its just because I have a thing for motorbikes.
what about mal in inception ? granted, she may be dead and is only living on as a memory, but does she not embody female character traits ? how does the smurfette principle apply to inception ?
I really like 'White Collar,' but the show's treatment of women is annoyingly typical. The show is primarily about the men.There are 2 female principals-1 is married to the main guy and is supportive/understanding. The other is FBI w/ the men, is also like that, and gay. No threat of pesky romantic entanglements. They just dress her up as a hooker and send her on missions. The guest female stars are all skinny, gorgeous and very tropey. It's frustrating, b/c the show's premise is pretty cool.
it is strange that the daily show gets thrown into the list, as it is not a dramatic show but rather a collection of comics. and i see this more of a question about the lack of strong female comics out there. one can name some, certainly [maria bamford, sarah silverman, carol burnett] but one cannot help but see a strangely skewed balance between male and female comics. consider hitchens VF piece: "Why Women Aren't Funny" - it deserves its own topic really and should be seriously discussed
On the topic of tokens: MK 9 - Nightwolf. Native American Shaman who's fighting techniques are all based on channeling the spirits. He also wears leather pants and a 1970's vest. His special attacks include an energy tomahawk and bow and arrow. The saddest part is that had NeatherRealm done their research, Nightwolf could have been skilled in Apache knife techniques, the very same techniques which are taught to the special forces. At least in defenders of the realm, he was a computer expert
The first "National Treasure" is another example of movie with a "Smurfette." (The sequel, though, adds a second female character, Helen Mirren's character.)
Interesting coverage of a trend, though I thought Winne the Pooh was an odd choice. The stories are based on A. A. Milne's son's imaginary friends. Doesn't seem terribly odd a little boy would have male imaginary friends.
But all kidding aside, I think some of the examples here are stronger than others. I think the Transformers movies epitomize what you're talking about, but I don't know that that example is entirely equatable to Ellen Paige in Inception. Ellen Paige plays a character who is smart, clever, and decisive, and whose actions advance the plot in significant ways. That doesn't forgive that she's the only female lead, but I think it's an important distinction to make. Or maybe it's not?
When I was a kid, there were NO female muppets on Sesame Street. It's amazing how automatic the male assumption is. Even on a show that went out of its way to show women and minorities in positive, empowered light, they didn't notice the muppent problem. They didn't even have a Smurphette. (Though I did think Big Bird was a girl at the time, only later learning I was wrong.)
Really awesome video and criticism! I'd be interested in seeing a feminist frequency video on another one of Joss Whedon's shows: Firefly. The female characters on that show were still a bit stereotyped, but it was nice to see more than one woman on the entire crew!
The two-dimensional and stereotype-reinforcing use of female and people of color token characters is the main reason I do not lament the fact that LGBT people are rarely represented even as tokens in mainstream media.
How I Met Your Mother?? Its actually one of the few shows I really like to watch on TV. I was going to mention Avatar: The Last Airbender but someone already did that for me, which is a GREAT example. They are coming out with a sequel and the main character is female. Anime also mix male and female characters extremely well with a wide variety of roles given to females. (yes I know there are horrible sexist examples that can be brought up with anime, but the REALLY good ones tend to not.)
One great feminist game developer you should check out is BioWare - in almost all their RPGs, ranging from sci-fi through fantasy and martial arts, you can play through as a female character. They even offer some GLBT options, though more leaning towards lesbian than gay. (nuts!)
One show that I love that avoids this is Avatar: The Last Airbender. It didn't during its first season, but then added awesome characters like Tohp, Suki, Uae, Azula, and a ton of other. Another thing I loved was that there were fire nation soldiers that were female, and police officers, and the sniper-equivilant. They didn't point them out, they were just there, totally normal.
Men need more options when choosing who to identify with, as the desires of men vary greatly. All women need is an idealized female character and most of them are happy. Its tragic and hilarious, but gender portrayal in media is a reflection of the desires of the collective humanity, not a reflection of the collective men. Its like we men build a womens prison, and the women volounteer to guard themselves.
@bodisculpt and all of those movies/shows were TERRIBLE (- buffy never saw it but i hear it was good) not saying it was caused by the majority female cast
Not to use blanket statements about Hollywood but, if you are not part of the Straight White Middle-Age Male category you are probably not going to be the main character and if you deviate more the two of those categories you are not going to be in the script [period] Just asked all the Elderly Asian Lesbians characters in main stream films.
Go back and watch The Muppets. There are actually a plethora of female characters in the show at different points. There was Janice, the lead guitarist of the Electric Mayhem, Hilda the wardrobe lady, and Mean Mama, a monster that probably looked like a boy if not for the dress it wore on occasions. Not to mention that Miss Piggy wasn't exactly the "domesticated girly girl" since she was often smarter and stronger than most of the male characters.
@whodat608 - Miss Piggy was the only women in the large main cast. The other women only show up occasionally and are secondary at best. Plus the entire point to Miss Piggy's character was the annoy the men by being comically unreasonable and overemotional (in short her character was the very definition of sexism).
I love how so many people are like "Waaaaahhhh [insert show] actually DOES have more than one female check your facts/don't generalize" and then someone else easily disproves the said comment.
i came from sociological images, and you have no idea how happy i discovered this channel. Watching this video just made my mind blown, i felt i merged both of my english language (non gender neutral topics) class and media class into one :D
I've noticed this lately in Cartoon Network's new programming. I watch CTN and love the new shows: Destroy Build Destroy, Dude, What Would Happen?, Flapjack, and Adventure Time are all extremely entertaining. But in DBD, there are often few girls. DWWH? has 0 girls in it ever, Flapjack has almost no women, and AT has one big female character, but she is the love interest and exists mainly so the main character can be developed. It's very disappointing.
I didn't find out that Rabbit was supposed to be male until I was in my mid-20s, too (s-he always reminded me of my grandma). That was *almost* as shocking as finding out that Eeyore's voice was Optimus Prime. (In the words of the Bard; "o_O")
Only one of Arcee's "sisters" gets shot. We're not exactly sure if she dies, but she is at least injured. But no, not all of them are killed. Please get your facts straight here.
@RunsWithWeasels Two of the Arcee's are killed that we can see (you can watch the clip again in the video) and the creators have stated in an interview that they all were killed.
@feministfrequency The Transformers are not meant to have any gender. I found the addition of "fembots" goes against the best aspect of Transformers; the characters personalities are (Optimus, Megatron, and comic-book Grimlock excepted) not gendered so we get characters like Starscream, Shockwave, Prowl, Mirage, Swindle, Ratchet, Thundercracker, Soundwave, whose "gender" is pretty much undiscernible.
The problem with Bayformers is the lack of characterization of ALL the Transformers.
@Relugus Male is the default, so if the transformers are not obviously coded male they default to male, this is made even more clear by the choice of male voice actors. Whether the creators want to 'say' that the Transformers are not gendered doesn't change the way they are presented and the way they are received in a patriarchal, male dominated society.
@Relugus Riiight. Even though they all have male voices when they talk in the movie. If they don't have any gender, then why can't they include more than ONE character with a female voice (TF2)? By that logic, I'd really love to see a Transformer like Megatron, all bad-ass, except with a female voice, since as you say quote "...are not meant to have any gender".
@mzzzhedison That's my point, though. They should have used a mixture of male and female voices. I grew up with the Marvel UK comics, so my perception is different.Certainly, I have no problem with a female-voiced Megatron, indeed ,a female voice would perfectly fit the calm, logical, and uber cool (Marvel) Shockwave.
Bay views women as objects, and he views the Transformers as CGI set-pieces, and he has Optimus Prime say "we will kill them all", an offensive bastardization of Prime's character.
@Relugus Challenge of the Go-Bots and the comic book Starriors did a good job upping the female quotient. Go-Bots centered on four characters on each side, one female on each (Small Foot and Crasher), but numerous other characters, such as Pathfinder and Spay-C, were also female. There was no pink on either of these characters, but I assumed that they were female even before I saw the episodes in which they appeared. Starriors was written by a woman, Louise Simonson, which make explain that.
When I was a little kid I could never figure out if Pooh was a guy or a girl so I decided that my Pooh Bear was going to be a girl and was confused when I eventually figured out that Pooh wasn't a girl. I mean, I was a girl and loved Pooh so why shouldn't Pooh be a girl, there was just no reason in my mind for Pooh to even be a boy. XD
Was anyone else disappointed with Lost because of this? It was a really great show but there was a disproportionate amount of females, 2 of them went crazy, and a few of them spent a large portion of their time caring about babies. Exactly how many times did they tell Kate "you can't come".
I think though that the Inception situation is a bit understandable since the world in which they live, this dream-sharing crime-world, would, like in the real crime world, not have nearly as many women as it did men. I was more perplexed by Ariadne's characterization in the film, or lack thereof, than the fact that she is a woman, or even the ONLY woman on the team. After all, it wasn't meant to be an equal ensemble, it's a heist movie with a lead and a purpose.
The Transformers was basically a toy commercial. And since girls weren't really encouraged to play with those types of toys they never really tried to market the series towards them. Also boys wouldn't want to play with a pink car or anything that was a girl cause that would be "gay" as they would have said back then. In all a lot of cartoons have childish perspectives about men and women.
There are a few issues with some of this. Not that I disagree with your point of view, I just think there are some things that you kind of left out. First when it comes to the cartoons. The Smurfs wasn't really a smart show. It was a very childish show written with very childish ideas and concepts. Every single Smurf's personality can be summed by their name. Their werent any real deep characters in the series. Then there is the Transformers.
@1424nathan Being that it's not a "Smart" show it makes it a show accesible to small children who are then learning from a very young age that Male is the default and female is an accessory.
The Big Bang Theory example doesn't really hold in my opinion. It simply reflects reality and having female nerds in the core group would only look forced.
@ingfy I know PLENTY of "nerd" ladies. At my school the engineering major isn't quite 50/50 but the girls are not out numbered 4:1. I also know girls studying applied mathematics and chemistry and biology.
another good example is the female cast member in The West Wing (I think her name is CJ?) she's the only female member of the main cast and her role is almost entirely composed of her acting confused and always asking questions. basically her purpose is to help walk confused audience members through american civics 101 by acting confused and asking questions anyone in her position should know the answer to!
I was going to say, I had thought you'd seen Nostalgia Chick when I first saw the title. Always enjoy her stuff.
I'm actually working on a novel right now and am trying to follow the principles of adding enough variety of characters to make the setting realistic and characters developed. Rest assured, it will pass the Bechdel test.
Buffy,charmed,winx,Hanna montanna, nancy drew, Anne of green gables, kym possible, catwomen,dark angel,wonder woman, lexx, bionic women and it goes on and on where women are the leads or have main roles. Yes there are plenty that are opposite but it's not how you say it.
@bodisculpt Yes of course there are examples with more women I don't think anyone is arguing against that fact but it's ridiculous and well worth pointing out that there are still so many examples of all male crews.
@bodisculpt You are missing the picture here. Most of the characters and shows you cited are aimed specifically at girls and women. Men are socialized not to identify with female characters. On the other hand, as feministfrequency's video notes, the default cast for a medium aimed at both men AND women is almost always composed of men. With maybe one woman, if we're lucky. And unlike with men watching "girly" shows, it is socially acceptable for women to like and identify with all male casts.
It's fairly evident men are over represented on television. So that is the problem, but I'd be interested to know what people think the cause is? The only motivation of television makers is to produce a program that appeals to as many people as possible. By being so male orientated presumably they are lessening their appeal to half of the audience, so why do shows that are so unrepresentative of society frequently become so succesful?
I remember as a little girl I was always annoyed by the lack of female characters in the shows and movies that I loved. Star Wars, Star Trek, Duck Tales... They all had just one female character. Great series! Thanks for putting my childhood distress into words. Also, thanks for the link to Nostalgia Chick. Watching her reviews, I realized why Sleeping Beauty was my favorite Disney film: All the characters who actually accomplished anything were women!
Maybe someone has pointed this out , maybe not, but BIG BANG THEORY has an equal number of male and female main characters. Who is doing the fact checking on this show?
@feministfrequency I think you're missing the point a bit in listing it as an example though, current Big Bang theory passes the Bechedel test handily almost every episode, and gives the women just about as much characterization as the men (it being a comedy). They regularly talk about men but then again the male characters regularly talk about women, relationships being a major part of the show's humor. Maybe the new women weren't part of the original cast but they are mainstays now.
@feministfrequency Depends what you consider "main cast". The character of Amy Farrah Fowler (the only one played by an actual doctor in neurobiology) is a central character in every single episode now. Also, Bernadette, though a "smaller" character, has also aired in the past 5 episodes straight. Penny has actually been getting a lot less air time. On that account, I can't agree with you at all.
It would be interesting to know if there is mainstream show targeted at both genders that contains more female characters in the lead roles than males...
I really love your videos. I'm realizing things I've never noticed before. You've taught me a lot. Most people think that feminists are just man-haters. Please continue this. Please.
Not to say that that the main theme is off, but some of the choices are interesting. Princess Leia is one of three main cast members in the Star Wars Trilogy. That hardly seems disproportionate. She's also shown to be in a position of considerable power (front line leader of the Rebellion) and capable of handling herself just as well as if not better than the men.
It's sad how closely Smurfette Principle is to reality for so many dudes. It's been since middle school that I had female "just friends." They all disappeared in high-school when I started creating sci-fi/fantasy(comics, machinima). I try to get women to help all the time, but most often after weeks you find the one girl, usually a girlfriend of another dude friend, willing to help so any other female charters get written out. Can't even get women to send scripted voicing anon, but men will.
If "Inception," "Transformers 2" and "The Muppets" are examples of movies and TV shows that succumb to the Smurfette principle, what are some of the ones that get it right?
The Sci-Fi channel series Farscape. Although the main character was male, there were more female characters, even the ship was female. Overall on that series I think there was generally a fair balance of male and female characters. And I think with a few exceptions the females characters were portrayed as strong/independent/etc (although usually with some sex appeal too...).
This is obviously an exception to the rule, but I thought it was worth mentioning
Have you watched "This Film is Not Yet Rated"? It's about the MPAA and how they address they treat homosexuality and heterosexuality differently. And how even male and female pleasure is treated differently, usually with the latter receiving an NC-17 rating. I highly suggest it. It's very thought provoking.
I'm not sure if Nolan has problems with writing women or not. Ellen Page was ultimately useless in Inception, and he downplayed Gordon's daughter (you know, Batgirl/Oracle) and made his son (who the comics haven't seen in years) the important one. Not to mention his treatment of the woman that was supposed to be Renee Montoya.
I used to think Rabbit was female. Didn't think about it until recently that Kanga is the only female. The thing I hate about the smurfette principle is that the female is never someone I can relate to. It is either just eye candy, or seems to be placed there to say there is a female character and it isn't sexist. My favorite show growing up was Sailormoon. Mostly females, super heros and villains.
I agree with you whole-heartedly about the need for more strong, 3-dimensional, interesting, flawed female characters. But I don't think adding another female to The Smurfs or Star Trek would have made things any better.
@cjiwakura Haha yeah, a great counter-example, because Tuxedo Mask is the only male main character, and he's only a side-kick/ love interest of sailor moon.
Anita, I really appreciate your videos. Thank you for your reflections on the trends of (pop) culture.
Often as I watch your videos I notice myself judging you, triggered by your keen observations. Then I realize that you are pointing a big shadow that lives within me (and likely, in the cultural norms) that I have not acknowledge and not have given consideration because of my male privilege/ point-of-view. Thank you and keep bringing your truth. It burns, and I need to hear it.
I'm really happy to have a name to attach to something I sadly have to point out too often. Just off the top of my head I can think of Seinfeld, Pirates of the Carribean, Fight Club, Wanted. Has anyone ever seen the photos they take for Sundance? They've got the Smurfette Principle slathered all over them.
@dorkabrain I thought Seinfeld suffered from this too until I started watching it, and now I think Elaine is one of the most full-developed female characters yet. You can't argue that she is just eye candy, and she clearly wasn't written to be a sex object for the male characters. Her part in "The Contest" (she is the 2nd to give in to masturbation), for example, shows how much the writers thought of her as an equal character. More female characters might have been possible, but not better ones.
I find that lately TV is a lot better about developing female characters than film is. There are several shows with developed, central female characters (Community, P&R, Mad Men). By contrast, film seems to be a desert comprised of female skeleton-models. I find Iron Man to be the most egregious example, probably because it was a smart action movie with an excellent actress on the cast. I think Gwyneth says 3 sentences combined in both Iron Man movies. Thanks for the awesome video!
I think it should be noted that the reason star trek's biggest selling point in the original series was a sex appeal of the male part of the cast (especially Kirk & Spock) , which brought in viewers that didn't watch similar shows.
I absolutely agree about the smurfette trope being too common. It's patently ridiculous that any show with a gender-neutral target audience (& why limit audiences anyway?) would have a minimum/maximum gender ratio.
I agree with most of these, but with Winnie the Pooh, we should remember that it is based off of the stuffed animals of Christopher Robin when he was just a child, and children do have a tendency to name their toys and imaginary friends after their own gender, which is why he didn't have very many female characters like most little boys would.
The Big Bang satirizes the stereotype, though I wouldn't say it's about said stereotypes, in regard to the male nerds' (Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Rajesh) relationship with Penny. It succumbs to the Smurfette principle, however, when Leslie Winkle, the token female nerd, is introduced.
The big bang theory does stereotype nerds to the 4th power hardcore. I consider myself a HUGE nerd/geek or whatever, and I don't ACT at all like they do. I also know people with just as high IQ's as these guys and they are also very nerdy and don't act like them either. I have very decent social skills and have very good relationships with women (dating, just friends, whatever). Just because you love comics, and have a REDIC high IQ does
I'm really happy about Amy and Bernadette having regular appearances on TBBT now, but the show still reinforces sexist stereotypes (and it pains me to say this cause I really like the show). For example, in a recent episode Amy is upset when Sheldon does not acknowledge her work and distinction. The (rather forced) apology that reconciles her is explicitly not Sheldon's reluctant acknowledgment but jewlery. Instead of the successful rightfully awarded scientist she becomes a gold digger.
Applepopess 1 month ago 9
dont 4get elaine of seinfeld
marquezmargaret0 1 month ago
I remembered the first time I realized that as a kid I related to the male character more than the female characters. Female characters were never the main part of the story so I disregarded them. I was disregarding my own gender without even knowing it.
lovelylostlady 1 month ago 15
@lovelylostlady i think thats a pretty common experience
marquezmargaret0 1 month ago
I don't think Ellen Page would appreciate being called "smurfetted" since she's short in real life, heheh.. All jokes aside, I love all your videos. I find myself agreeing with your enlightened opinions constantly or feeling educated or my eyes opened about things I didn't notice before. Yours is definitely my most-est favorite youtube channel of all time. Also, great job with the editing!
Tulipstarful 1 month ago 2
It's funny how there's the lazy one, grouchy one, the leader one, and the lady one. It's like woman aren't half the population, they're a sub-category of human. Male is the default in our world, sadly. This really needs to change.
skillzbeat 1 month ago 11
I really like this one.
ButterflyRedrum 4 months ago
In M*A*S*H, Hot Lips was the smurfette principle.
needles1987 4 months ago 2
@needles1987 Yeah, Major Hoolihan... and she even looks like Smurfette!
whataboutredlorry 4 months ago
The newest Star Trek movie DOES pass the Bechdel test, actually. Only just, I will admit. There is a scene where Uhura and her roommate, Gaila, discuss the unusual readings Uhura found the night before in the lab.
Unfortunately, the movie suffers from busily establishing the relationship between Kirk and Spock, and doesn't get around to establishing any of the other characters particularly satisfactorily (female or otherwise).
Hopefully, the sequel will improve upon this particular failing.
tdjewell00 4 months ago 4
Have you not seen Amy on The Big Bang Theory yet?
reriolu 4 months ago 13
Comment removed
kdgreer0 5 months ago
I really don't see Ellen Page as a smurfette- because Marion Cotillard's character is incredibly important to the story and can be seen as a main character despite being dead and merely a projection.
Otherwise I really agree this principle is incredibly overused and tired. The extreme following of Buffy The Vampire Slayer should have showed Hollywood it's possible to make money with more than one woman in the cast.
ellieg609 5 months ago 10
Hi, I just discovered your videos they're really interesting. I don't really agree with the smurfette principle in the big bang theory, I mean that's the whole point of the show: 4 geeks who have never met a girl in their lives, so the smurfette principle in that case is the very reason why we love the show. And i was wondering: What is your point of view on sex and the city? I know everyone seems to be thinking carrie is the ultimate feminist but I don't agree with that at all.
helloolittleworld 5 months ago 21
@helloolittleworld Just because you like the format of the show doesn't change the fact that it is a still engaged in the Smurfette Principle. As for SATC, I have lots of thoughts about it, more then I can fit here but I would never in a million years think of Carrie as a feminist.
feministfrequency 5 months ago 41
@feministfrequency
TBBT does have recurring female characters, though. I'm thinking about Leslie Winkle, Penny's friend Bernadette, Sheldon's friend Amy, Raj's sister Pria... She's NOT the only female cast member.
Bairinde 4 months ago 36
Now that I think about the TV-shows I watched in my youth, Maya the Bee had an interesting combination of female and male characters and wasn't particularly aimed at boys or girls. But you probably didn't have that show in the US.
Nimmermaer 5 months ago
Miss Piggy wasn't the only female Muppet. What about Janice of The Electric Mayhem?
Handofcrom13 5 months ago 19
@Handofcrom13 The Smurfette Principle is about the group that makes up the main cast, Janice is not a main character.
feministfrequency 5 months ago 19
@feministfrequency Oh, I see.
Handofcrom13 5 months ago
@feministfrequency I just want to point out that while the Muppets may follow the Smurfette Principle, Henson made other things too. What about Fraggle Rock? Mokey and Red are female, don't revolve their entire lives around Gobo, Wembley, or Boober, and exhibit fully fleshed out, well-rounded characters.
Simim23 4 months ago 2
This video is interesting because I actually did notice that most of my favourite tv shows consisted almost entirely of male characters when I was a kid. I was never really into overly girly shows, yet I noticed that any show that wasn't obnoxiously girly had virtually no girls in them. You didn't see many female superheros, Z fighters or Pokemon masters, and for some reason it bothered me.
Give1Take2 5 months ago
Should we be worried about Avatar Legend of Korra? I know it's early and the show hasn't been on TV yet, but it seems that Korra will have two male side kicks and she will be very tomboyish. I am not sure if there is another female in the group. One of the things that I liked about Katara was that she could kick butt with out being masculine.
Kaldary 5 months ago
@Kaldary I suppose we will have to wait and see, I am (surprisingly) optimistic though since Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of my all time favourite shows, I think they did a lot of things right....
feministfrequency 5 months ago 3
@feministfrequency Yes mine too. I was so excited to see Legend of Korra announced. I think I'll like the show either way but I hope they give her another friend that is a girl. I also hope that there is character development like in Last Airbender (for all characters)
Kaldary 5 months ago
Star Trek could have easily changed Sulu to a female, but it would have enraged the straight, white, male fanbase. They had the perfect opportunity to do so, considering the timeline had already been changed at the time of these characters being born. A gender difference is just one chromosome away!
skyerune 5 months ago
My problem with this is that in the 80's you also had the reverse taking place. Look at She-ra. Token male. Rainbow Brite? Had a token male. Oh! Strawberry Shortcake? Well, you had the Pie Man, but you only had Huckleberry as the boy. And Buffy, when it started? She had her mentor, Giles, and her one guy friend, Xander. And is that healthy as well?
audthorn1 5 months ago
@audthorn1 The idea of a "token" character is that they are from a marginalized group, often female or people of colour, you can't have a token character from a dominant group such as male or white because they are most often seen on television. If a handful of shows have more female characters then male, that's great, because it's incredibly rare. He-Man wasn't a token character, he had his own show! Plus there were many other male characters on She-Ra.
feministfrequency 5 months ago
@feministfrequency - wouldn't a "token" character be based on the make-up of the show? If you look at the cartoons of the 80's (which seems to be where you are basing most of this from), there were two distinct types of shows - those to sell toys to boys, and those to sell toys to girls. The corresponding shows tended to be heavy in which ever gender toy was being sold, and had a token character of the opposite gender. (I'm using token in this sense and that character's gender is
audthorn1 5 months ago
@feministfrequency (con't) gender is in the minority compared to other characters on that show. As for She-Ra, the token good male on that show wasn't He-Man, it was Bow (and his horse Arrow). Were there other male (good) characters? Probably, but not ones that were in the main cast. The same could be argued for the Transformers cartoon (80's) that the token female was Carly, the human girl, not Arcee who showed up in the movie. Also, the cartoon did have other female characters -
audthorn1 5 months ago
@feministfrequency - that were minor: Elita-1, Chromia, Firestar, Moonraker, Nightbird. The same could be said for any cartoon - G.I. Joe had two main females, even the Smurfs later added another female character (girl, red hair, braids).
You're saying a boys' cartoon should have more girls. Except that you're not saying that girls' cartoons should have more or better boy characters. (And let's face it, boy character on the girls' show: always pining for the pretty, smart lead female.)
audthorn1 5 months ago
@audthorn1 1. I never said that cartoons directed at girls shouldn't have male characters on it. 2. "wouldn't a "token" character be based on the make-up of the show?" No, a token character is based on the make-up of society.
feministfrequency 5 months ago
We won't have as many female characters as men in movies until more females start writing/directing/producing movies and shows. Because the movie industry is sadly dominated by men and that shit needs to change.
karinakeys 5 months ago
I never realized this, but this was uploaded on my birthday! :D.
Woo~
Anyways, I am sick and tired of the Smurfette Principle, but I am even more sick of Harem. That stupid idea that if a male lives in a house full of women everyone of them will fall in love with him. -_-.
aquabluecat123 5 months ago
Watch a harem-theme animated series from Japan.
MegaBondagemon 5 months ago
I wrote a Monster in My Pocket screenplay that the copyright owners strung me along about reading before they declined. I expanded the roles of several of the ordinary females and gave one an older sister, and let female monsters have a lot of conversations together, including Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Penanggalan, Medusa, Stheno, Euryale, Echidna, Chimera, Vampiress, Sphinx, Undine, Dryad, the Sirens, Skylla, Lamia, Kali and others. Vampiress and Medusa were the token on each side in the original
scottandrewhutchins 5 months ago
You forgot about Toy Story, but who cares .
You got yourself a new subscriber :-)
TheAntiSisters 5 months ago
Leah and Uhura.. are two very strong independent female leads... and there is more to them then a love story... yes in star wars leah eventually falls for solo, but before that she is defending the galaxy and trying to rebel against the empire.. that is not a weak female character... and Uhura is a very smart and important part of her crew.. I do understand what you are referring to the smurfette principle.. but I dont think you gave these two films a fair shot..
rscard119 5 months ago
@rscard119 You might wanna rewatch the video because I'm not talking about the development of the individual female characters.
feministfrequency 5 months ago 7
ICE AGE!! There was the mother of the child but she died ... that's it. And the random sloth girls that appeared for about one minute.
I know this might sound weird, but I honestly thought piglet from Winnie the Poo was female.
PiKalolz 6 months ago
Wait, I thought Rabbit and Piglet were chicks?
To be honest, I didn't even notice the Smurfette principle going on in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". I guess I'll have to add that as reason number #387 why I hate Michael Bay.
Seriously, fuck that movie.
kissfan7 6 months ago
@kissfan7 Rabbit was portrayed like a crusty old man.
scottandrewhutchins 5 months ago
resident evil movies have women all over the place :D
enladiscobailoteo 6 months ago 3
The smurfs and other cartoon shows such as the transformers may not have a whole lot of female characters but they have been shown many times quite strong and capable of doing heroic deeds. Smurfette's 1st appearence has her betraying her Gargamel and saving the smurf village.
There are a lot of shows that have pretty strong female characters such as Naruto, Bleach,Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure to name a few.There was also Hedi, Pippi Longstocking and Mini-Fee that were pretty strong heroines.
oldgordo61 6 months ago
When I was growing up, watching things like The Muppets and Winnie the Pooh, I actually didn't even think about the fact that the characters were mostly male. I think as a kid I focused more on the personalities of the charaters more than their genders. Now that I'm older though, it does bother me a little, especially in live action movies. (i'm a girl btw)
SunderedSami 6 months ago
That smurfette hair's turns black(bad) to blonde(good).
twinqletwinqle 6 months ago
I thought there were now 4 female characters on big bang theory. That's pretty equal to the 4 guys.
arandia 6 months ago
It's not exactly fair to mention the Big Bang Theory in this video. The majority of people who work in that field are men, and while there should be more women going into math and science, there's not. To have even half & half men and women would be unrealistic.
texdemocrat 6 months ago
Token example: glee. All the minorities have like two lines per episode. They just "sit there being diverse". And the gay character has no other characteristics other than being gay.
FabFourfreak909 6 months ago 3
Interesting stuff. It's got me thinking now about all the shows i've watched and it actually is quite surprising how few female protagonists there are. It's great that you've made this video, and hopefully these hollywood writers are made more aware of this because there really is no reason for the majority of characters to be male.
EagleDestiny 6 months ago
Wow, that's crazy, I never really noticed that.
ahersheykisses 6 months ago
Does anybody else remember Showbiz Pizza restaurants from the 1980s? The ones with The Rock-afire Explosion? Three stages full of animatronic robots, and exactly 1 female character...a blond cheerleader. (sigh)
ShellyDZ99 6 months ago
It's great that the big bang theory has added two more female series regulars to the show recently, but they do seem to be the "female counterparts" to the guys.
I have a question about the Bechdel Test. If two female characters in a movie talk about a Father/Uncle/Male teacher, would it still pass the test? (Considering that the character might be male, but his purpose in the film is being the Parent/Adult figure, & his gender isn't really important to the situation)
ZmaXcharmvill3 6 months ago
funny, in the Russian version of Winnie the Pooh the owl is female, but that is probably because Russian is a gendered language and every word has an inherent gender, and the word for owl "sova" has a female gender.
Miliziya 7 months ago
Wait a moment, are you telling me that Rabbit and Piglet are GUYS? When I watched the show as a child I always thought they were supposed to be female. And that is how I've thought of them ever since.
GaEv4 7 months ago
weren't those cartoons aimed at little boys? As a little boy myself, i didn't give one thought into the genders of the characters of those cartoons. If anything the cast was small and relatable as a little boy (im thinking mostly of winnie the poo when im saying this)
maxamojaxamo 7 months ago
I agree with your opinions, but I would like it even more if the video where more argumentative and less educational. Surely there must be some good movies/series that dont use the kind of tropes you describe?
Sangsstuff 7 months ago
Very thought provoking video. I really enjoy watching all of these, every time I watch a movie now I ask myself the same questions. It really saddens me that most movies reflect the ideas that women are either not important enough to include as leads, or they are objectified as sexual objects, and the most hilarious of all...man eating, killer beasts (because that's how we all are in real life!).
mzzzhedison 7 months ago
fair points, very fair
roadragebunny 7 months ago
Thank you for discussing this in such detail. I think I made that exact same face when I heard about the Smurfs movie.
rhoda10 7 months ago 3
You don't remember Janice from the muppet show?
girlishgamer1 7 months ago
@girlishgamer1 Yes I remember Janice and she isn't apart of the main cast.
feministfrequency 7 months ago 9
I agree with the video, just a little nitpick: baby smurf appeared much later than Smurfette
nobradors 7 months ago
In the remake of the movie "The Thing" coming out, they took the all male cast and added about 3 females to it.
UltimateFalconFart 7 months ago
Noticed how men usually write male characters?
Its because men can relate more to their own gender in much the same way that women can.
you say that women leads are normally copy pasted from men leads or a "bagina'd version" of one but if a woman was given a role of a coward or a greedy person as men often are it would be sexist.
You never once mention cartoons with majority female casts (Powerpugg girls) or cartoons where a female character saves helpless men often (kim possible)
Nice Bias.
Elciesprace 7 months ago
Michael Bay movies should be avoided like putting your head in a pig. However, I found Arcee to be the coolest character in the movie, and painfully under used. She's the Boba Fett of that movie, does not say much and is under used. Maybe its just because I have a thing for motorbikes.
DoctorKandosii 7 months ago
Thank you for such a great video :)
funkysquarepusher 7 months ago
what about mal in inception ? granted, she may be dead and is only living on as a memory, but does she not embody female character traits ? how does the smurfette principle apply to inception ?
northstarprod 8 months ago
@northstarprod Because Mal is not on the "team". Even worse, Mal is sort of the villain in the story (even though it's cobb's subconscious).
sakurabaka 7 months ago
I really like 'White Collar,' but the show's treatment of women is annoyingly typical. The show is primarily about the men.There are 2 female principals-1 is married to the main guy and is supportive/understanding. The other is FBI w/ the men, is also like that, and gay. No threat of pesky romantic entanglements. They just dress her up as a hooker and send her on missions. The guest female stars are all skinny, gorgeous and very tropey. It's frustrating, b/c the show's premise is pretty cool.
RLviddy 8 months ago
interesting videos btw. i have been going through them all
fishspawned 8 months ago
it is strange that the daily show gets thrown into the list, as it is not a dramatic show but rather a collection of comics. and i see this more of a question about the lack of strong female comics out there. one can name some, certainly [maria bamford, sarah silverman, carol burnett] but one cannot help but see a strangely skewed balance between male and female comics. consider hitchens VF piece: "Why Women Aren't Funny" - it deserves its own topic really and should be seriously discussed
fishspawned 8 months ago
On the topic of tokens: MK 9 - Nightwolf. Native American Shaman who's fighting techniques are all based on channeling the spirits. He also wears leather pants and a 1970's vest. His special attacks include an energy tomahawk and bow and arrow. The saddest part is that had NeatherRealm done their research, Nightwolf could have been skilled in Apache knife techniques, the very same techniques which are taught to the special forces. At least in defenders of the realm, he was a computer expert
VigilanteNighthawk 8 months ago
I am 100% with you on this video. This trope angers me to no end.
TheGrimAlex 9 months ago
The first "National Treasure" is another example of movie with a "Smurfette." (The sequel, though, adds a second female character, Helen Mirren's character.)
EuphrasieF 9 months ago
4:51 Yeah, my reaction was about the same.
Keep it up. You're doing a public service.
Jordacar 9 months ago 2
Interesting coverage of a trend, though I thought Winne the Pooh was an odd choice. The stories are based on A. A. Milne's son's imaginary friends. Doesn't seem terribly odd a little boy would have male imaginary friends.
Impulse725 9 months ago 6
But all kidding aside, I think some of the examples here are stronger than others. I think the Transformers movies epitomize what you're talking about, but I don't know that that example is entirely equatable to Ellen Paige in Inception. Ellen Paige plays a character who is smart, clever, and decisive, and whose actions advance the plot in significant ways. That doesn't forgive that she's the only female lead, but I think it's an important distinction to make. Or maybe it's not?
pioughd87 9 months ago 5
When I was a kid, there were NO female muppets on Sesame Street. It's amazing how automatic the male assumption is. Even on a show that went out of its way to show women and minorities in positive, empowered light, they didn't notice the muppent problem. They didn't even have a Smurphette. (Though I did think Big Bird was a girl at the time, only later learning I was wrong.)
markmatson 9 months ago
Really awesome video and criticism! I'd be interested in seeing a feminist frequency video on another one of Joss Whedon's shows: Firefly. The female characters on that show were still a bit stereotyped, but it was nice to see more than one woman on the entire crew!
TheRintenten 9 months ago
The two-dimensional and stereotype-reinforcing use of female and people of color token characters is the main reason I do not lament the fact that LGBT people are rarely represented even as tokens in mainstream media.
StJamesJr 9 months ago 3
Battlestar Gallactica is a really good example of a tv show that was rebooted with strong primary females.
hpislove7 9 months ago 3
Great video!
It was entertaining, informative and the point came across very, very clearly .
TezQuetz 9 months ago
"Females make up approximately half of the population"
No! Please stop completely ignoring the existence of people with non-binary genders. There are a lot of them around.
Not a lot of people seem to realise that The Big Bang Theory is based entirely on sexist (and racist) stereotypes.
lilliangothic 9 months ago
How I Met Your Mother?? Its actually one of the few shows I really like to watch on TV. I was going to mention Avatar: The Last Airbender but someone already did that for me, which is a GREAT example. They are coming out with a sequel and the main character is female. Anime also mix male and female characters extremely well with a wide variety of roles given to females. (yes I know there are horrible sexist examples that can be brought up with anime, but the REALLY good ones tend to not.)
DrSpookyElectric 9 months ago
My new short film passes the test! Thank you for inspiring me. :)
jerona 9 months ago
One great feminist game developer you should check out is BioWare - in almost all their RPGs, ranging from sci-fi through fantasy and martial arts, you can play through as a female character. They even offer some GLBT options, though more leaning towards lesbian than gay. (nuts!)
koobert 9 months ago
The Smurfette Principle is smurfed the smurf up. Really smurfy thing to do and a smurfed up way to write a smurfing script.
razieldumas 9 months ago
One show that I love that avoids this is Avatar: The Last Airbender. It didn't during its first season, but then added awesome characters like Tohp, Suki, Uae, Azula, and a ton of other. Another thing I loved was that there were fire nation soldiers that were female, and police officers, and the sniper-equivilant. They didn't point them out, they were just there, totally normal.
Candypirate11 9 months ago 3
Men need more options when choosing who to identify with, as the desires of men vary greatly. All women need is an idealized female character and most of them are happy. Its tragic and hilarious, but gender portrayal in media is a reflection of the desires of the collective humanity, not a reflection of the collective men. Its like we men build a womens prison, and the women volounteer to guard themselves.
AfTrolle 9 months ago
@bodisculpt and all of those movies/shows were TERRIBLE (- buffy never saw it but i hear it was good) not saying it was caused by the majority female cast
FMLfollowmylogicFML 9 months ago
Not to use blanket statements about Hollywood but, if you are not part of the Straight White Middle-Age Male category you are probably not going to be the main character and if you deviate more the two of those categories you are not going to be in the script [period] Just asked all the Elderly Asian Lesbians characters in main stream films.
bugbearcub 9 months ago
Go back and watch The Muppets. There are actually a plethora of female characters in the show at different points. There was Janice, the lead guitarist of the Electric Mayhem, Hilda the wardrobe lady, and Mean Mama, a monster that probably looked like a boy if not for the dress it wore on occasions. Not to mention that Miss Piggy wasn't exactly the "domesticated girly girl" since she was often smarter and stronger than most of the male characters.
whodat608 9 months ago
@whodat608 - Miss Piggy was the only women in the large main cast. The other women only show up occasionally and are secondary at best. Plus the entire point to Miss Piggy's character was the annoy the men by being comically unreasonable and overemotional (in short her character was the very definition of sexism).
rebelliouspixels 9 months ago
I love how so many people are like "Waaaaahhhh [insert show] actually DOES have more than one female check your facts/don't generalize" and then someone else easily disproves the said comment.
Killerkesh7 9 months ago
i came from sociological images, and you have no idea how happy i discovered this channel. Watching this video just made my mind blown, i felt i merged both of my english language (non gender neutral topics) class and media class into one :D
randompeople14 9 months ago
what an amazingly cool channel.
fiedelmina 9 months ago
I've noticed this lately in Cartoon Network's new programming. I watch CTN and love the new shows: Destroy Build Destroy, Dude, What Would Happen?, Flapjack, and Adventure Time are all extremely entertaining. But in DBD, there are often few girls. DWWH? has 0 girls in it ever, Flapjack has almost no women, and AT has one big female character, but she is the love interest and exists mainly so the main character can be developed. It's very disappointing.
FOOLYCOOLY 9 months ago
Nanny Smurf and Sassette Smurfling. But you have a point.
patdgal54 9 months ago
I didn't find out that Rabbit was supposed to be male until I was in my mid-20s, too (s-he always reminded me of my grandma). That was *almost* as shocking as finding out that Eeyore's voice was Optimus Prime. (In the words of the Bard; "o_O")
ranchoth 9 months ago
Only one of Arcee's "sisters" gets shot. We're not exactly sure if she dies, but she is at least injured. But no, not all of them are killed. Please get your facts straight here.
RunsWithWeasels 9 months ago
@RunsWithWeasels Two of the Arcee's are killed that we can see (you can watch the clip again in the video) and the creators have stated in an interview that they all were killed.
feministfrequency 9 months ago 43
@feministfrequency The Transformers are not meant to have any gender. I found the addition of "fembots" goes against the best aspect of Transformers; the characters personalities are (Optimus, Megatron, and comic-book Grimlock excepted) not gendered so we get characters like Starscream, Shockwave, Prowl, Mirage, Swindle, Ratchet, Thundercracker, Soundwave, whose "gender" is pretty much undiscernible.
The problem with Bayformers is the lack of characterization of ALL the Transformers.
Relugus 9 months ago
@Relugus Male is the default, so if the transformers are not obviously coded male they default to male, this is made even more clear by the choice of male voice actors. Whether the creators want to 'say' that the Transformers are not gendered doesn't change the way they are presented and the way they are received in a patriarchal, male dominated society.
feministfrequency 9 months ago 32
@Relugus Riiight. Even though they all have male voices when they talk in the movie. If they don't have any gender, then why can't they include more than ONE character with a female voice (TF2)? By that logic, I'd really love to see a Transformer like Megatron, all bad-ass, except with a female voice, since as you say quote "...are not meant to have any gender".
mzzzhedison 7 months ago
@mzzzhedison That's my point, though. They should have used a mixture of male and female voices. I grew up with the Marvel UK comics, so my perception is different.Certainly, I have no problem with a female-voiced Megatron, indeed ,a female voice would perfectly fit the calm, logical, and uber cool (Marvel) Shockwave.
Bay views women as objects, and he views the Transformers as CGI set-pieces, and he has Optimus Prime say "we will kill them all", an offensive bastardization of Prime's character.
Relugus 6 months ago 2
@Relugus Challenge of the Go-Bots and the comic book Starriors did a good job upping the female quotient. Go-Bots centered on four characters on each side, one female on each (Small Foot and Crasher), but numerous other characters, such as Pathfinder and Spay-C, were also female. There was no pink on either of these characters, but I assumed that they were female even before I saw the episodes in which they appeared. Starriors was written by a woman, Louise Simonson, which make explain that.
scottandrewhutchins 5 months ago
When I was a little kid I could never figure out if Pooh was a guy or a girl so I decided that my Pooh Bear was going to be a girl and was confused when I eventually figured out that Pooh wasn't a girl. I mean, I was a girl and loved Pooh so why shouldn't Pooh be a girl, there was just no reason in my mind for Pooh to even be a boy. XD
wanderingdreams 9 months ago
Was anyone else disappointed with Lost because of this? It was a really great show but there was a disproportionate amount of females, 2 of them went crazy, and a few of them spent a large portion of their time caring about babies. Exactly how many times did they tell Kate "you can't come".
Meliasaurus 10 months ago
Thank you for this video.
I think though that the Inception situation is a bit understandable since the world in which they live, this dream-sharing crime-world, would, like in the real crime world, not have nearly as many women as it did men. I was more perplexed by Ariadne's characterization in the film, or lack thereof, than the fact that she is a woman, or even the ONLY woman on the team. After all, it wasn't meant to be an equal ensemble, it's a heist movie with a lead and a purpose.
nosleepinheaven 10 months ago
Thank you for another well-presented point. Sadly only 7% of film directors are women, so the industry is likely to remain biased for a long time.
chagfordfilm 10 months ago
Thank you for another well-presented point.
chagfordfilm 10 months ago
Men pay a premium to see rational masculinity on the big and small screen and excepecally on video games. The simplest explanations are the best.
St1kyFinguz 10 months ago
The Transformers was basically a toy commercial. And since girls weren't really encouraged to play with those types of toys they never really tried to market the series towards them. Also boys wouldn't want to play with a pink car or anything that was a girl cause that would be "gay" as they would have said back then. In all a lot of cartoons have childish perspectives about men and women.
1424nathan 10 months ago
There are a few issues with some of this. Not that I disagree with your point of view, I just think there are some things that you kind of left out. First when it comes to the cartoons. The Smurfs wasn't really a smart show. It was a very childish show written with very childish ideas and concepts. Every single Smurf's personality can be summed by their name. Their werent any real deep characters in the series. Then there is the Transformers.
1424nathan 10 months ago
@1424nathan Being that it's not a "Smart" show it makes it a show accesible to small children who are then learning from a very young age that Male is the default and female is an accessory.
Meliasaurus 10 months ago
The Big Bang Theory example doesn't really hold in my opinion. It simply reflects reality and having female nerds in the core group would only look forced.
ingfy 10 months ago
@ingfy I know PLENTY of "nerd" ladies. At my school the engineering major isn't quite 50/50 but the girls are not out numbered 4:1. I also know girls studying applied mathematics and chemistry and biology.
Meliasaurus 10 months ago
The issue is that MEN are the ones writing for television. It's upsetting and needs to be changed.
guidinglightismylife 10 months ago
another good example is the female cast member in The West Wing (I think her name is CJ?) she's the only female member of the main cast and her role is almost entirely composed of her acting confused and always asking questions. basically her purpose is to help walk confused audience members through american civics 101 by acting confused and asking questions anyone in her position should know the answer to!
findnwatch88 10 months ago
I was going to say, I had thought you'd seen Nostalgia Chick when I first saw the title. Always enjoy her stuff.
I'm actually working on a novel right now and am trying to follow the principles of adding enough variety of characters to make the setting realistic and characters developed. Rest assured, it will pass the Bechdel test.
darkmoose84 10 months ago
so is this a symptom or a cause of patriarchy? or both?
vteam02 10 months ago
Buffy,charmed,winx,Hanna montanna, nancy drew, Anne of green gables, kym possible, catwomen,dark angel,wonder woman, lexx, bionic women and it goes on and on where women are the leads or have main roles. Yes there are plenty that are opposite but it's not how you say it.
bodisculpt 10 months ago
@bodisculpt Yes of course there are examples with more women I don't think anyone is arguing against that fact but it's ridiculous and well worth pointing out that there are still so many examples of all male crews.
feministfrequency 10 months ago 25
@bodisculpt You are missing the picture here. Most of the characters and shows you cited are aimed specifically at girls and women. Men are socialized not to identify with female characters. On the other hand, as feministfrequency's video notes, the default cast for a medium aimed at both men AND women is almost always composed of men. With maybe one woman, if we're lucky. And unlike with men watching "girly" shows, it is socially acceptable for women to like and identify with all male casts.
MsGuessit 10 months ago
@bodisculpt A lot of those are directed to a female audience.
ATranquilDaze 9 months ago
It's fairly evident men are over represented on television. So that is the problem, but I'd be interested to know what people think the cause is? The only motivation of television makers is to produce a program that appeals to as many people as possible. By being so male orientated presumably they are lessening their appeal to half of the audience, so why do shows that are so unrepresentative of society frequently become so succesful?
sollibop 10 months ago
I remember as a little girl I was always annoyed by the lack of female characters in the shows and movies that I loved. Star Wars, Star Trek, Duck Tales... They all had just one female character. Great series! Thanks for putting my childhood distress into words. Also, thanks for the link to Nostalgia Chick. Watching her reviews, I realized why Sleeping Beauty was my favorite Disney film: All the characters who actually accomplished anything were women!
gwenthehuman 10 months ago
Maybe someone has pointed this out , maybe not, but BIG BANG THEORY has an equal number of male and female main characters. Who is doing the fact checking on this show?
MiyakaSpeaks 10 months ago
@MiyakaSpeaks They introduced reoccurring female characters later during the show's run but they aren't apart of the main cast.
feministfrequency 10 months ago 41
@feministfrequency I think you're missing the point a bit in listing it as an example though, current Big Bang theory passes the Bechedel test handily almost every episode, and gives the women just about as much characterization as the men (it being a comedy). They regularly talk about men but then again the male characters regularly talk about women, relationships being a major part of the show's humor. Maybe the new women weren't part of the original cast but they are mainstays now.
TheUnfortunateSon 9 months ago
@feministfrequency Depends what you consider "main cast". The character of Amy Farrah Fowler (the only one played by an actual doctor in neurobiology) is a central character in every single episode now. Also, Bernadette, though a "smaller" character, has also aired in the past 5 episodes straight. Penny has actually been getting a lot less air time. On that account, I can't agree with you at all.
DonnaQuel 9 months ago
@MiyakaSpeaks The female characters were also introduced almost as versions of the main characters with vaginas.
ShallowThoughts 10 months ago
This is still a issue in video games I big issue actually, even when I can choose the gender the default on the marketing is always the male >_>
Anubisdolin 10 months ago
It would be interesting to know if there is mainstream show targeted at both genders that contains more female characters in the lead roles than males...
Bauch373 10 months ago
Good video. I'm feeling glad because I just realised Charles Schulz's Peanuts defies the Smurfette Principle. Woot.
thejobloshow 10 months ago
I understand the lack of female chars in Civil War movies and such. But the smurf thing is just goofy. Seems terribly outmoded.
MissAnitaSow 10 months ago
I really love your videos. I'm realizing things I've never noticed before. You've taught me a lot. Most people think that feminists are just man-haters. Please continue this. Please.
MireilleeL 10 months ago 2
Not to say that that the main theme is off, but some of the choices are interesting. Princess Leia is one of three main cast members in the Star Wars Trilogy. That hardly seems disproportionate. She's also shown to be in a position of considerable power (front line leader of the Rebellion) and capable of handling herself just as well as if not better than the men.
thegreatyoda 10 months ago
It's sad how closely Smurfette Principle is to reality for so many dudes. It's been since middle school that I had female "just friends." They all disappeared in high-school when I started creating sci-fi/fantasy(comics, machinima). I try to get women to help all the time, but most often after weeks you find the one girl, usually a girlfriend of another dude friend, willing to help so any other female charters get written out. Can't even get women to send scripted voicing anon, but men will.
BBQCTX 10 months ago
If "Inception," "Transformers 2" and "The Muppets" are examples of movies and TV shows that succumb to the Smurfette principle, what are some of the ones that get it right?
dyad44 10 months ago
The Sci-Fi channel series Farscape. Although the main character was male, there were more female characters, even the ship was female. Overall on that series I think there was generally a fair balance of male and female characters. And I think with a few exceptions the females characters were portrayed as strong/independent/etc (although usually with some sex appeal too...).
This is obviously an exception to the rule, but I thought it was worth mentioning
Dobiecx 10 months ago
Have you watched "This Film is Not Yet Rated"? It's about the MPAA and how they address they treat homosexuality and heterosexuality differently. And how even male and female pleasure is treated differently, usually with the latter receiving an NC-17 rating. I highly suggest it. It's very thought provoking.
ScarletArson 10 months ago 4
So they make the female characters the bikes in Transformers?
That is offensive on so many levels.
lamenzies 10 months ago 6
I agree, I have seen this issue for a long time now, even in some of the latest stuff.
DalekShadowstar 10 months ago
I'm not sure if Nolan has problems with writing women or not. Ellen Page was ultimately useless in Inception, and he downplayed Gordon's daughter (you know, Batgirl/Oracle) and made his son (who the comics haven't seen in years) the important one. Not to mention his treatment of the woman that was supposed to be Renee Montoya.
GimmytheGothicEgg 10 months ago 3
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leavingnormal88 10 months ago
I used to think Rabbit was female. Didn't think about it until recently that Kanga is the only female. The thing I hate about the smurfette principle is that the female is never someone I can relate to. It is either just eye candy, or seems to be placed there to say there is a female character and it isn't sexist. My favorite show growing up was Sailormoon. Mostly females, super heros and villains.
xxxmikanbouyaxxx 10 months ago 4
@xxxmikanbouyaxxx I kind of thought piglet was a girl, because he's so pathetic and scared all the time. *Sigh* disappointed in myself.
Meliasaurus 10 months ago
I agree with you whole-heartedly about the need for more strong, 3-dimensional, interesting, flawed female characters. But I don't think adding another female to The Smurfs or Star Trek would have made things any better.
josswhedon692 10 months ago
rabbit from winnie the pooh is supposed to be male? news to me - I guess I de-smurfetted the setting mentally.
bschlotz 10 months ago
Well, there's always Sailor Moon. :P
cjiwakura 10 months ago
@cjiwakura Haha yeah, a great counter-example, because Tuxedo Mask is the only male main character, and he's only a side-kick/ love interest of sailor moon.
bienvida 10 months ago
@cjiwakura I freaking love Sailor Moon.
strtthshw 10 months ago
Wasn't Ellen Page a love interest of sorts for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in Inception?
leecurtis39 10 months ago
Anita, I really appreciate your videos. Thank you for your reflections on the trends of (pop) culture.
Often as I watch your videos I notice myself judging you, triggered by your keen observations. Then I realize that you are pointing a big shadow that lives within me (and likely, in the cultural norms) that I have not acknowledge and not have given consideration because of my male privilege/ point-of-view. Thank you and keep bringing your truth. It burns, and I need to hear it.
fabiusso84 10 months ago 9
I'm really happy to have a name to attach to something I sadly have to point out too often. Just off the top of my head I can think of Seinfeld, Pirates of the Carribean, Fight Club, Wanted. Has anyone ever seen the photos they take for Sundance? They've got the Smurfette Principle slathered all over them.
dorkabrain 10 months ago
@dorkabrain I thought Seinfeld suffered from this too until I started watching it, and now I think Elaine is one of the most full-developed female characters yet. You can't argue that she is just eye candy, and she clearly wasn't written to be a sex object for the male characters. Her part in "The Contest" (she is the 2nd to give in to masturbation), for example, shows how much the writers thought of her as an equal character. More female characters might have been possible, but not better ones.
caffeinebump 10 months ago 2
I find that lately TV is a lot better about developing female characters than film is. There are several shows with developed, central female characters (Community, P&R, Mad Men). By contrast, film seems to be a desert comprised of female skeleton-models. I find Iron Man to be the most egregious example, probably because it was a smart action movie with an excellent actress on the cast. I think Gwyneth says 3 sentences combined in both Iron Man movies. Thanks for the awesome video!
karacherith 10 months ago
I think it should be noted that the reason star trek's biggest selling point in the original series was a sex appeal of the male part of the cast (especially Kirk & Spock) , which brought in viewers that didn't watch similar shows.
I absolutely agree about the smurfette trope being too common. It's patently ridiculous that any show with a gender-neutral target audience (& why limit audiences anyway?) would have a minimum/maximum gender ratio.
ChaosLierLen 10 months ago
I agree with most of these, but with Winnie the Pooh, we should remember that it is based off of the stuffed animals of Christopher Robin when he was just a child, and children do have a tendency to name their toys and imaginary friends after their own gender, which is why he didn't have very many female characters like most little boys would.
pyrolacey 10 months ago
@pyrolacey Christopher Robin isn't a real person. The original Author AA. Milne (a man) was actually the person who made up the characters.
Meliasaurus 10 months ago
@tomolac
The Big Bang satirizes the stereotype, though I wouldn't say it's about said stereotypes, in regard to the male nerds' (Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Rajesh) relationship with Penny. It succumbs to the Smurfette principle, however, when Leslie Winkle, the token female nerd, is introduced.
suburbaknght 10 months ago 3
@suburbaknght
The big bang theory does stereotype nerds to the 4th power hardcore. I consider myself a HUGE nerd/geek or whatever, and I don't ACT at all like they do. I also know people with just as high IQ's as these guys and they are also very nerdy and don't act like them either. I have very decent social skills and have very good relationships with women (dating, just friends, whatever). Just because you love comics, and have a REDIC high IQ does