By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | September 18, 2014 |
By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | September 18, 2014 |
Mayim Bialik, who generated headlines earlier this week by targeting Ariana Grande and provocative billboard ads in Los Angeles, is doubling down today by going after only the most beloved animated film of the last several years (along with The Lego Movie). Bialki rips into Frozen for being sexist, man-hating, and for featuring female characters who look like Bratz dolls.
On the sexism in Frozen:
The search for a man/love/Prince is still the reigning plot line in the movie, as it is with pretty much all movies for young people which are animated … My issue is that this is a movie geared to small children who I don’t think need to be focusing on that as the main driving plot of a movie. These characters are young; certainly not old enough in my socially conservative opinion to be searching for mates! I’ve had just enough already with this finding a man business in most every kids’ movie.
Basically, Bialik is arguing that movies geared toward children should not contain love stories. I mean, I can see her point (if I squint), but, come on Bialik: In the end, this wasn’t even about the love story. It was about the bond between sisters, who ultimately came to each others’ rescue. That’s worth celebrating, no? Plus the fact that one of the sister’s knocked out the dastardly prince.
Oh, but wait. Here she is on the film’s male bashing:
The Prince/hero turns out to be a scheming villain. He pretended to love her and then he double crosses her and she gets the lesson taught to her not to trust those nasty scheming conniving men. Because you know, men can’t be trusted? Meh. I know, you’re confused by me. Yeah, take a number. First I claim to be a feminist and now I claim to be against male-bashing. That’s because feminism doesn’t equal male-bashing. And this movie isn’t empowering because it shows that a Prince is a jerk and should not have been trusted. That’s weird too. It’s just confusing.
Again, she’s not wrong, but its nit-pickery. Films need villains. If the villain had been a female character, then she would’ve accused it of sexism. Here’s a thought, Blossom: Maybe women should be at least slightly skeptical of men because — I don’t know if you’ve seen the news this week (or any week, ever) — men can’t always be trusted.
On the female characters’ Bratz-life features:
OK, my biggest problem with this movie was the way the female characters are drawn and animated. The male characters look like cartoon men. They have some exaggerated features, sure. But by and large, they look like they have the proportions of human beings. Not so with our lead ladies. They have ginormous eyes. Like really ridiculously big. Teeny-tiny ski slope noses. Exaggerated delicate ski sloppiness, actually. Barbie doll proportions of their bodies in general: tiny waists, ample busts, and huge heads. They look like dolls.
Interestingly, my wife won’t let our twin daughters watch movies featuring fairies (or Tinkerbell) for the same reason, although in those cases, the proportions are even more exaggerated. I don’t really have a counterargument specific to Frozen here, except to say that Bialik seems to be picking apart a worthwhile, somewhat progressive Disney animated film based on minor problematic issues.
Frozen is a good goddamn movie, and if you’re going to throw it out, you’re not going to be left with that many options when you need a 90-minute break from the disaster-making of children.
via Celebitchy