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#7: Gender Roles Start From a Young Age

Gender roles are instilled in children from a very young age. The most prominent example is the toy sections at toy stores. Clearly, from the picture, you can see that the boy section is all blue with a few red and green colors. The girl section is light pink with yellow and purple. Before we even see what the actual toys are the colors just automatically place people into gender roles. The girls associate blue with boys and think that they can’t look in that aisle because it is “not for them” and vice versa. 

After we analyze the specific toys, we see that the boys section contains superheroes, cars, trucks and motorcycles. On the girls side, it is all princesses, Barbie is seen as a section for itself, and there are typically only dolls here. Girls are supposed to only play with dolls and not want to play with manly things like cars or trucks. And a boy would have been called “girly” or weird if he was playing with a doll.

These examples of gender roles are what stimulate the gender roles in the older ages of society. From such a young age we are taught to separate men and women, boys and girls. We need to eliminate this now, to try to completely eliminate gender roles in society as a whole. 

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#6: Moana’s Feminist Character

Disney’s Moana was a step in the right direction in the feminist world. She is everything that we wanted to see in a Disney movie and in a Disney princess. She is a 16 year old who hates being called princess, and has a passion for adventure and exploration. She is curious and strong, and will not let anyone stop her from what she sets her mind to. 

One thing that stuck out in this movie is that Moana hates to be called a princess. She thinks that it has a negative connotation and that she is much more than a princess, she is a warrior. When Moana learns that she will one day lead her people, she takes the power very seriously. Once the future of the island is at stake, Moana ventures beyond the world she knows to help her people. She does this against her father’s words because he thinks that it is not safe for her and that she will get hurt. Moana knows her capability and defies these standards; that a princesses place is in the safety of her own home and that she needs to be protected. While on her journey, her sidekick is Maui, a tough warrior with powers. He is not meant to be the main character in this story, he is the secondary character, there to help Moana find herself. She even defeats monsters and enemies using her own wits and brains, with some of the help of Maui who has a knowledge of the task at hand. 

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#5: Dove’s Definition of Beauty

This Dove commercial redefines beauty by using women from all different backgrounds and professions. In the beginning of the commercial, different women repeat lines that have been told to them judging their physical beauty. 

They said I was too fat. They said I couldn’t fight because I would mess up my beautiful face. They said my nose was too prominent. They said the cat-calling was a compliment. Too skinny. Too manly. Crazy hair. They said, he said, she said. 

Society judges women in so many different ways. People have a hard time accepting the fact that everyone is beautiful, no matter what they look like. Physical beauty and looks dominant society, which is something that needs to be changed. Women are constantly being put down because they don’t look a certain way or act a certain way. Everyone is beautiful just the way they are. Each woman then goes against what they were told and that “they are not going to be defined by anyone’s expectations.” Another important takeaway from the commercial is that looks do not define capabilities. Just because you may not look like a boxer or look like a lawyer, doesn’t have anything to do with your actual abilities. 

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#4: Incredibles 2 Reversing Roles

After the premiere of the Incredibles 2 movie, society went into uproar. The main character is no longer Mr. Incredible. It is Elastigirl, who takes the spotlight in this film, a huge turn for super hero movies. Usually the hero is a strong, powerful male, but in this case, it is a strong and powerful female. Elastigirl proves herself throughout the movie and goes on various missions to save the city while her husband stays at home with the kids.

This classic role reversal is way more than just that. The movie touches on how women are represented in business, how women are represented as weak and helpless, and how a woman’s job is to stay at home, cook, clean and watch the children. They could have made the movie about Elastigirl being the hero and having Mr. Incredible help her, but the creators specifically decided to have Mr. Incredible doing the household tasks that most women are expected to do. At first, he is very confident that he can take care of the kids. This quickly changes as he comes to realize the toughness of motherhood. He understands how busy it is and how difficult it is to take care of not just one, but three kids. 

Another interesting part of the film is the brother sister duo who help the Supers get back into the superhero game. The sister is the brains of the operation, the inventor, and even though the brother is the face of the corporation, he doesn’t do any real work. The movie is promoting women in engineering and STEM, something I was thrilled to see. 

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#3: J’Lo’s Twist on Male Artist Music Videos

J Lo’s I Luh Ya Papi music video is a reverse role parody about the objectification of women. In the beginning of the video, J Lo and her friends are talking with her manager about deciding where to shoot her music video. After hearing a list of suggested venues such as the zoo, the carnival and a water park, the girls turn them all down. They talk about how if J Lo were a male, the setting for the music video would be the typical mansion with half naked women dancing around, or even on a yacht with champagne. The rest of the video shows exactly like, but with men being the center of objectification.

The beginning scene is of J Lo in a mansion bedroom surrounded by sleeping toned men in only their underwear. She is making fun of how male artists tend to surround themselves in a bed with half naked women, implying that women are sexual objects. The women then watch the men clean a car, wearing no shirts. This “scene” of a half naked women cleaning a car is used in many films, shows and music videos. Throughout the rest of the video, J Lo and the men are on a yacht, drinking champagne, and dancing. The girls are scrutinizing the men, slapping their butts, and touching their bodies. 

J Lo’s parody shows the stereotypes of female objectification in the media. She wants to make a point that there are standards for women that men don’t have and wants the world to see a role reversal for once. 

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#2: The Great Women of Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones has done more for feminism than most other modern TV shows. On the outside, the show may just look like a bunch of fighting, naked women, men in armor, and the occasional fire breathing dragon. When examined closer, Game of Thrones proves to be a great example of feminism with it’s fierce female main characters. Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark are two of the most iconic characters who have each grown throughout the series into powerful, strong, determined women each with a unique feminist personality. They have one thing in common, though, they have both been through sexual abuse and treated poorly by men, and have overcame that to end up on top with authority and power. 

Dany Targaryen was once used as a bargain item to gain the army of Khal Drogo. She was sexually abused by him, and treated as an object, rather than a person. After learning her true destiny, she grows into a queen. She has 3 dragons and commands great armies. She asserts herself into a universe dominated mainly by men, and comes out on top. She conquers cities and then frees the people who have been taken as slaves in these cities as well. She becomes a righteous leader who will not allow any man to stop her from getting what she wants. 

Sansa Stark. Sansa goes through a drastic character arc throughout the series. In the beginning of the show, she is forced to marry Joffrey Baratheon, a young boy who inherits the throne. He is horrid, cruel, and treats Sansa with complete disrespect. He learns from his deceased father that he should treat women as objects, and that he can do anything he wants to them. Sansa is stripped and abused by Joffrey. As a young girl, she would let men walk all over her and was afraid to disobey a man. She eventually gains control of Winterfell and holds the power and the authority, rather than being the beautiful princess sitting at a man’s side. One scene that I found was an important change of character for he was when she released flesh eating dogs on Ramsey Bolton, her abuser who had used his dogs to threaten her. 

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#1: High Expectations

Colbie Caillat’s 2014 single Try is a great example of what society expects women to be like. The music video features all different types of women. They are of different age and different race. They each have their hair curled with a full face of makeup on. Colbie’s lyrics are empowering, demonstrating how society expects women to look. This song represents more of the physical aspect, and Colbie attempts to redefine the word “beauty.” It’s important to note that this song came out 5 years ago, so this was when progressivism was just emerging. Celebrities are looked up to and considered “role models” in society. When artists and musicians started using their mediums to promote feminist ideals, people became more aware and the feminist movement began. 

The opening lyrics give clear instructions. Put your makeup on. Get your nails done. Curl your hair. Run the extra mile. Keep it slim, so they like you. Girls are supposed to always look the part, and look as if they are trying to impress someone. Colbie also references body image with these lyrics by saying that girls should “keep it slim.” The most important lyric, though, is that you should do all of these things, so they like you. Don’t do it for yourself, do it so that others will like you. Society has women constantly looking for approval by others. Society makes us want to “fit in” and not stand out, but in order to do this, you should do things to make yourself someone that you’re not. 

The remainder of the music video shows Colbie and all the other women gradually taking their makeup off and revealing their natural hair. The lyrics then take a turn and become more inspirational. Colbie asks why you should care what others think of you and that you don’t need to change a single thing about yourself. She also asks if you like yourself, when you’re alone. Self care is so important and loving yourself, before loving anyone else, leads to a healthy, happy lifestyle. The rest of the lyrics tell the girls to take off their makeup and let their hair down, which is exactly what the women in the video do. Colbie has always been a strong female artist and this song definitely played a part in tearing down society’s high expectation of women.