[HPforGrownups] anti-SHIP: Ginny griping

[Laura Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 35210

SANDI SAID:
>It's Hermione, the intensely academic bookworm who is atypical of girls of 
>this age.  Ginny is much more feminine and is will ing to wear her heart on 
>her sleeve and take the risk of rejection or ridicule; Hermione only does 
>that when she tries to participate in Snape's class, not with boys.  
>Socially, she's a bit of a late bloomer, I think.

*swells to twice her normal size, which is still pathetically unthreatening* Contrary to popular belief, the average teenage girl *is* capable of better attributes than being "feminine" and emotionally easy to read.  *Tries unsuccessfully to smooth her ruffled fur* Growl.  Hermione is intelligent and brave and confident and I don't understand people who refuse to recognize these facts.  It's like the columnist who said that JKR had no "strong" female characters and accused Hermione of being (oh, horror of horrors) unattractive and brainy.  *WHY* does everyone assume that the only power worth having for a girl is *sexual* (which, of course, suggests that the only power a female should have is given by males). No one ever gets on Harry or Ron's case for being unattractive.

Agh.  Furthermore, I believe that Hermione certainly showed a mature, responsible attitude to the contorted, if juvenile, romantic relations in GoF.  While Ginny *did* manage to pull it all off with considerably more dignity than the boys, she also had a relatively easy time of it all.  Hermione, on the other hand, had to deal with the whole Victor/Ron thing *and* that Rita Skeeter article about her and Harry.  If her calm and mature reaction to that article doesn't show lack of concern for romantic ridicule, I don't know what does.  IMHO, Ginny, in the same situation, would have been an emotional, embarrassed wreck about the whole thing, causing the situation to be worse than it actually was.

I could list several situations in which Hermione risked ridicule or embarrassment in order to do what she believed to be right (notably SPEW and her refusal to take Trewlaney's ramblings seriously).  If many of these instances did not have anything to do with romance, does it make them less brave or risk-taking on her part? Again, why does the only function of a young female seem to be being pretty, sensitive, emotional, etc?

Not that Hermione is anything *but* sensitive.  Remember in GoF, after Harry's fight with Ron, Harry is dreading going to the Great Hall for breakfast, but as he enters the common room, Hermione is there to intercept him with food and a suggestion to take a walk, which Harry (with much relief and gratitude) accepts.  I could have kissed Hermione at this point.  She was exactly where her friend needed her to be at that point.  She not only had the sensitivity and presence of mind to recognize Harry's situation, but also knew *exactly* how to react, given the circumstances.  It was almost as if she had read Harry's mind - this suggests her to be quite a bit more empathic than most people seem to be willing to give her credit for.  Furthermore, she shows insight into both of the boys' mental conditions throughout the majority of the books.  She knew exactly what was wrong with Ron in GoF, didn't she?  Not that it was particularly hard to figure out, but she also managed to be both supportive of Harry while also tactfully trying to get him to see Ron's side of the situation *and* vice versa.

Moreover, I severely oppose Sandi's assertion that Hermione is not "feminine".  First of all, as we see the story from Harry POV and Hermione is more likely to behave in a stereotypically female fashion while in the company of other females (who knows whether or not she and Pavarti share late-night giggles over the boys they have crushes on), I do not believe it to be fair to assume that Hermione lacks these "feminine virtues".  Furthermore, who says that femininity is all about "wearing your heart on your sleeve" and the like?  Why can't someone be devoted to learning and feminine at the same time?  Where it is stated that, in order to be feminine, one must abstain from being assertive or bookworm-ish?

If all teenage girls were like Ginny, I would probably be driven to suicide.  For me, at least, being friends with a person like Ginny is extremely emotionally stressful.  You just can't trust people such as she to have a grasp on their own emotions or what they really want and/or need.  Therefore, they are constantly putting themselves in situations that will inevitably bring pain and suffering upon themselves and, potentially, the people around them.  I am constantly thinking "I told you so." about people such as she.  Not only are they unable to take care of themselves, but they insist on making the same mistakes over and over, regardless to the attempts of others to help them.  They also have the extremely annoying habit of begging for this help once they have gotten themselves into trouble (again) and generally being weepy and self-pitying after they have become deeply entrench in an undesirable situation (for the millionth time in a row).  I'm not saying that one ought to close oneself off, emotionally, from the world in order to remain unhurt, but some people *seriously* never learn.

People like Hermione, on the other hand, you can generally trust to do what they believe to be *right*, whether or not you agree with them.  I do not worry about the friends I have who are like Hermione, nor do they expect me to worry about them.  They are strong and have a good sense of self that enables them to correctly deduce what they want and need and then act accordingly.  As shown with the SPEW incident, Hermione is unwilling to back down on her morals or beliefs simply because they are unpopular.  While she may have gone a little overboard (hey, no one can be perfect all the time), she *was* IMHO essentially in the right.

Of course, this all just my take on Ginny and Hermione's personalities.  Much of this is speculation and what I have read into the actual text.  However, the accusation of Hermione, at least, to be unfeminine and emotionally immature *is*, IMHO, canonically disputed.
 
laura



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