Abstract
The chapter analyses female protagonists in recent young adult movies with a focus on the educational side of such productions. The text approaches femininity and empowerment of three well-known heroines: Hermione (from the Harry Potter series), Lyra (from His Dark Materials Season 1 TV series), and Alita (from Alita: Battle Angel). The chapter centers on the roles played by the three characters in the economy of the respective cinematic productions and on how their girlhood is framed by the visual text. The author's purpose is to unearth interpretations of gender-specific roles that impact the young viewers and their understanding of femininity. The chapter intends to open a conversation about the implication of possible worlds theory and social cognitive theory in interpreting depictions of girlhood in fantasy and Sci-Fi young adult movies. From the magician (Hermione) to the (supernatural) savior (Lyra) and ending with the cyborg (Alita), the analysis will also take into account tenets of feminism, Techno Feminism, and behavioral psychology.
TopApproach
According to Pennell and Behm-Morawitz “cultural messages about gender within popular media can become normative and influence real-world perceptions” (2015, p. 212). Indeed, this is the premise from which this study starts. In recent years, fantasy movies have witnessed a shift in portraying feminine characters, with heroines displaying less sexualized traits, a shift which stresses feminine empowerment beyond (mere) objectification. The chapter discusses this divergent viewpoint in the selected film productions with the focus moving from female body fetishism/ objectification to more inward depictions of women’s power and significance in the overall plot.
Some eleven years ago, Farah Mendlesohn and Edward James in their Short History of Fantasy were noticing that a vast majority of “top-grossing movies worldwide [we]re fantasy or science fiction” (2009, p. 1). This situation has only progressed with time as movies and tv series producers have noticed the increasing interest of audiences, both young and mature, for plots and heroes set against a fantasy background. George Lucas’s Star Wars original trilogy released between 1977 and 1983, to give just one example, has been enriched with both a prequel trilogy (1999-2005) and a sequel trilogy (2015-2019). Added to these significant productions are three more standalone films: The Clone Wars (a 2008 animated movie) and the anthology movies Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). These examples of cinematic works have appealed to fans of the science fiction genre of all generations allowing for a reassessment of audiences’ preferences for stories happening in the future and distant from the reality of their actual world.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Possible Worlds: Theoretical concept which advocates for a connection established between the reader/viewer and the ontology featured by the fantasy work.
Gender Roles: Societal expectations which are different according to genders (e.g., conduct, dress, jobs, behaviors viewed as either masculine or feminine).
Cyborg: A term used to designate a being who is part organic, part machine.
Entertainment Education: An educational strategy that aims to use diverse entertainment media to include educational and societal messages in an effort to reach a large portion of population.
Fantasy Films: Movies pertaining to the fantasy creative genre which focus on subjects dealing with magic, the supernatural, myths or science fiction.
TechnoFeminism: Strand of contemporary feminist sociology concerned with the relationship between gender and machine (technology) with a focus on the woman-machine rapport.
Young Adult Movie: A film genre whose target audience is youth and whose protagonists are usually young adults.
Cyberpunk: A science fiction sub-category exploring mostly dystopian futures in which life is overwhelmed by technology, artificial intelligence, and a loss of humanity.