Bigotry in the Potterverse

[sistermagpie at earthlink.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 188088

 > Magpie:
> > Discount it how? I wasn't referring to girls maturing faster. There's a pretty clear pattern in the books of how girls and boys interact that goes far beyond girls maturing faster that boys. 

Rick:   
> Well, you're going to have to spell it then.  Regarding sexism in the 
> books, how else are girls and boys trying out those new hormones 
> SUPPOSED to act in your world view? 

Magpie:
I don't think they're *supposed to act* any one way. In the books there's a pretty common pattern of girls scheming, always a few steps ahead of the boys, using love potions or other forms of manipulations. Girls who are too obvious about crushing on boys are okay when they're pre-adolescent (so too young to know better), but women who are too direct in their sexual aggression fter that are grotesque or figures of ridicule (especially if they're not attractive). Basically, it's the men's job to pursue, but the women are probably already pursuing in their indirect way. Males are for the most part the confunded object of female romantic wiles. We do eventually get 3 more predatory males I can think of. Fenrir (a DE), Cormac (who doesn't know he's part of Hermione's romantic scheme) and Viktor, who started out seemingly shy but by DH seems to be scanning the wedding and complaining there aren't enough good looking girls. 

Plot-wise, male friendships and male relationships with each other change history and move the plot, while females have their most important relationships with men, with their friendships with each other presented in ways that rather hint of a relative shallowness. The giggling girls that are around Cho and Lily, for instance. The main female friendships we see is between Lavender and Parvati, girls who are usually being presented as silly compared to Hermione (but sometimes do converse with her on the subject of boys). What we see of Ginny and Hermione's friendship is largely based on their love lives. They are sisters in law before they're sisters in law, and in a scene that I read as signalling that Harry/Ginny was finally about to happen, Ginny insults Hermione nastily and personally in Harry's defense. Jealousy and a basic mistrust of each other also is more expected than with boys--who can also be jealous of romantic rivals but that often goes along with a more neutral admiration. 

-m