It's basically stupid to think men and women are 'equal'. Equal is (being the same in quantity, size, degree, or value) or (a person or thing that is the same as another in status or quality.)
Men and women are fundamentally different. Yes, it's arguable that a few of our different attitudes were influenced by society and expectations, but a multitude of them stem from our mental differences that occur from brain development while still in the womb. These mental differences can actually be influenced by hormone levels, hence why within genders, there is actually a lot of differentiation and personality.
For me, so called 'feminism' should be about recognising that feminine qualities have just as much value as masculine ones. It should be about promoting them and allowing them to flourish. Instead we've somehow reached the conclusion that feminine qualities are considered 'weak', and a lot of male roles have also been undermined and overlooked.
In my opinion modern feminism has led to many one dimensional and even offensive portrayals of what a strong woman should be, with female characters these days, it seems that if they are written anything less than absolutely perfect, they are seen as weak, hence becoming extremely dull and overdone. If being strong requires behaving like a man, which is obviously not a bad thing, just not natural for all women, then obviously no woman will ever match up.
Rey from Star Wars
I think the character of Rey is a great example of what I'm talking about. I enjoyed the character a lot during the first half of The Force Awakens, for the rest of the trilogy, I had to just tell myself to go with it... or else I would get too annoyed at the story, so I would be able to enjoy the films. She's too perfect. Typical 'empowered female lead' : smarter than everyone else, stronger than everyone else, doesn't need saving, is never really in a losing situation, has at least one 'talent', at least two other male characters are in love with her, rarely does anything that the audience questions or disagrees with, her risk taking always pays off.
After rewatching all the films, the only flaw I can find in Rey is that she's quite impulsive, however, when that impulse only ever rewards her, it can't really be considered a character flaw. I still enjoyed the films, but I found Kylo Ren to be the best character, not Rey, so I was pretty sad at the ending. Moreover I was most disappointed when I realised that this is what all my female friends thought a strong, balanced, woman was. I don't find Rey's loyalty to the Jedi tested enough to prove she is strong, even in discovering she is Palpatine's granddaughter... it seems almost irrelevant at that point. Even though I think she is a great part of the story, when you think about Rey in any great detail... she seems less of a person, more of a robot.
Cinderella (2015) film
In my opinion, this version of Cinderella has a simple message: assume the good intentions of people, and never let go of your positive mindset. But according to feminist nowadays, a strong female lead must be : no emotions, no romance, no girly stuff, no crying, no mistakes, no vulnerability, no weakness, when someone hurts you, hurt them back. People complain that Cinderella is a bad role model, a damsel in distress who is waiting to be rescued. People point at the 2015 Cinderella as a step back in empowerment.
First of all, Cinderella chooses to be kind to be people, it's not because she's weak, it's not because she's born with it. It's an important choice she chooses to live by. Cinderella grew up protected in a safe environment, until one day, her mother died, soon followed by her father, leaving her with brand new step mother and step sisters, from whom she has to deal with constant physical and emotional abuse. Despite all of their poor treatment of her, Cinderella doesn't become bitter or resentful, she remains full of hope and life, which ultimately is what allows her to triumph over her step mother and sisters, if they were to destroy her positive mindset, they would win.
Cinderella also doesn't spend all her time waiting to be saved by the prince. Cinderella doesn't dream of dancing with the prince, what she's dreaming of is freedom. Confined in the house to do chores all the time, with no monetary freedom and no new people, she dreams of a new dress, and the chance to spend the night away from her messy life. The ball is a chance to live her dream, freedom for one night, and in this dream a chance to meet Kit again, the only new friend she's made for many years. The fairy godmother does not solve all of Cinderella's problems either, she gives Cinderella the means to achieve her dream, she gives Cinderella a chance. Once all that fantasy is over, and she's fallen for the Prince, she faces the challenge of revealing her real self, and seeing if she'll be accepted.
By maintaining her values and having integrity, she earns the Prince's respect and trust. In the end, it's her freedom she wins, not just a man, he is just a part of that. So this is ultimately a story about internal strength and optimism, not changing for the worst when facing tragedy.
Considering all this, Cinderella's kindness and femininity doesn't make her weak at all, it makes her strong. If you disagree then you assume that strength must mean revenge, aggression, weaker moral principles. So anyway, these fairy princess tales are often throw in the trash with a bad reputation, but they are often misinterpreted. Don't even try to tell me Ariel traded her voice for a man... because you are wrong.
Ling Xi from Love and Destiny (Chen Xi Yuan)
I'm afraid I can't mention strong female characters without involving one from a Chinese Drama, they seem to understand very well. I'm not going to go into huge detail like Cinderella because I doubt anyone will know the story of Ling Xi and Jiu Chen. This one, I found really quite interesting. As the title suggests, this story is about Ling Xi, the female lead winning the heart of the male lead Jiu Chen. I found both characters very interesting, especially the male lead role, but he's not relevant right now. Ling Xi, is presented as a very traditionally feminine character, often cooking, cleaning, and always bowing to the male lead, who she starts out as his servant.
She has absolutely no talent, her fighting skills are poor, her magic power is very low, she's not particularly knowledgable, her status is low, she's got an inherently lazy personality, and at times can be annoyingly naive. She's also a huge troublemaker. Ling Xi is redeemed by her charming liveliness, her funny wittiness and most admirably her strength of will. In multiple occasions, she goes up against someone far stronger than she is to defend the male lead, often impulsively, and getting into danger. Even when she disagrees with a decision he's made she remains supportive of it.
Most Helpful Opinions