Fiesty princesses
Jun. 4th, 2012 02:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
minutia_rSo, Pixar’s Brave.
Opinion has been divided on the issue: Either it’s going to be awesome and the art looks awesome and Merida is kickass and awesome, or it’s troubling that the only story about a girl that’s worth telling is the one where she wants to do boy stuff.
I am mostly in the first camp. Mostly because the art actually does look awesome. (Seriously, you had me at promotional tapestries.) Also, I love stories about princesses with swords (or in this case, bows and arrows) and always have; I will eat that shit with a spoon. (Also, it’s not like there aren’t a ton of Disney movies about a girl who does want to marry the prince and does marry the prince. Which is great and I love many of those too.)
But, well—why is it that “plucky girl defies her parents and rejects all suitors in order to become a warrior” is inherently interesting, and “plucky girl defies her parents and rejects all suitors in order to become a nun” is not? I guarantee you the second one has been a lot more common throughout history, in any culture where “nun” or some equivalent was a thing.
Partially I think it’s a discomfort with religion, or an inability to tell stories about religion without being evangelical, which is kind of silly—I read stories about violent people all the time while not being violent myself, why should I have to be religious in order to read about religious people?
(Disclaimer: I am religious. But there have never been Jewish nuns.)
But it’s also—if you want to tell a story about nuns, people will say, “Okay, but why should I read this? What makes it interesting?” Whereas if people are hitting each other with swords, you don’t have to ask; of course that’s interesting. (People kissing is also interesting, in the junior leagues of interesting that include “interesting to girls”.)
I dunno, maybe I should go read some literary fiction or something. But … most of it’s not very interesting?
Opinion has been divided on the issue: Either it’s going to be awesome and the art looks awesome and Merida is kickass and awesome, or it’s troubling that the only story about a girl that’s worth telling is the one where she wants to do boy stuff.
I am mostly in the first camp. Mostly because the art actually does look awesome. (Seriously, you had me at promotional tapestries.) Also, I love stories about princesses with swords (or in this case, bows and arrows) and always have; I will eat that shit with a spoon. (Also, it’s not like there aren’t a ton of Disney movies about a girl who does want to marry the prince and does marry the prince. Which is great and I love many of those too.)
But, well—why is it that “plucky girl defies her parents and rejects all suitors in order to become a warrior” is inherently interesting, and “plucky girl defies her parents and rejects all suitors in order to become a nun” is not? I guarantee you the second one has been a lot more common throughout history, in any culture where “nun” or some equivalent was a thing.
Partially I think it’s a discomfort with religion, or an inability to tell stories about religion without being evangelical, which is kind of silly—I read stories about violent people all the time while not being violent myself, why should I have to be religious in order to read about religious people?
(Disclaimer: I am religious. But there have never been Jewish nuns.)
But it’s also—if you want to tell a story about nuns, people will say, “Okay, but why should I read this? What makes it interesting?” Whereas if people are hitting each other with swords, you don’t have to ask; of course that’s interesting. (People kissing is also interesting, in the junior leagues of interesting that include “interesting to girls”.)
I dunno, maybe I should go read some literary fiction or something. But … most of it’s not very interesting?
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no subject
Date: 2012-06-03 11:58 pm (UTC)Movies do not exist solely to teach us lessons or because there "ought to be" a movie about whatever. They exist to turn a profit. If something will get asses in seats, a movie will be made about it. Some things will get a lot more asses in seats than others -- violence, sex, superheroes, etc. Novice nuns are not likely to be one of those things.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 12:20 am (UTC)At the same time, I've been getting a little jaded and bored personally by violent media recently. Not in a "this is morally and ideologically suspect" way, more in a "so something blew up. I'm supposed to care about this why?" way. And then I have been reading stuff about nuns--and actually potted biographies about and poems by Hindu holy mendicants--and thinking, "this stuff is great! Why can't I have movies about this?"
"Because my tastes are highly idiosyncratic" is probably the answer. But, you know. It wouldn't be the internet if I couldn't ramble on incoherently about my thoughts for a while.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 06:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-05 10:59 am (UTC)I think for a kid's movie nuns are a little harder to explain, though.
Aren't there kung-fu nun movies?
no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 03:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 04:52 am (UTC)I doubt it would be a movie for children. But still.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-04 05:44 am (UTC)