In the
article “Twilight vs. Hunger Games by Noah Berlatsky, he presents both the
characters on Katniss and Bella in a new, more interesting light. I’ve read all
of the Twilight books multiple times and watched the movies until I was blue in
the face and one thing that always stayed the same was that I could not stand
Bella. To me, she was weak, spineless, and shallow. She invested all of her
emotions into a boy and when he left, she lost complete control of who she was.
She CONSTANTLY needed saving. To be
honest, I was in love with Edward and wanted him to be with someone who was
more tough. However, never did I once stand back and evaluate Bella for who she
ended up being. Bella did end up with the love of her life and built her ideal
family. She got exactly what she wanted even though she had to go through a lot
of pain and suffering to get it. Isn’t the traditional “American Dream” to
marry the love of your life and to build a family with them? Yes, I want those
all of those things, however, I don’t think investing all of your emotions and
feelings into one person right off of that bat is a good idea. Katniss is a
much more desirable character. She is strong, tough, and for lack of a better
word, she’s a total badass. She possesses character traits that most females
wish to have. If you analyze both characters you see two different women with
different set of strengths and weaknesses. People tend to love Katniss and
despise Bella (whether it’s because she is with Edward or because she’s a total
wimp). If you take a step back, I believe they aren’t all that different. I
believe they would both be able to understand each other.
In Escape
From Wonderland, Ross is arguing the gender roles that Disney is sending the
youth of today. For example, she mentions how in The Little Mermaid Ariel is
never truly satisfied. She even sings a song about it. Think about what message
this is sending to girls that watch that movie, that there will never be enough
to satisfy them. The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie as a little girl. I
loved it. I wasn’t able to see the underlying messages in it though. Media is a
powerful tool. It’s repetitive and has the power to sway even the most
steadfast people.
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post interesting to read because, like you, I also love Twilight and Hunger Games but never fully analyzed the movie or paid attention to the details in the gender roles. Overall, I agree with your opinion on each of the girls. Bella, a clumsy teen who is completely lost without a man by her side compared to Katniss, a strong willed young women who not only takes very good care of herself, but everyone around her as well. However, one thing you did not mention is how these two characters influence the audience, especially the younger girls. As we grow up, we experience many things these girls went through in their movies, just maybe not as extreme. However, the young girls watching who have not done much growing up, have no experiences to relate these movies to. This can cause them to foolishly desire what these characters have without putting any thought into it. When Twilight was released, there was an overwhelming amount of "Team Edward" "Team Jacob" all over the internet and in conversation. This proves that two good looking men on a big screen playing characters influenced young girls in some pretty ridiculous ways, making it seem like what "team" the audience was rooting for, would actually win. Girls were falling in love with these boys left and right. They believed and dreamed that one day maybe they would have two boys chasing after them, this led to extremely unrealistic explanations. Now, switching gears to Katniss… another girl who may be seen as undesirable to most men, has two very good looking men chasing after her as she is seemingly uninterested. These two polar opposite characters make it seem as if no matter what girls do, they will have boys chasing after them regardless. The problem with this is that the truth is, is that not all girls are going to fall in love during their teenage years although movies may make it seem like they will. Without even realizing it, most girls have grown up adapting dreams and desires from their favorite movies, but without analyzing which dreams to be exact, they can end up feeling defeated by the very unrealistic goals they once believed they could achieve.
I can really relate to the claims that both Ross and Berlatsky make. In Escape from Wonderland she talks about how the popular Disney movies are wildly misleading because of how in-descript their plot lines are. As a kid growing up I didn’t watch many of the Disney movies that had princesses because my mom had always told me that there was no need in idealizing being saved by some man you hardly know. As a child, I thought it was unfair and would try and sneak to watch the movies anyway. But, as an adult I can really understand what my mom was talking about. I agree with Ross when she says that when “the plot that ends in marriage, of course, is its reduction of the heroine to an object of desire”. It’s a sneaky but misogynistic way to end a movie and almost all Disney princess movies end this way till this day.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Berlatsky goes I completely agree with her! Before I read this article it was always a gripe of mine. I actually wrote my college admissions essay on how there were no girl heros in common media. I included the comic character Wonder Woman as one of my examples. Although she is completely independent and powerful she is clothed in an extremely demeaning manner. Her leotard and thigh high boots are only ever seen on those who frequent street corners or dance on poles. Why is it that women in power can’t be seen in suits or even a costume that was equally as concealing as other male comic book heros?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/58/WonderWomanV5.jpg
I would like to first note that I’ve never read or seen any of the twilight movies. However, I have heard a lot about that series because I’ve been around people who absolutely love it. From what I’ve heard, this series portrayed Bella as an emotional and easily influenced girl. Like the article said, Bella had no desire to go to college. I would like to add that she is the opposite of what our last two authors were. The last two authors were strong, independent, and intellectual. However, Bella seems to be nowhere near any of those characteristics. Once again media has portrayed a women as what gender norms see them as. Ultimately gender norms do not care about what one is capable of, as long as you’re a women you are emotional, girly, etc. and if you are a guy you are naïve, tough, etc. The Twilight saga helps keep those gender roles in play throughout its run. The other essay I read was the one over Disney movies and the messages hidden within their loveable animations. I do agree that girls in these movies, such as the little mermaid, seem to fall in love with a man and are in need of their rescue. However, not all women are looking for a tough man to come save them from a castle! Many women now prefer to be by themselves than to be depend on a man. Of course, many of these movies were made during the 90s but the norms are very much alive today.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Taylor, this is one of the best blogs I've read all semester. I agree with you in every thing you talked about. Unlike you, I did not watch any of the Twilight movies, I just watched half of the first one and I was able to see enough to HATE Bella and the way she acts. In my opinion, that is super unattractive when a girl acts like that. She gave it her all at the beggining and end it up getting screwed over. Yes, at the end she gets what she's always wanted but she does act super annoying and weak throughout the movies. In the other hand we have Katniss and again, I have to agree with you, she is a freaking badass. She is not only independent but shes also, strong and smart, which I think those are one of the best qualities a girl could have. However, sometimes being too tough can be costly, a lot of guys want a really dependable girl that way they can have full control of their lives. Leaving the tougher, independent girls alone. I also agree with you when you talked about the escape of wonderland. Honestly, little mermaid was a cool movie but sets a horrible example to young kids, they basically give the message that nothing is ever gonna be enough.
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