fauxkaren:

traversing-the-galaxy:

queenofthenorthx:

In last week’s Game of Thrones, Arya told Tywin Lannister that “most girls are stupid.” When we heard that line, were we supposed to think, “This is why Arya is awesome”? After watching The Prince of Winterfell, I can’t help but think that the answer is “yes.” While the books series presents a huge range of dynamic and well-developed female characters, the show writers seem determined to edit the story so that all normal women seem weak and worthy of disdain. Girls, like Arya, who fight to throw off femininity and become “one of the boys,” are the only ones who are really strong or worthy of respect.

Although some of the show’s changes to the story have been positive and potentially even improve on the novel, many edits in the last few episodes have reduced the series’ selection of varied, challenging female characters into cliches and walking confirmation of the idea that “most women suck.”

Read more…

This is a really, really interesting analysis of some of the problems the series has been having. It really is just ‘small, miniscule’ tweaks, as people have been pointing out…but added together, it’s a much different picture than the books presented.

Anyway, I want to talk about Arya’s “most girls are stupid” line, because it definitely made me go “hahaermblergwhatha?” when I heard it.

It’s a brilliant line. It’s executed well, it’s funny, and most importantly, it fits Arya’s personality. In a world where she grew up with Sansa for a sister—who was praised for her girliness and willingness to stick to society’s assigned narrative—Arya probably has developed a disdain for anything feminine. God knows I had one when I was her age, and I wasn’t raised in Westeros. It makes perfect sense for her to be frustrated by her gender, angry with those who define womanhood as something different than who she is and expect her to conform to it—and most of all, enraged at the women who are complicit in this system. I remember in middle school, my friends and I didn’t get angry at the magazines or at the movies or at the powers that were—we got angry at the girly-girls, we laughed at their stupidity and called them names and valued ourselves by how different we were—how masculine we were. I avoided the color pink religiously.

Okay, I’m using “I” a lot to talk about this, but I guess that’s how I have to process what’s going on.

Basically, from a subjective standpoint, Arya’s line makes a lot of sense and reveals a lot about her character. I’m just worried that most people aren’t understanding in complexly. I saw a lot of viewers praising that line as the episode’s funniest, reveling in Arya’s badassery…the same fandom that takes every opportunity it can to tear down similarly complex, interesting, and flawed characters like Sansa, Cat, and Cersei. (Especially in the series, their actions that are coded ‘feminine’ are proving to be what earns them their disdain.)

Arya presents one very narrow definition of what it means to be female in Westeros—hell, what it means to be a person, a high-born person, a runaway, whatever. She’s an interesting character but she’s not the only acceptable way to be a person by any means. And she’s not the only acceptable way to be female.

So, I understand her judgment that “most girls are stupid.” But I’d hope that as viewers and readers of this series, with a larger perspective on everything going on in this world, we don’t agree with her.

Most girls are treated like they’re stupid, expected to be stupid. Many girls simply aren’t taught, through no fault of their own. Many girls act stupid to get ahead by one way or another. And yes, many girls are stupid, just like many boys. However, stupid boys are often viewed as individuals of their own merit—it’s girls who must stand in as representatives for their own gender.

Oh, and if they stand out? If they’re not that stupid? Then they’re special exceptions, leaning more toward men than their peers. “Most girls are stupid,” after all.

Reblogging again for the excellent commentary.