Post #3
Of course I have heard of and knew who Betty Boop was, but it wasn't until Monday's class when we watched the two Betty Boop cartoons that I realized how sexists it was. I think what surprised me the most was the unrealistic expectations of a woman's body that were instilled even in the 1930s. In todays society unrealistic expectations for women's bodies is a given. Video games and cartoons show impossibly proportionate cartoon women, models are air brushed to death, and movie stars are starving themselves to meet the expectations. In some ways I think of these images as more modern day images but the Betty Boop cartoon showed me it started a long time ago.Betty Boop is the quintessential "ideal" woman figure. She has big bobs, big hips, long legs, and an impossibly small waist. If there was a woman with those dimensions in real life she would topple over because her body wouldn't be able to support her. This is the same way cartoon females are represented today. Even though, it is so common I don't think it will ever stop being at least mildly shocking to me the way they are drawn. Air brushed models are one thing but the cartoon females take it to a whole new level.
If Betty Boop's body proportions weren't bad enough she is also apparently without a brain. All she really ever says is "boo boo bop." No matter what the situation is that is Betty Boop's line. She is given the intellectual and language skills of a baby. This is even more shown in the flashback portion of the Betty Boop cartoon. Betty Boop is shown as a baby saying the same thing "boo boo bop." Poor Betty was never allowed to advance beyond the baby talk stage.
Of course Betty Boop is a very redicolous portroyal of a woman in the sense of how she walks, talk, and looks, but after reading your post I was left wondering why she looks that way. Do you think the animators are all male chauvinists? Being this is a class about understanding animation, I wonder what lead up to this point. For instance, who influenced the animators and what logic did they use when they decided to portray Betty unrealistically. Maybe they had to over emphasize her dumbness and looks as a vehicle to drive the story?
ReplyDeleteThough I agree that Betty Boop's character is definitely construed in a sexist light, her appearance as such is what made her popular. I do agree that her proportions are unrealistic and quite frankly frightening, but her movement is captivating and grabs your attention. Whether individuals agree with how she was drawn or not, she has become a well-recognized figure that people admire.
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