The "Cool Girl"

fourteenwings

So I read this article today about a phenomenon known as the "Cool Girl", I hate to say this (because it sounds like the inevitable words of a bigot) but I feel that this is a made up problem.

I mean, the whole point of the article is that we need positive role models to look up to (I... thiiiiink) so what about girls who like video games and guns and such? Is there something inherently wrong with them being portrayed on TV?

It feels surprisingly anti-feminist because what is even the point of saying "A Girl who likes [what guys like]" doesn't exist? What is the point of phrasing "typically masculine hobbies" as "what guys like"?

Are they really saying that modern popular culture is trying to make girls feel bad for liking girly things?

Why does the culture section of ThinkProgress feel like it's an overeditorialized E! News?

glennmagusharvey

I just read the article and it seems to be more about arguing against a stereotype, rather than discussing role models.

There's nothing wrong with a girl liking things that are stereotypically associated with guys.  Of course, this gets into the troublesome territory of exactly when inherently neutral traits become associated with a stereotype.  In a way, I think it has a point regarding people who define themselves against a stereotype just because it's there.

And this is why I like to think of things in gender-neutral terms.  Rather than thinking of, say, videogames as a "guy thing" that more girls "ought to" get into, I'd rather simply think of videogames as a gender-neutral thing (and have everyone do the same), and see where things lead.

But in a world where other people still do think of videogames as a "guy thing", is it more effective to combat the stereotype by presenting the reverse of the stereotype or simply ignoring it?  That's a question I don't have an answer to.

 

(Incidentally, one thing I find interesting and appreciate about the Precure metaseries is that you have stereotypically girly traits put together with a high-action show that would be stereotypically a boy thing, and just does it without being self-conscious or such.  It presents it as it's just there.  And in doing so, one could say that at least from some perspectives it kinda "validates" stereotypically girly traits that some people consider negative.)

InsanityAddict

>Goldstein

>expecting anything different than confusing and contradictory pop culture politics aimed at destroying any possibility of an empowered identity

In all seriousness, everything can and will be made problematic, since everything is a preference or fetish of someone out there. We want well-rounded and nuanced characters, but these will still contain problematic elements. Too dudebro is Ms. Male Character, the character that actually calls out double standards is too often seen as a no-fun soapboxer who is never allowed to evolve further than her ideological ax, the gal who faces the regular struggles of women without taking a political stance is a woobie without agency(or if she does prevail a bootstraps succes story that ignores the role the system plays), and so on and so forth.