From pink lego lines (marketed to girls, complete with a hair salon) to science kits (with only boys depicted on the box) we send our youth all kinds of subtle and not-to-subtle messages about who they are supposed to be, and who society expects them to be. A new movie by Pixar out this summer called Brave, appeared to debunk at least some of those stereotypes – based on the trailer I saw recently, it’s about an Irish princess (there we go again with princesses!) who decided to determine her own destiny and break away from tradition. But the new marketing campaign for the movie, includes a costume of the main character. On the packaging, a little girl shoots a bow and arrow. But what’s raised some eyebrows is the text: “Look pretty and be brave too.”
As a great article in Slate magazine discusses, what’s the take-home: you can be brave but you better look good while you’re doing it? (Presumably, girls will be primping right before they take down that bad guy.) The writer of the Slate piece points out that at least the marketing campaign is trying to shift the idea of what pretty is – from passive, to powerful. But why we do need to bring appearance into at all? Aren’t we still telling girls, indirectly, to worry (or at least consider) how they look while they are doing important work, or brave deeds? That seems to be the wrong message. But perhaps it’s a good chat to have with the youth in our midst – especially since God wants us to focus on being beautiful, and brave, on the inside.
Check out the Slate article, which has links to some other piece written on the subject, here:http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/05/30/the_merchandising_for_brave_breaks_the_mold_of_the_disney_princess_while_still_appealing_to_girls_.html
As a great article in Slate magazine discusses, what’s the take-home: you can be brave but you better look good while you’re doing it? (Presumably, girls will be primping right before they take down that bad guy.) The writer of the Slate piece points out that at least the marketing campaign is trying to shift the idea of what pretty is – from passive, to powerful. But why we do need to bring appearance into at all? Aren’t we still telling girls, indirectly, to worry (or at least consider) how they look while they are doing important work, or brave deeds? That seems to be the wrong message. But perhaps it’s a good chat to have with the youth in our midst – especially since God wants us to focus on being beautiful, and brave, on the inside.
Check out the Slate article, which has links to some other piece written on the subject, here:http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/05/30/the_merchandising_for_brave_breaks_the_mold_of_the_disney_princess_while_still_appealing_to_girls_.html
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