(no subject)
Jun. 26th, 2012 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elle_white This morning, I've seen to critics praise Brave because they believe that Merida is possibly a lesbian. I was surprised by this, because I read her as being asexual. I want to see queer people have more representation in the media, but Merida shows clear signs of being an aromantic asexual. And to have a woman Ace in a mainstream movie is remarkable.
In my further comments on Brave, I wanted to talk about how refreshing it was. Not only did it revolve around a mother/daughter relationship, but the female protagonist could legitimately be read as asexual, and she was not forced into a romantic relationship by the characters or the plot. Merida shows no interest in romance or marriage at all. At one point, Merida even tells her mother that she doesn't think she will ever want to marry.
... A female protagonist in a Hollywood film blatantly has no interest in romance, declares that she doesn't think she will ever want to marry, and ... her feelings are treated with respect! By the end of the film, she's riding off on her horse going on new adventures with her mother. I'm certain this is unheard of in mainstream media. Hollywood seems terrified of the idea of a single lady. If they create a story focused on a woman, then she needs a prominent love interest.
For instance, in Becoming Jane, Jane Austen has a love interest named Tom Lefroy who influence her greatly, and she nearly elopes with him. She only decides not to at the last minute because his depends on him financially. However, the actual Tom Lefroy only appears in two of 160 recorded letters by Jane Austen. It's as they didn't know how to tell Jane Austen's story while showing that she was, in fact, a contently unmarried woman.
And there are women in media, such as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, who has little to no interest in romance, but later ends up in a rather forced romantic plot that includes a love triangle.
And now Pixar has provided us with a heroine who is blatantly disinterested in romantic relationships. The movie certainly had its flaws, but it was also amazing. We're given this dynamic, multi-faceted lady, who changes greatly by the end of her story, but her lack of interest in romance is respected by both her mother and the narrative. And seriously, that is incredible! I feel like this film gives more representation to asexual people, and we get so little in mainstream media.
In my further comments on Brave, I wanted to talk about how refreshing it was. Not only did it revolve around a mother/daughter relationship, but the female protagonist could legitimately be read as asexual, and she was not forced into a romantic relationship by the characters or the plot. Merida shows no interest in romance or marriage at all. At one point, Merida even tells her mother that she doesn't think she will ever want to marry.
... A female protagonist in a Hollywood film blatantly has no interest in romance, declares that she doesn't think she will ever want to marry, and ... her feelings are treated with respect! By the end of the film, she's riding off on her horse going on new adventures with her mother. I'm certain this is unheard of in mainstream media. Hollywood seems terrified of the idea of a single lady. If they create a story focused on a woman, then she needs a prominent love interest.
For instance, in Becoming Jane, Jane Austen has a love interest named Tom Lefroy who influence her greatly, and she nearly elopes with him. She only decides not to at the last minute because his depends on him financially. However, the actual Tom Lefroy only appears in two of 160 recorded letters by Jane Austen. It's as they didn't know how to tell Jane Austen's story while showing that she was, in fact, a contently unmarried woman.
And there are women in media, such as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, who has little to no interest in romance, but later ends up in a rather forced romantic plot that includes a love triangle.
And now Pixar has provided us with a heroine who is blatantly disinterested in romantic relationships. The movie certainly had its flaws, but it was also amazing. We're given this dynamic, multi-faceted lady, who changes greatly by the end of her story, but her lack of interest in romance is respected by both her mother and the narrative. And seriously, that is incredible! I feel like this film gives more representation to asexual people, and we get so little in mainstream media.