From: Julia
The subtopic I chose for my assignment is how in cartoons and shows made for children are
mainly made up of all male characters. Quite often, there will be one girl character in a group of
all boys, who are the stars of the show. This is called the Smurfette Principal, which refers to
how there is a singular girl Smurf in a group of boy Smurfs. In many cartoons, the Smurfette
Principal is evident. Not only do we see it in shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and
Sesame Street, which are shows that are a little bit older, but also in newer programs. Paw Patrol
is a good example since it features a group of heroic male dogs and only one female dog. The
lesson that is taught is, “boys are central, girls peripheral”(Pollitt), meaning girls are not as
significant as boys; they are just background characters most of the time. I portrayed this in my
picture by setting up toys that presented as male closer to the camera and the toy that presented
as female farther away from the camera. In my photo, I used foreground/background, scale, and
lighting.
Although they are all wrestlers, the ones in the front are male and the one in the background is
female. I placed the male wrestlers closer to the camera to signify their importance, since
typically wrestling is a male-dominated activity. The singular female wrestler is positioned in the
back because she recognizes that she is not equal to the male wrestlers, even though she is still
part of the group. She has accepted her position as being the less important one, knowing she
will always be a passenger car in a group of train engines(Pollitt). I also used scale to show the
significance of the male characters over the female character. Although the figures are all around
the same size, I had the male wrestlers appear larger, looking confidently at the camera(spreading
their arms, putting their hands on their hips, etc). The female character on the other hand appears
to look smaller, signifying that she is unsure if she is allowed to join her male counterparts up in
front. Lastly, I used lighting to not only make the characters stand out but to also set the mood in a way. Since the male wrestlers are supposed to be the stars, they have the most light on them,
and the female wrestler has less light on her to show that she isn’t as important.
3 comments:
From Lilian
I think another subtopic that could be shown in this picture is specific gender roles in sports, since there are mainly boys in the foreground it shows that wrestling is a male-dominated sport, as well as demonstrates the Smurfette principle. I think how the action figures you put in this photograph look kind of like cartoon characters, which shows that these roles are heavily influenced by television, and other forms of media. I think that the women in the background of the photograph can also demonstrate Erving Goffman's argument that women are portrayed as weak in many forms of media. In fact, all of your creative techniques could also portray this idea.
From: Hannah
This photo really grabbed my attention because of how strong the male action figures stand out. It actually took me a few glances to even notice the female character in the background. The positioning of the male toys in the foreground and the singular female toy in the background is a great expression of how action figures are mostly male dominated. The female toy takes up the least amount of space, portraying the lack of emphasis society puts on female characters. She is also out of focus, with the main focus on the male characters, showing how the “Smurfette Principle” portrays female characters as side characters. With the female character fading into the background, I can really get the feeling that society could care less about emphasizing any sort of importance on characters other than male figures.
I also thought it was interesting to view how the male figures are so overly muscular, just another way for the toy industry to portray an ideal for masculinity. It is not easily visible, but after closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the female character has pink coloring on her outfit. This female action figure is a wrestler, who are typically strong, powerful figures. The only reason for adding pink colors to her outfit is to reinforce that while this character may be strong, she is still female, making her “innately” (more like stereotypically) weaker. Including this specific female toy with the pink outfit was an excellent way to further symbolize the femininity assigned to female toys.
From Nick
I will start by stating that I like your choice of framing in the picture. Specifically, with how the characters are positioned in the shot and where the focus is drawn to. With the male wrestlers being in the forefront they are the focus of the shot; the female wrestler is in the center, but in the background and out of focus. With how she is framed between the two male wrestlers in the middle of the shot the eye is naturally drawn towards her, but since she is out of focus she is seen more as set dressing, as if to say that women are seen but not acknowledged. Even if this was not intended, the technique is quite well used to represent the focus on male characters in most media.
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