The Velma/Daphne Conundrum: Intelligent Women in Cartoons

     Kids love television, this is a simple and nearly indisputable fact. Today a lot of people use it as a baby sitter and an educational tool. The problem is that children are really impressionable and we let them consume whatever media they want as long as it is devoid of sex, violence, and profanity. Unfortunately sex, violence, and profanity are not the only harmful things that children can be exposed to by the media. During childhood and pre-adolescence children look to adults and there peers to learn about social interactions, but they also look at what they see on television and in movies. I watch a lot of cartoons and I wanted to talk about them because I think that they can send poor messages to young girls about how they should behave.
   One of my major problems with women in cartoons is there is always the ongoing story of the pretty dumb girl and the smart ugly girl.  Scooby Doo is a classic example of this. Velma is way more intelligent than Daphne and thus way more likely to be able to solve a mystery (in fact she always does). But who does Fred always want to pair up with when the group splits up to go exploring? Apparently Fred isn't as concerned about mystery solving as he pretends to be. Another good example is Johnny Test. Johnny has twin sisters who could probably win a nobel prize if they put any effort into their scientific genius but instead they use their knowledge to unsuccessfully chase a boy who does not find them attractive. On the website for the show Total Drama Island World Tour they describe all of there contestants in three words. The only girl who is described as "beautiful" is also described as an "airhead". This is especially sad to me because I think these shows not only put out the idea that smart women cannot be beautiful but that beautiful women cannot be smart.

     Today there are some smart and strong women in cartoons. One of my favorite examples is Princess Bubblegum in Adventure Time. She is considered by the main characters of the show (Finn and Jake) to be extremely intelligent and is often shown doing various scientific experiments. She also is not afraid to go into battle with the boys and has even rescued them on a few occasions. Although she is smart and tough she is still considered to be very attractive and there are often many jokes made about how Finn has a crush on her. Another good example of a smart attractive female cartoons character is Sandy Cheeks in Spongebob Squarepants. She is a scientist and a thrill seeker who is often shown to be stronger and smarter than most male characters on the show but it is still hinted at times that Spongebob is attracted to her. If you go back a little further 1995's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters featured a female monster named Oblina who was the smartest monster in her class and the leader of her group of male friends.

     Notice the difference between the examples I used above as negative examples of women in cartoons and the examples I used as positive examples of women in cartoons. Adventure Time, Spongebob Squarepants, and Aaahh! Real Monster all feature fictional places and characters that aren't human. It's ok for a monster, a squirrel and...a giant hunk of bubblegum to be intelligent, strong women but when it comes to cartoons based more in reality there are much fewer examples.  Also, each of the strong female characters I mentioned align themselves almost exclusively with male friends. Princess Bubblegum is seen mainly with Finn and Jake or alone, Sandy Cheeks is best friends with Spongebob, Patrick, and on a few occasions is seen with Larry the Lobster, and Oblina's two closest friends are Ickis and Krumm. This suggests that a smart, powerful women might not want to be around other women because she is one of a kind, the exception and not the rule.
     I'm not saying that all young girls will pick up on these things always. I think that a lot of what young girls learn about intelligence and self esteem comes from the people around them. However, kids are perceptive and I think they can pick up on cues like this from cartoons and expect them to apply in real life. If your interested in learning more about women in popular culture this is a good book Geek Chic: Smart Women in Popular Culture.