Masculinity
'Take a look at the kids' section of your local video store," Katha Pollitt writes. "You'll find that features starring boys, and usually aimed at them, account for 9 out of 10 offerings," (299). Pollitt deplores not only the quantity of children's entertainment devoted to females and to female heroines; the author also suggests that the qualitative implications of this mostly unacknowledged bias "deforms both boys and girls," (300). Pollitt continues to note that she cannot think of "a single network cartoon or puppet show starring a female" and that the Warner Brother's delightful lineup starring Bugs Bunny and crew is entirely male (299). Masculinity rules, even in preschool.
In her article "The Smurfette Principle," Pollitt describes the legions of children's educational and entertainment materials that cater to a society fascinated with masculinity. Femininity, on the other hand, is portrayed in one of two ways: as an ancillary aspect to the male principle or as an admirably strong attempt to assert itself within the confines of a male-dominated world. Femininity as an ancillary aspect can be easily witnessed in "Shining Time Station," a preschool show on which the train engines are all male, their passenger cars all female. Imagery and symbolism of males being in control of females sends a powerful message to young, impressionable minds, minds that still believe, as Pollitt notes, that women become nurses, not doctors. The second feminine expression is through what Pollitt calls the Smurfette Principle: "a group of male buddies will be accepted by a lone female, stereotypically defined," (299). The Smurfette Principle can be witnessed with increasing intensity in a culture that struggles more and more with the meaning of gender. Women attempting to empower themselves and validate their dreams and ambitions continue to do so in accordance with...
For example, in the
biography of Adam, the Smurfette Principle helped his wife to define her boundaries: she would shop, like it or not. However, Adam still emerges as the overall winner, as he "retains a sense of fundamental superiority and mastery over women throughout his life," (4).
In her article "Femininity," Susan Brownmiller indirectly defines masculinity as the principle that comprises straightforward, confident
success. Her definition is in perfect alignment with Pollitt's. Both authors agree that masculinity means control,
power, success, and superiority. Based on these readings and on Adam's biography, masculinity can be defined as a social construct formed in
early childhood that determines not only gender identification but also psycho-social and political realities; specific
masculine qualities include dominance, confidence, control, success, and power.
Masculinity perhaps finds its most primitive yet clear and powerful expression in children's literature,
television, and video entertainment. In children's entertainment adults can see the fundamental archetypes and
stereotypes that underlie society's gender constructs. Pollitt provides numerous examples of the masculine principle at work in children's
literature and video, including the train engines pulling the female cars, in full control of their capacity to move. When the female is present in a story, she is…
