Monday, November 12, 2012
Wreck-It Women
The movie Wreck-It Ralph, released by Disney on November 2nd, depicts a the world of video games. One of the games, called Sugar Rush, is a racing game with all female drivers, except for their leader, King Candy, who is a male. This is an example of the ideological gender roles enforced by Disney (that women are subservient and men are dominant.) Interestingly, by the end of the film, it is revealed that a woman was supposed to be the queen of the game, but King Candy forced himself into Sugar Rush. This twist on gender stereotypes reflects a change in the views of the American audience and the film industry that tries to pander to them.
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Although I have not seen this film, I did watch the trailer to familiarize myself with it. I believe that not only are gender ideologies being worked through, but also anxieties of being a 'villain'. This, I feel can be attributed to the expansion of the American Empire. Through ideologies of Manifest Destiny, some Americans feel that it is their duty to conquer, and thus as we have seen, such desires render them 'villians', such as Wreck-It Ralph, who is 'just doing his job'. The reconfiguration from villian to hero is the heart of the plotline of this film, as well as in recent American ideologies.
ReplyDeleteThe drivers of the game Sugar Rush are not all female. Gloyd Orangeboar, Francis Fluggerbutter, and Swizzle "The Swizz" Malarkey are the male drivers of Sugar Rush, besides King Candy. The drivers are predominantly women, however, which could actually be considered stereotypical of the candy-coated world, with sugary candies and brightly colored sweets and happy scenery and fluffy names ike Taffyta and Snowanna. The typical street racers do not have predominantly female drivers. This game is not the typical street racing game, and is reflected in the fact that women actually are predominant in the fluffier games. The movie industry still hasn't changed much in stereotyping women as all "sweet" and "sugary" and "pink."
ReplyDeleteActually, in response to MEPorter's post I think the role and image of women were fitted and situated depending on the game they represented. And its important to remember two things: first is that it wasn't women who drove in Sugar Rush but actually girls. While there is still a stereotype promoted (children are small, cute and super-excited), it would be stretch to say women are racialized in this movie as demonstrated in Douglas's article. Furthermore, there was a woman who was the complete opposite of the "mindless, hysterical, out-of countrol bimbos" (Douglas) Sergeant Calhoun of Hero's Duty. A woman with the strength and courage of a man. 100% cold and disciplined. 0% pink and fluffy.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the post I'd have to agree with the previous comment. I saw the movie and the leader of the dominantly male squad, in Hero's Duty, was a female that was very independent and not the typical helpless female. Sometimes when a female is independent and strong she is portrayed as being overly so, but I felt Disney balanced her character well, by not making her excessively masculine. Yes, the Candy Racers were mostly pink and sugary girly characters, but they were not the sole female characters of the film and were well balanced with the female sergeant as a main character.
ReplyDeleteI think it's worth noting, as Maddie points out, that these female drivers are indeed associated with pink and sweetness - up to and including their representation as little girls. One of the ways women get devalued in discourses (and movies) is to reduce their characters to youth - who you can't take seriously, right, 'cause they're little kids. I'm also wary of an argument that relies on exceptions to rules as disproving those rules - so, yes, there is a tough female sergeant in Hero's Duty, but most drivers in video games are male and most driving video games (most games, really) are geared toward male audiences. While it's true that young men are the main purchasers of video games, it's also true that women tend to be represented in a particular way, which includes both infantalizing them and also marking them as less threatening by balancing their hard-ass-ery and their femininity.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting as well that the fact that the sergeant in Hero's Duty is so unfeeling is that because SHE did not check the perimeter at her wedding, her man was taken from her. (The fact that it was her fault feeds into the "self-made-man-my-failures-belong-to-me ideology and the reason that she is emotionally blank (or missing a part of herself feeds into the "women-need-men" ideology.) She is not independent because she wants to be, but independent because she is forced to be. Additionally, the movie ends with her getting married, so even though she is independent, the film begs the question that she needs a man.
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