About Curvy Lines

About Curvy Lines:

Curvy Lines is a blog about women in animation and the shows aimed at girls.

Why girls?

There's this thought that girls don't like cartoons. I could go on a long winded rant on why that's total crap, but I won't. Because of this thought, people don't give much of a thought about programing aimed at girls. In recent years, this has been changing, but there's still this niche of the market that's being ignored.

Why animation?

It's an interesting medium. People dismiss it as childish, but it's one of the most versatile mediums.

Do you focus on only western animation?

No, if it's animated, I'll look at it.

About Lady Luna

I am by no means a professional. I have no doctorates, or no extensive schooling on either animation or females in media. I'm just a girl who got bored one summer and decided to write a blog.  

Do you take requests for features?

Sure! Email me at: CurvyLinesBlog@gmail.com

Confound these Ponies (Part 2)

I won't lie and say that My Little Pony has the most well developed characters in all of animation history. I'm sure that award goes to someone else. And congratulations to them. But I must give credit where credit is due. The writing team actually seems to care about what they're writing and who they're writing for. Just because they're writing for young girls, doesn't mean they just half-ass the job and call it a day.

The same cannot be said for the previous generation.

If you actually sat through that, you're a stronger person than I. Now imagine that stretched out over 22-minutes.

Horrifying, isn't it?

Could you actually pinpoint a single personality trait? Or was it just one giant wave of BLAND washing over you in the dullest way possible? In Friendship is Magic, each of the six ponies are given their own individual personality and quirks.

Oh, and a conflict. Remember that school of thought that girls don't like conflict in their stories? I'm assuming this harks back to the days where if a girl wanted to be anything but a homemaker, she was given funny looks. 

That is pretty much crap, considering the how likely that a girls' teen years will guarantee conflict.

If you've already seen Friendship is Magic, then you're probably noticing how much a little effort can do for a show. If not, then at least give the first episode a try. I don't think it'll kill you. It'll do a better job of summing itself up than me. 

Also, this.

 

(I would also like to note that, yes, I am  aware that there's some pretty awful stuffed aimed at guys as well. I think I'll save that rant for another day, however.)

Confound These Ponies

There are lots of different ways to be a girl. You can be sweet and shy, or bold and physical. You can be silly and friendly, or reserved and studious. You can be strong and hard working, or artistic and beautiful. This show is wonderfully free of “token girl” syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package. -Lauren Faust (Executive Producer of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.)

The above quote is the reason why I've really grown attached to the 2010 reboot of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. Sure, the animation is fantastic, the music is wonderful, and the characters themselves are loveable; but this feminist subtext is what really hooked me.

I doubt many people (outside of the massive internet audience it's garnered) associate the My Little Pony shows with anything more than a 22-minute toy commercial. And with last three generations, they'd probably be right.

Now, I can't be certain about what happened during their meetings; but I get the feeling Ms. Faust and her crew saw the older shows and said something like: “Screw this noise! Let's write an actual story!” A rather Spartan idea, considering this whole "girls don't like conflict" ideology. (More on that later.)

Hasbro shot that idea down. But I give them points for trying. (They at least gave the first two episodes something of a mini story arc.)

Sorry, I'm getting away from myself. I came here to focus on the characters.

From right to left: Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash

I specifically wanted to focus on the one named Rarity. She interests me the most because she is the fashionable one. This interests me, because it's rare to see a fashionable girl, surrounded by girls who really don't care about how they look, who is still portrayed in a positive light. (Her name amuses me a bit for that reason.)

What I mean is: When there is a character like this, she is either just as fashion obsessed/ boy crazy as every other girl (an awful stereotype) or she's portrayed as a catty, vain, and stupid bitch. (A less commonly addressed stereotype.)

I get the feeling some writers never quite got over being bullied by these girls in high school.

In the hands of far too many writers, Rarity would have probably ended up the antagonist in the series. And I'm glad she didn't. Which is why she's one of my favorite characters.

Also, doesn't that kind of thinking send rather mixed signals about feminism?

You can be whatever you want, girls! Just not girly. Girly is bad.

To be Continued in Part Two.