Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Fairytale Felmales
From reading, “Escape of Wonderland: Disney and female Imagination” and “Twilight vs Hunger Games: Why Do Many Grown-Ups Hate Bella?” I am capable to suggest what the expected audiences for these two articles are. Since the purpose of Noah Berlatsky’s article is trying to inform about how females can have discomfort with femininity using as examples Bella and Katniss, I would expect the audience to be young teenage girls or young women. Noah in her text illustrates how throughout time there have been different waves of feminists. For example, there is the type feminist that would be more masculine like would not wear pink clothes or bows. On the other hand, there is the other type of women that would embrace their femininity. Noah also makes an illustration by comparing Bella’s and Katniss’ femininity. Bella is considered the girly teen that is emotional, out of control, desiring sex, and always making dumb selfish decisions. In the contrary of Katniss, she is a tomboyish young teen that is only focused on just staying alive. She is a very smart, competitive, and athletic girl that does not even have time to think about sex. In fact, guys find less attractive a girly teen like Bella and find more attraction a tomboyish teen like Katniss. Now, the expected audience for “Escape of wonderland” would be little young girls that watch Disney movies and probably parents too. Deborah Ross’ purpose in her article is to open young girl’s eyes from imagining a fairy tale life to see the reality of life. Ross brings up three of the Disney Heroines like Arial the Mermaid, Alice from Wonderland, and Belle from The Beauty and the Beast. The three women desired the curiosity to live a life of fantasy that included the power, beauty, sex and the perfect man with a happy ending. However, these three heroines didn’t realize the consequences of their big imagination. Ross mentions that Alice had to reach the limit of her fear of imagination to live happy and Arial’s fantasy caused her a feminine self-sacrifice. Therefore, authors use romances, novels to teach young girls that not all what they dream and desire will come true, and they can be dangerous too.
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I disagree with you on your interpretation of “Twilight vs. Hunger Games.” I think that your response was only the background information to the actual conclusion of the text. Sure, Noah does acknowledge this view that the critics hold about Bella and Katniss, but he then goes on to question the legitimacy of these criticisms. The point of the essay is to say: “Do we enjoy Kaniss because she is a strong, independent female leader or is what we enjoy in Katniss the masculine aspect that she has about her?” Noah seems to hint at the idea that we shouldn’t criticize Bella simply for being feminine, because she isn’t passive as the author points out: “Bella, like any good girly girl, is in touch with her desires.” And Bella acts on those desires as opposed to being desired. I agree with what you said about the Disney movies, but I disagree with who you think said what. Deborah Ross simply notes that Disney, not Deborah, thinks that girls shouldn’t be imaginative and creative, but instead wake up to reality. Deborah, on the other hand, attempts to show the hypocrisy in that. Disney as a company is very fond of selling its audience that imagination is such a beautiful thing for someone to have and that it will save the world, etc. However, in the movie renditions Disney seems to not value imagination as all it’s cracked up to be. “Alice then passively sits down to wait to be rescued, all the while lecturing herself about the importance of reason and patience, and berating herself for the curiosity that once again has led her into trouble.”
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