Have just read a post over at Pretty, Fizzy Paradise (Ye Gods, I love that name!) in response to an ongoing interweb debate about feminism and comics.  The linky just there takes you to the specific post.

Reading this, I saw a lot of myself in those words.

As a child, I was not aware of what feminism is.  My definition of racism was simplistic, I don't recall hearing or noticing the word "sexist" before I hit puberty, and I was, being somewhat gender-blind, not very quick on the uptake when it comes to gender politics.

But I still knew when something was sexist.  Or racist.  Or otherwise discriminatory against race/gender/religion/physical fitness/appearance etc.

My concept of racism was limited to simplistic ideals; people saying the N word, people being violent or or unkind to some one who wasn't white, bullying them, etc.  But, when I saw some of the old Tom and Jerry or Loony Tunes cartoons on TV, I still got a distinctly bad feeling in my gut.  And if you don't know exactly the sort of episodes I'm referring to here then you're a lucky, coddled person.  The Censored Eleven are really just the tip of the iceberg.

And I was aware that boys and girls were treated differently.  I noticed and, from my point of view, boys seemed to get the better part of the deal.

How many girls can recall an instance like the following in their childhood?

  • Being told to close their legs whilst sitting down, even though they were wearing jeans?  At the same time as boys nearby were sat with their legs splayed like they had a nasty rash down there?
  • Being forbidden from climbing trees or playing on a rope-swing because it's too dangerous?  Whilst boys were playing on it?
  • Being told off for raising their voice in an argument/debate/discussion?  When you were still being quieter than your brother?
  • Being told of for using foul language?  Whilst people laugh at the naughty words a boy was using?
  • Being made to wear a pretty dress for a party, and then being told you can't take part in some of the games/eat icecream/play with paints/play in the garden because you'll dirty your dress?
  • Being told off for misbehaviour that is considered normal behaviour for boys?
  • Being allowed to "help" daddy do some DIY, only to find that your version of "helping" means watching, never touching, never handling the tools and perhaps bringing daddy a cup of tea?  When the boys you know of the same age are all allowed to use power tools, albeit "under supervision"?
  • Being told you could pick any toy you wanted, only to find that this was prefixed with "so long as it's a dolly or a teddy bear or something pink" when you try to ask for a toy truck or dinosaur?
  • Being told that the comics you read or your favourite toys are "for boys" and that yu should like playing house with dollies?
  • Having adults assume that you want to be a mummy when you grow up, even though you're only 9 years old?
  • Having strangers give you and your parents a dirty look if you walk out in public with scruffy hair, scuffed knees or dirt on your face, when boys in worse condition don't even get a glance?  Feeling ashamed or embarrassed as a result?
  • Being given considerably more chores to do than your brothers?  Being called selfish if you question this?
  • Wishing you were a boy, or feeling treated unfairly when adults are judging you against a boy?  (For example, after a fight which no adult sees, you are accused of getting upset or being overtired if you don't just give up and let the boy win).
  • Realising, when a relative or family friend notices your tomboyishness, that they are disappointed in you.
  • Being told off more for being bad at English or Art or Cooking or Sewing classes than when you do badly at Maths or Science?
  • Having it assumed that, if you want to go into medicine, that you want to be a nurse?
  • Having it assumed that, if you love flying and aeroplanes, that you want to be an air hostess?
And how many of us were painfully aware that, if only we'd been born boys, we wouldn't have to put up with that?  (Okay, I know now that being a boy comes with a whole sack-load of other baggage and expectations, but we're talking about childhood here).

When the girl hero on TV, or in a comic or book, wears pink and acts ditzy, we noticed.  When the girl character only ever talked about boys, being pretty, shopping and being too fat, we noticed.  When the girl characters were left to stay at home or stay in hiding, or take care of the injured hero whilst the boy characters went out to save the day, we noticed.  When the girls inthe famous five were expected to pretty-up the cave they stayed in, we noticed.  When George, as she grew older, was praised for growing out of her tomboyishness, we noticed.  When a female character posed sexily, pouted, or wore revealing or exposing clothing, we noticed.

We noticed these things.  They leave a bad feeling in the gut, or in the throat, or in the back of the head.  We felt bad seeing all the girl characters phased out or treated like idiots.  My little sister got really angry when she watched the LWW movie and the two girls spent half of the movie crying and cuddling a dead lion, and the girl with the bow and arrow used it... once... in practice.  And the girl with the knife didn't go around doing what any sensible girl would do on a battlefield if she was too young to fight, which is slitting the throats of injured enemies like a good fremen girl.  (Yes, we've already got her onto Dune, I'm so proud...).

Just because we don't know the words at that age, doesn't mean we don't know when something is wrong, or jst plain stupid.  So yes, we did read comics when we were young, and we did notice when the comics we loved did something stupid, or racist, or sexist.  We didn't know the words, but we hated it.  We skimmed the pages with the sexy bits in, and when we found that our favourite comic kept on being that bad, we stopped wanting to buy it.

So yeah... that comment from Monroe really is kinda...

Dumb.