Stereotypical Sexism (was Re: Stereotypes, Sexism & Masterful Writing Reviewed)

[sarcasticmuppet]

No: HPFGUIDX 88453

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "spang_b" <spang_b at y...> wrote:
> Hi,
>   Yeah, beauty can be inside, but I was specifically referring to, 
> physical beauty, attractiveness. I agree with what you said but 
that 
> doesn't detract from what I said. That, in HP novels, good male 
> characters can be physically beautiful but not the female ones.
>   The so called beautiful people might just have been airbrushed 
and 
> made up to look good but that can't take away from the fact that 
> some people can be physically attractive at some point in their 
lives
> ( not all the time, granted). Physical beauty might not have the 
> value placed on it by today's advertising age but it still has some 
> value.
>   The issue acquires importance since, JKR persistently links 
> physical description to character. (Voldemort has a snake like face 
> etc.) If that is the case, what does the fact that only Bellatrix 
is 
> beautiful among all the female charcaters signify? That female 
> beauty is a trap, an outwardly attractive thing that is designed to 
> ensare innocent people? A well designed mask for horrible pursuit 
of 
> power? Good females in her world are jolly, smart and loving but 
not 
> beautiful and don't seem to care much about their appearances. So 
> those who do care are either bimbettes or are using it for some 
> ulterior motive?
>   It has been said in this discussion, that the author's depiction 
> of an uneven world doesn't imply sexism on the part of author. 
> However, I think this persistent denial of beauty to female 
> characters, does imply some kind of prejudice on the part of the 
> author.
> 
> spangb

You have to remember that these books are from Harry's point of view, 
and the only females he really describes as pretty/beautiful (aside 
from Bellatrix) are Cho Chang, Hermione, and Fleur Delacour.  None of 
these are "bimbettes," and none of them are actively fighting on the 
dark side.  

Cho Chang is in Ravenclaw, so she possesses the cleverness necessary 
to personify that house.  No bimbo there.  Yes, she's a bit...twitty, 
but she IS sixteen, hormonal, and lost her first love (Cedric) under 
bad circumstances.  Cut her some slack.

Fleur Delacour, as a Beauxbatons champion, needed to be very 
intelligent to get through the tasks.  Again, bimbo-esque qualities 
are absent.

Hermione is the only one Harry has actually known for for an extended 
period of time, and though he only notices her as physically "pretty" 
in GoF, this is because HARRY didn't care about Hermione's looks 
until that point, not because HERMIONE didn't.  Like I said in post 
88388, Hermione's changes in appearance at the Yule Ball were due 
only to hair and clothing, which are not the true indicators of 
physical beauty.  Harry asserts his opinion of Hermione's looks in 
OotP when he says "but you're not ugly" when Hermione was bushy 
haired and wearing her school uniform.