I don’t believe Pixar to be overtly sexist generally speaking as a studio (but could certain individuals be who work for them out of the vast many which do?, Of course, they’re not of the borg mind after all and odds are at least a few of them are if even mildly. As long as they don’t let it show too much in their work, not much which can be said about it.).
I would indeed like to see a show where a female character was THE main character of course, and Brave is hopefully going to show that. I’m quite looking forward to it actually.
Granted it has to be said there is usually a REASON why so many studios and stories (NOT just Pixar) have so many males as THE main character not to mention the fact the gender divide is definitly not 50/50. This isn’t JUST Pixar but… nearly everywhere.
There’s economics to think of really for one (if we’re getting REALLY general here, not just Pixar and we think about those just in it for the big bucks.)
It’s apparently a lot easier for girl viewers to relate to a character regardless of gender. Apparently generally speaking boys are supposed to find it harder to do that (possible reasons are numerous, personally I like to blame society for somehow making it taboo for blokes to act in any way sensitive or relate and put themselves in the same place mentally as a woman. Lame society is lame.). This of course is not true for all boys/guys (or girls for that matter) but generally speaking? Apparently so. Girls are also (apparently) supposed to find it easier to WRITE guys unlike the other way around (once again, there are exceptions, but this seems to be something I’ve heard thrown around by my english teacher when I was still in school.).
BUT there is also the gross double standard some people hold characters in terms of gender when they are actually out there. Take hypothetical character X- A strong male character with certain characteristics. That character is ‘badass’. Change his gender. Suddenly he (I mean… SHE) is a Mary Sue or is as annoying as hell to many of the exact same people for some reason. Sure you do get some Gary Stus called out on, but female characters are more likely to get the label of being too ‘perfect’. Even when they DON’T deserve it and its untrue. The mis-labelling happens at a far higher rate than for the male characters.
Not to say that real Mary Sues or Gary Stus don’t exist (of course they do.) But not all of them are.
Female characters in general just don’t get a break. They’re either ‘too weak’, ‘too strong’, ‘too good at what they do’, ‘pathetic and useless’… it sometimes seems female characters just can’t win. Sad.
Heck, I’ve just realised that MOST (not all) of my favourite characters tend to be male too. Not all of them, but most of them. A part of this could be due to the fact the shows/movies were very male heavy to begin with (with Avatar: TLA as an exception)
Basically as -viewers-, we kind of suck sometimes when it comes to female characters. (This is why we can’t have nice things! ) . A male character is more likely to make bigger bucks than a female character. Easier to ‘get right’ mor ‘fit’ (apparently) too for whichever writer of any gender as mentioned. I find that too actually. I don’t know WHY, I just do. And last time I checked, I was female.
-Checks again-
Yup, still female.
I wouldn’t say Pixar was ‘sexist’ at all myself, no more than any other studio and they don’t show it much. Could they do with more female characters? Of course. But I don’t somehow see Pixar as evil misogynists who want to brainwash the kiddies into hating/forgetting/pigeonholing the women and keeping them in the sink ‘where they belong’. . They also have many stereotypes which can bug me (a lot sometimes) but not in the female area so much it seems to me, they actually have a fairly diverse female cast as I see it.
Oh and let’s not hurl insults please as I’ve seen above in earlier posts directed at people who called Pixar sexist. Honestly there is a reason why the Pixar fandom has a pretty bad reputation. If someone is mistaken just… don’t act like that to them and inform them as to why they are ‘wrong’…( you know with actual evidence and with actual discussion). I know I’ve thrown my own amount of ‘wank’ before in fandoms before but I’m just in no mood for it really now.