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"Mum, why isn't Wonder Woman wearing any clothes?"

Louise Phillips looks at the role models for young women and finds them lacking.

LAST WEEK MY four-year granddaughter asked her mother, “why isn’t Wonder Woman wearing any clothes?”

It was a valid question from a mind oblivious to the fact that female superheroes wearing the equivalent of underwear is normal, while their male counterparts are usually covered from their ankles up.

Establishing illogical gender norms in young minds may not bother everyone, but as a parent and a grandparent, it irks the hell out of me.

Humans are like other species in the animal kingdom – they’re designed to find ways to survive. They observe by taking in the world around them, adopting social norms. Why? Because if they don’t, they risk being ostracised. And by extension, survival – staying within the pack is safer.

If the things children observe are so important, and part of how they grasp the world, you’d like to see some impressive role models.

Lack of female characters

Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Max and Ruby are all popular children’s cartoons. Along with characters from Frozen, they fill the aisles of toy stores.

For those of you unfamiliar with Paw Patrol, it has six puppies; five males and one female. The female pup doesn’t feature a lot. There is a boy who is the human boss/leader, but Chase is the top pup. He is male and he wears blue.

My granddaughter is particularly fond of him, seeing herself naturally as a leader. In her imaginary world, coincidently, she’s usually male, she saves the day and her favourite colour is blue.

Dream Toys 2015 Paw Patrol Paw Patroller Toy PA Archive / Press Association Images PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Despite hearing a second female pup is being added, I worry that with a personality described as hyperactive, playful and very fond of Jake, who she hugs and licks a lot, this character might not be a natural leader.

Women moan, men lead

Peppa Pig does have a lead female role. Unfortunately, she’s also moany and annoying.

Mammy Pig is clever, but she is never in charge of anything. She stands back while Daddy Pig, an idiot, is in charge. Everyone marches behind Daddy even though he’ll get them lost in the woods, or worse.

Cartoon translation: it’s okay to marry a fool and have them in charge of your world. It’s ridiculous, yet we buy Peppa Pig lunchboxes and a lot more besides.

Peppa Pig and George Pig EMPICS Sport / Press Association EMPICS Sport / Press Association / Press Association

Another favourite is Max and Ruby – note the male name first. Ruby is the older sister, Max is the younger brother. He gets up to all kinds of mischief, doing the fun stuff. Ruby is sensible. She says things like, “don’t do that”.

Cartoons tell us female boss equals whiney bitch; male boss equals leader.

Males in charge

If you want superheroes, there’s PJ Masks with Catboy, the blue-eyed boy who leads the group. Usually he’s not the best person for the job, but he leads anyway. Translation – he’s in charge because he talks the talk, and he’s male.

So in this world our children frequent, the place where they learn the rules by observing and applying imitating behaviour, the males are in charge.

If in Paw Patrol, the random blonde female is only featured when she wants to make the dogs look pretty, or Daddy in Peppa Pig is always followed by the other pigs, and Catboy, in PJ Masks, despite being an idiot, is running the show, what are these cartoons selling? Because there is selling going on.

Follow the money

Which brings me back to Frozen, Disney’s biggest grossing animated movie of all time.

There’s good and bad here. Good, because the movie broke the Disney Princess movies predominantly aimed at girls. In Frozen, we got a movie with female leads which boys and girls flocked to.

Disney On Ice Frozen launch - London Dominic Lipinski / Press Association Dominic Lipinski / Press Association / Press Association

It’s bad because the character receiving the most attention is not the heroine.

Elsa has the power to freeze things and is hidden away because she’s ashamed of her powers. But the real heroine is Anna, the other sister, who wants to save everyone and is prepared to die for the cause. Most of the merchandising is around Elsa, the taller, blonder sister rather than Anna, the short redhead.

There have been similar scandals surrounding the Avengers and Star Wars. Both the strong female heroines didn’t get their own action figures while all the male characters did. The reason? Toy companies assumed only boys play with action figures, and they wouldn’t buy them if they were women.

Eventually, after a large outcry, Rey and Black Widow figures were added to the merchandise lines.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise launch Star Wars' Daisy Ridley and John Boyega holding up their characters action figures PA Archive / Press Association Images PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Part of the reason that shows aimed at children have so many male characters is the belief that they can make more money from selling merchandise.

When my granddaughter asked why Wonder Woman wasn’t wearing any clothes, her mother didn’t launch into a rant about how too often the validation of woman is portrayed through their sexuality and as objects for men.

Instead, my daughter complimented her on asking a great question. In her four-year-old world she thought it odd that a female superhero wore only underwear, and long may she think it.

Louise Phillips is a best-selling crime novelist. Her latest novel, The Game Changer, is available nationwide.

Read: A campaign wants you go give old wrestling toys to a five-year-old boy that has cancer

Read: Target got rid of ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ toys, and got quite a reaction

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139 Comments
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    Mute Rodger O Waters
    Favourite Rodger O Waters
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    Dec 12th 2011, 7:24 PM

    I do not have a trace element of trust in Kenny/Gilmore,they will do what they are told irrespective of Irish national interests.

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    Mute Réada Quinn
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    Dec 12th 2011, 7:44 PM

    I can’t wait that long to write my squiggly IR £ sign again. So much prettier than the €! Ah…

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    Mute Liam Ó Broin
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    Dec 12th 2011, 9:09 PM

    You mightn’t *have* to wait that long Réada. The morkets are at it again, getting all scared in their boots. :P

    19
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    Mute Réada Quinn
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    Dec 12th 2011, 9:16 PM

    I don’t thunk so either Spud. Even Mercozy will get fed up of being whores to those Market pimps. Oh sorry – wimps !

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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Dec 13th 2011, 4:25 AM

    Can anyone say when the government are back after their Christmas break please

    1
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    Mute corky2004
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    Dec 12th 2011, 7:48 PM

    In other words “Let’s just wait until the hype blows over and we’ll sneak it through in march”

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    Mute Niall Sheridan
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    Dec 12th 2011, 7:21 PM

    Yeah. Let’s not rush. Wasn’t it Brian Cowan who wanted to wait until March – and remember what happened him!!

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    Mute Ardo Ci
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    Dec 13th 2011, 12:33 AM

    Well said!

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    Mute Lou Brennan
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    Dec 12th 2011, 8:42 PM

    Well when the inner elite of the dail get their act together.
    Here’s my decision – No .
    And when their puppeteers give them a yank on their strings to re-run the whole show the answer will be still
    NO

    22
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    Mute Paul Mallon
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    Dec 13th 2011, 7:34 AM

    There act is together, it just doesn’t involve anything to do with Ireland’s best interests.

    1
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    Mute Liam Hanrahan
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    Dec 12th 2011, 8:03 PM

    Ridiculous for people to be hoping we go back to the punt, we’d be crippled by inflation, our currency would be devalued all the time. We’d also be tied to sterling like in the 80s where any ups and downs in the uk forced changes on us ( punt was proportioned to sterling).

    18
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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Dec 12th 2011, 8:55 PM

    I suspect we are not likely to see much of either the Euro or a referendum in March as the beleaguered currency is already in trouble one working day after Merkosy’s latest feeble effort.
    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-12/stocks-euro-commodities-fall-as-rating-companies-assess-summit.html

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    Mute Stephen Kearon
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    Dec 13th 2011, 1:16 AM

    well said Liam, also sterling is as vunerable, or not more so than Euro

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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Dec 13th 2011, 4:32 AM

    The Irish pound and Pound sterling came about in the late 70′s around and it caused big hassle for a while but the after effects were hard in the eighties approx 87/88 we started to pay huge interest on mortgages 18% but if this Government do not get their act together we might have to call it a day for them
    How can we have confidence in them so how can we support such a doddery leadership of OUR STATE

    1
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    Mute JeasusBigBalls
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    Dec 12th 2011, 7:45 PM

    He’s not into the Smartphones yet by that Pic. A good auld Nokia with Angela Dorothea on speed dial 1.

    12
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    Mute Paul Mallon
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    Dec 13th 2011, 7:32 AM

    I was just thinking that myself! what the hell decade is that phone from? My cat has a better phone than that.

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    Mute John Murphy
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    Dec 12th 2011, 9:08 PM

    The’re be a plenty of back scratching and belly tickling going on to fiddle this one between this and March. Constitutional lawyers will be doing the soft shoe shuffle at the Xmas parties all over town.

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    Mute Toureag
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    Dec 12th 2011, 8:17 PM

    Yawn…..

    6
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    Mute Mike Hall
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    Dec 13th 2011, 12:18 AM

    Video of talk by Dr Heiner Flassbeck, former deputy finance minister of Germany speaking at the University of Texas. He explains how Germany manipulated & exacerbated the imbalances of the Eurozone. An attempt at ‘beggar thy neighbour’ that backfired, exposing the failure of neo liberal economics thinking that continues to offer ‘solutions’ that aren’t. Linked at nakedcapitalism.com here:

    http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/12/class-war-low-wages-and-beggar-thy-neighbor.html

    A must watch for Euro citizens. Some extraordinary honesty in this & excellent analysis.

    6
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