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Katniss Everdeen: Feminist hero in teenage fiction at last?

After Twilight’s Bella Swan left an entire generation of girls lusting after what is essentially an abusive and controlling relationship described as the ultimate declaration of true love, it’s safe to say that teenage fiction needs a new empowering female protagonist for damage control. After watching the film and reading the books, my initial thoughts were that Katniss is a much better role model than Bella: but is she the feminist hero we really need in teenage literature?

Let’s examine what makes Katniss a good role model: Katniss is incredibly brave. When her sister Prim is selected to play in the Hunger Games, meaning almost certain death, she volunteers in her place. We learn that when her father died, it was Katniss who kept her family together despite her young age and her mother falling into despair. She hunts the food that feeds her family or is sold to fund the family’s other needs. She’s a respected member of the District 12 community and no stranger to hard work. Courage is an excellent quality and Katniss also demonstrates good, strong family values.

Katniss does not want or need a boyfriend and does not depend on him when she gets one. It is clear that her friend Gale harbors a romantic attachment to her from the beginning and Peeta’s affections for her are very much real. While playing with Peeta’s emotions isn’t entirely fair on Peeta, it shows that Katniss is strong and clever enough to ...

“Bones” and its treatment of a transgender murder victim

Although a huge fan of the TV series Bones, when I first came across the episode entitled “The He in the She”, I became a little worried. The television and film industry is notorious for handling trans characters in a way that is nowhere near sensitive or courteous; in fact, many people do not even see the need to approach this subject properly and people do not see it as an issue that trans people are mocked widely in TV and film. Whereas people largely recognise that homophobia, racism and other similar issues are wrong and try to avoid them now, transphobia is rife in popular media. Despite this, I feel the show handles the treatment of a trans murder ...

Although a huge fan of the TV series Bones, when I first came across the episode entitled “The He in the She”, I became a little worried. The television and film industry is notorious for handling trans ...

Reading classic literature through feminist eyes

Having recently decided to re-read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women series (the last time being when I was around 10 years old), I’ve noticed there are many aspects to the story that I’m struggling to come to terms with. What started off as a desire to expand my knowledge of the Classics, has turned into an analysis of the rampant sexist stereotypes within the books.

‘Tomboy’ Jo is one of the best examples. In the beginning of the novel, Jo exerts examples of ‘boyish’ behaviour which are slowly stamped out of her by the end of the series. Despite claiming she will never marry, she does indeed marry and have children, becoming the very matronly figure she used to be so ...

Having recently decided to re-read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women series (the last time being when I was around 10 years old), I’ve noticed there are many aspects to the story that I’m struggling to come to ...

Is Vogue’s decision not to use “too skinny” models really a step in the right direction?

Recently, top fashion magazine Vogue announced it was not going to use “obviously anorexic” models. On the surface, this appears to be a good step in the right direction. Without a doubt, the media plays a huge part in influencing the way we think about our bodies, largely teaching us that skinny is desirable and applauding those who take drastic measures to lose weight. Magazines like Vogue are well known for using slim models and it is arguable that their lack of diversity in the size of their models contributes to many people’s insecurities about their weight.

However, there is a problem to be found in the new exclusion of skinny models. The most common mistake that seems to be made ...

Recently, top fashion magazine Vogue announced it was not going to use “obviously anorexic” models. On the surface, this appears to be a good step in the right direction. Without a doubt, the media plays a huge ...