Doesn't it seem that British people always get stuck with iffy roles? By iffy, I mean the roles of characters who might have good intentions, but are ruthless in their methods.
Think about it. Evelyn Harper, Dean Hardscrabble, Mother Gothel, Fairy Godmother. All these women are perfect examples. Evelyn, mother of two, loves her sons and constantly hints they don't spend enough time together, but she also has the delusion that insulting them will somehow help them warm up to her. Dean Hardscrabble wants only the scariest monsters in her program, to improve the future society of scarers, but it does come off a bit reckless when she insists nobody go into the human world to rescue Mike. Mother Gothel only wants to prevent herself from aging (who doesn't?), but goes to the extreme length of kidnapping a child when she actually had decades (AKA hundreds of years) to bring the flower, roots and all, home. Fairy Godmother wanted her son to marry a princess because she wanted what was best for him, but she also wanted to solidify her standing with royalty because she craved complete power.
What do these women have in common? They're all British. This is just off the top of my head; I'm sure if I, or you, scoured deeper we could find even more examples. I mean, here's another one - why stick to just females? King Harold gives his daughter a choice, but isn't happy unless she chooses his choice.
And you know something? I've been a fan of Shrek since 2001. That's fifteen years. It should be plenty of time to mull over the plot, and I never clued in on why exactly things turned out the way they did. Thankfully we have The Theorizer; here's a must-watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj7gEkVjZvU
Think about it. Evelyn Harper, Dean Hardscrabble, Mother Gothel, Fairy Godmother. All these women are perfect examples. Evelyn, mother of two, loves her sons and constantly hints they don't spend enough time together, but she also has the delusion that insulting them will somehow help them warm up to her. Dean Hardscrabble wants only the scariest monsters in her program, to improve the future society of scarers, but it does come off a bit reckless when she insists nobody go into the human world to rescue Mike. Mother Gothel only wants to prevent herself from aging (who doesn't?), but goes to the extreme length of kidnapping a child when she actually had decades (AKA hundreds of years) to bring the flower, roots and all, home. Fairy Godmother wanted her son to marry a princess because she wanted what was best for him, but she also wanted to solidify her standing with royalty because she craved complete power.
What do these women have in common? They're all British. This is just off the top of my head; I'm sure if I, or you, scoured deeper we could find even more examples. I mean, here's another one - why stick to just females? King Harold gives his daughter a choice, but isn't happy unless she chooses his choice.
And you know something? I've been a fan of Shrek since 2001. That's fifteen years. It should be plenty of time to mull over the plot, and I never clued in on why exactly things turned out the way they did. Thankfully we have The Theorizer; here's a must-watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj7gEkVjZvU
None of this ever occurred to me...in the past year or so all I've noticed is that more and more female characters are having their weight commented on, and typically the heavier girls take the mention of how big or heavy they are as a compliment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me more to think about! :p
People can be vain. I try not to feel insulted when some-body calls me big, because we all come in different shapes and sizes, but it's impossible to feel complimented.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
I'm sorry to hear people are commenting at all; I'm already very self-conscious, and that would be awful :(
DeleteIt is, and I am...But I've told her not to be so rude. Self-esteem is, as anyone should know, easy to destroy and hard to build. It seems the moment I feel good about myself is when I get insulted; and of course that good feeling is quick to go away. The women who can shrug it off and smile are so inspirational and brave.
ReplyDeleteThey sure are...I wish I was one of them :(
DeleteI wish I were, too; but I take comfort in the thought that anybody can learn anything, and that we can be just as brave as somebody who inspires us.
DeleteThat's an awesome way to think :)
DeleteI thought so, too.
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