Pretty Stereotypes, and some views on Fleur and Cho

[Julie aka Viola]

No: HPFGUIDX 20475

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., meboriqua at a... wrote:
> Perhaps she has the attitude that she does because
she doesn't trust 
> anyone - especially boys.  She only warmed up to
Harry after he saved 
> her sister.  I know, I know - if she wasn't nice to
Harry after that, 
> I can only imagine the names she'd be called, but he
proved to her 
> that he is a trustworthy person.  She is obviously
close with her 
> family, as her sister was the one chosen to be taken
for the 2nd task, 
> and her coldness towards others could be related to
the fact that many 
> people only approach her because of how she looks.  

*laughs* Don't get me wrong, I like Fleur. I empathize
with her in a lot of ways and really hope we get to
see more of her in the books. And I think you may have
a point there - that she doesn't trust easily. Her
relationship with her family hints at unexplored depth
to her character, as well as reminding us that
underneath that blonde, Veela shell she's just a
seventeen year old girl.

> Fleur was chosen 
> as a champion, after all, which means that she is
more than her just 
> her looks.  

True, and yet she still didn't perform well -
particularly not compared to the boys. I understand
the plot reasons for Harry and Cedric being neck in
neck in the competition... It just struck me as odd,
Fleur being the only female - and a bit dangerous in a
story so peopled with male characters already.

> --- Amy Z <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> > Really good point.  JKR's portrayal of Cho is very
positive; whatever
> > stereotypes fanfic authors may harbor about pretty
girls, JKR is 
> > skewering them, not supporting them.

And, Amber <reanna20 at y...> wrote:
> Hrm, I thought the reason people usually bash Cho in
fanfic is because
> they either want Harry to end up romantically with
someone else in the
> canon or because they're *jealous* that Cho has
captured Harry's
> attention. Has nothing to do with Cho personally,
the authors just
> don't want Harry to end up with her. Makes sense,
one normally wants
> the main hero to end up with a developed character
and Cho hasn't
> exactly been developed yet.

That is to some extent true, but I've been really
disturbed by the number of comments I've heard (read?)
that describe Cho as "a girl like that" or "one of
those types." In my opinion, those are some of the
most destructive labels women can put on one another.
Not that I have any illusions that we're all (meaning
women in general) going to join hands like one big,
happy sisterhood, any more than any other group of
individuals could. ^_- But before I start quoting
Margaret Atwood at you I'll get back on track...

I liked Cho immediately - admittedly I'm not a
die-hard shipper of any sort so I didn't have any
emotional investment there - and thought she'd be an
interesting addition to the story, because she seems
strong and smart and all the things we're supposed to
want in a female character. 

But the kinds of motives I've seen ascribed to her
really blow my mind - everything from being in league
with Malfoy over the Dementor stunt in PoA to knowing
about Harry's crush on her and enjoying turning him
down in GoF to being a Death Eater. And the only real
evidence I've seen given to support these theories is
along the lines of "well, she's that type - the sort
who like to use boys." So, in that sense, I think it
is about Cho personally.

Or, it may be a case of me seeing one of my pet issues
everywhere. In college, when I wasn't poking holes in
Walt Whitman's verse, I was writing essays on physical
appearance and gender roles in literature. So it
certainly affects the way I read things now.

-Julie (who freely admits she may be overthinking this)

=====

"Death and poverty like me so much... they brought friends!" - Vash the Stampede, Trigun, Ep. 8: And between the wasteland and the sky

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