I consider discussions of gender portrayal in pop culture a good thing, but I feel the debate is often hijacked by personal bias, specifically confirmation bias.
To put it simply, when I see discussions on whether or not a work of fiction is sexist, the arguments often boil down to:
''I'm a feminist and I like this work. Ergo, this work is feminist.''
or
''This work is sexist and anyone who does like it is also sexist.''
I get the feeling that many people use the debate to make something they like look good, or make something they dislike (and those who do like it by extension) look bad.
Here's a comparison to illustrate my point:
Michael Bay's movies often feature scantily clad models as background decoration and racist caricatures, respectively. For this, some people label his work as ''sexist''.
Edgard Wright made Scott Pilgrim vs The World, a movie where a young white man is literally fighting over a woman (who has no say in the matter), and where the only Asian character is a young woman whose screentime is spent being led on and, in one instance, being punched in the face, which is played for laughs. How many people have accused Edgar Wright of being a misogynistic racist?
(Oh, and cards on the table: No I didn't like Scott Pilgrim)
Bottom line is that I want to see more people praise a work's female characters regardless of whether or not they like the work itself.
Does anyone else feel this way?
To put it simply, when I see discussions on whether or not a work of fiction is sexist, the arguments often boil down to:
''I'm a feminist and I like this work. Ergo, this work is feminist.''
or
''This work is sexist and anyone who does like it is also sexist.''
I get the feeling that many people use the debate to make something they like look good, or make something they dislike (and those who do like it by extension) look bad.
Here's a comparison to illustrate my point:
Michael Bay's movies often feature scantily clad models as background decoration and racist caricatures, respectively. For this, some people label his work as ''sexist''.
Edgard Wright made Scott Pilgrim vs The World, a movie where a young white man is literally fighting over a woman (who has no say in the matter), and where the only Asian character is a young woman whose screentime is spent being led on and, in one instance, being punched in the face, which is played for laughs. How many people have accused Edgar Wright of being a misogynistic racist?
(Oh, and cards on the table: No I didn't like Scott Pilgrim)
Bottom line is that I want to see more people praise a work's female characters regardless of whether or not they like the work itself.
Does anyone else feel this way?