what is a stereotype?
you could say that a stereotype is a broad gesture,
a thick line-drawing done with a felt-tip pen,
instead of soft pencil strokes.
a stereotype is a flat depiction
of a person
or a group of people,
instead of a layered, nuanced portrait of a human being,
that contains, as they say,
multitudes.
but,
if a stereotype is a crude drawing,
who is holding the felt-tip pen?
who is drawing the lines?
stereotyping is about enlarging certain characteristics,
while ignoring others.
a stereotype is about minimizing, keeping only one characteristic.
but who decides which characteristic is being enlarged,
and which are being minimized?
think stereotypes, and you think of
damsels in distress,
gold diggers and cougars,
dumb blondes and ice queens,
sluts and bitches,
devoted wives and failing mothers,
a princess, a mean girl, a woman scorned,
a femme fatale, a crazy woman, a witch.
in other words:
think stereotypes, and you think of women,
because for some reason, most stereotypes are specifically female.
think female stereotypes, and you think of negative stereotypes,
because most of them are.
these stereotypes portray women as hypersexual,
overly ambitious,
cold-hearted,
greedy,
vain,
manipulative,
crazy,
mean.
think of female stereotypes,
and notice that all of them are related to a man.
think about it:
who thinks the femme fatale is dangerous?
the man who is afraid of being seduced by her.
who looks at a woman and sees only sex?
the man who wants to sleep with her.
who is scared of the woman scorned?
the man who scorned her.
who is bothered by the childless cat lady?
the man who fears her independence.
you don’t even have to be a heterosexual man
to reduce a woman to her sexuality,
her mental health issues,
marital status,
or work ethic.
we have become used to looking at women
through the eyes of a heterosexual man,
a male gaze.
we have become used to identifying with men instead of women,
in books, movies and art
that have been made by men,
and defined by them.
history is shaped by men,
the images that surround us are rooted in their perspective.
is it even possible to change that,
or to go against it?
what to do with female stereotypes?
we can ignore them
by portraying women more realistically,
flaws and all,
as human beings.
we can create new stereotypes
that negate the ones that already exist.
but we can also own some of the existing stereotypes.
we wouldn’t reject them, but embrace them,
exaggerate them,
amplify them.
make them bigger, better,
raunchy, delicious, irresistible.
you want a crazy bitch?
well, here she is.
you want a dumb blonde?
a cougar?
a femme fatale?
you think women are dangerous?
well, you’re right.
manipulative?
sure.
here’s a dainty princess –
do you like her now?
here’s a succubus from hell –
what do you think of her?
the trick to owning a stereotype,
is to find pleasure in them.
so how do you tell the difference
between a stereotype that is full of disapproval,
suspicion,
and hate,
and a stereotype that’s fun,
pleasurable,
and maybe a little subversive?
well, you can ask yourself a simple question.
when you watch a character that is,
technically, a stereotype,
ask yourself this:
do I enjoy watching her?
it really is as simple as that.