Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Where have the good heroines gone?
SOME might say I'm too young to complain about the degeneration of childrens' TV seeing as not five years ago I was a child, watching TV. But as I was reminiscing with a friend about the 90s I remembered a show unlike any other superhero action drama. A show that incorporated strong female leads, both with and without powers. That show was The Power Puff Girls. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are three artificially created girls made of sugar, spice, and everything nice with a kick of mystery chemical X that grants them super strength, speed and flight. And while the other female characters such as secretary to the mayor Sara Bellum or kindergarten teacher Ms. Keane possess stereotypically female jobs, Sara Bellum spends half her time cleaning up the Mayor's shenanigans, and the other half running the town. Ms. Keane (often randomly) displays knowledge of advanced physics, the theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics. But no good superhero or heroine is complete without a gaggle of nemeses, and one such nemesis is called Him. Clearly a bland name version of the devil, Him is extremely feminine, with high-heeled boots, a falsetto voice, and pink fur trimmed coat. This is an interesting subversion of a common tactic some women use to get ahead in business. Mimicking the opposite, more successful, gender. Business women of the 80s used shoulder pads to achieve a more masculine look, and Him wears effeminate clothing, subtly emulating his rivals, the Power Puff Girls, but also the more successful women of Townsville, Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane. I remember watching the show as a girl and feeling like I too could fly and fight crime, which was a bit difficult from the second floor of an apartment in a crime free neighborhood. The Power Puff Girls represented a time in television where girls weren't afraid to kick bottom and didn't have to look sexy while doing it. Did I mention they are kindergartners?
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WOW! I wish again that I could write like that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I, as a boy, would also watch The Powerpuff Girls. They were quite entertaining at the time; however I don't remember everything in detail because it seems to be a while ago. You're right that besides the girls the female characters have typical roles but the male characters aren't depicted as successful ones. I remember that the Mayor is a quite incapable guy, who is meant to be funny and the Professor never seems to be good with woman. Throughout the plot the male characters are unsuccessful ones.
I miss the Power Puff Girls. When I was younger, me and my two sisters each pretended we were one of them and played like we had their powers. The Power Puff Girls were super heroines that were worth looking up too. They were young girls who had the power to fight anyone that came across their path. They were so inspirational and I miss there being a show like that.
ReplyDeleteI remember being fascinated with that show and wanting to be Bubbles. I miss shows like that, and I think that they were good shows for younger kids. I would still watch it now. The show had the leader, Blossom, the sweet ditz, Bubbles, and the toughie, Buttercup. I wish shows like those would come back.
ReplyDeleteOH POWER PUFF GIRLS. I grew up with them as well, and even though I watched the show purely for laughs, I can't believe that I forgot they were superheroines! I have an even greater impression of Sara Bellum since you never really saw her face, but she was definitely the only reason why the mayor functioned at all. I don't remember "Him" that well, so now I want to rewatch a few episodes to see what I think about that villain!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Power Puff Girls!!!!! I remember I used to find it so funny yet at the same time so impressive that this midget little kindergarteners had the strength to beat these mega villains. I would almost consider them as the ultimate subversion of "sexy super heroines." Furthermore the girls still acted their age outside of their crime-fighting times. The cutest thing I remember from Power Puff Girls was that adorable phone that they used to get them into action- comparing that with the Bat-Signal that Batman uses, I think using a PHONE is more effective than a random light in the sky.
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