identity politics: harry potter edition
"But she's just not that... hot."
Or so spoke several women in my group of feminist friends, including myself, on the subject of one Ginverva Weasley in the newest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. One of us--yours truly--said this statement from beneath not one but two white, long-haired wigs, half-moon glasses and a bathrobe (worn in public- for the uninformed, I was in my full-on Dumbledore costume). Judging "hotness" would have seemed to be out of the question, but alas.
Yet, I still was there with everyone else, critiquing the Ginny Weasley depiction as just not "hot" enough. Far beyond it for us to exactly specify what we meant by "hot" but it probably involved some sort of Megan Fox/Scarlett Johnansson/Angelina Jolie mash-up that has seeped into our heads from The All-Powerful Pop Culture. Or perhaps, a more benign "hot": the Natalie Portman/Alexis Bledel/Julia Stiles vein? (I myself would opt for that second line of thought.) Regardless, none of us felt that Ginny made the "cut" for the girl of Harry's dreams-- and ours for Harry.
This strikes me as sad-- I am, to put it bluntly, disappointed in myself. Why must Ginny be a physical sexpot for me to deem her fit for the role as one of Hogwarts' most popular, date-worthy witches? (And yes, I do realize I am totally geeking out as I type this.) Why, though? Because, I still have a vision of "hot" as partially what I am told around me is "hot"-- and partially because, some women are just "hotter" than others to me-- and to many other men and women. And that's okay, at least I think it is-- and things like AfterEllen's Hot 100 List serve as markers that I'm not the only woman out there who judges other women by their looks, even if they think women are more than just objects to be looked at, or foes in a competitive struggle to be the hottest (here I harken back to Ye Olde Days of High School). Attraction comes in at many levels in real life: someone's laugh, their smile, or the way they communicate. But on the big screen? When imagining a perfect date for a beloved movie character? It's a whole lot of looks.
At the same time, is that the kind of standard we want to set? One of unattainable beauty and flawless, enviable features? When I looked at Bonnie Wright's Ginny Weasley, I felt like every girl had the potential looks to be Harry Potter's future-girlfriend-and-wife. While Ginny's mastery of wizardry and witchcraft are indeed spellbinding, her person on screen wasn't for me terribly... bewitching.
These roles were cast about 8 years ago, so there's explanation enough. And it's not as if I'm saying to boot out the current actress for some pin-up starlet. Nor were my female friends who likewise felt Ginny had a lack of necessary hotness for the role. That's not the real point, and my larger question remains: is judging women based on their attractiveness ever appropriate for women who (like to) consider themselves "feminists"? Is it always degrading or objectifying? What about for women who are attracted to these women more seriously?
And with those question, I'll so part from this quandary. And perhaps picture what would happen if Harry Potter ran into Rory Gilmore in the Room of Requirement instead. What? You say I'm embarrassing myself now? See ya...
Or so spoke several women in my group of feminist friends, including myself, on the subject of one Ginverva Weasley in the newest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. One of us--yours truly--said this statement from beneath not one but two white, long-haired wigs, half-moon glasses and a bathrobe (worn in public- for the uninformed, I was in my full-on Dumbledore costume). Judging "hotness" would have seemed to be out of the question, but alas.
Yet, I still was there with everyone else, critiquing the Ginny Weasley depiction as just not "hot" enough. Far beyond it for us to exactly specify what we meant by "hot" but it probably involved some sort of Megan Fox/Scarlett Johnansson/Angelina Jolie mash-up that has seeped into our heads from The All-Powerful Pop Culture. Or perhaps, a more benign "hot": the Natalie Portman/Alexis Bledel/Julia Stiles vein? (I myself would opt for that second line of thought.) Regardless, none of us felt that Ginny made the "cut" for the girl of Harry's dreams-- and ours for Harry.
This strikes me as sad-- I am, to put it bluntly, disappointed in myself. Why must Ginny be a physical sexpot for me to deem her fit for the role as one of Hogwarts' most popular, date-worthy witches? (And yes, I do realize I am totally geeking out as I type this.) Why, though? Because, I still have a vision of "hot" as partially what I am told around me is "hot"-- and partially because, some women are just "hotter" than others to me-- and to many other men and women. And that's okay, at least I think it is-- and things like AfterEllen's Hot 100 List serve as markers that I'm not the only woman out there who judges other women by their looks, even if they think women are more than just objects to be looked at, or foes in a competitive struggle to be the hottest (here I harken back to Ye Olde Days of High School). Attraction comes in at many levels in real life: someone's laugh, their smile, or the way they communicate. But on the big screen? When imagining a perfect date for a beloved movie character? It's a whole lot of looks.
At the same time, is that the kind of standard we want to set? One of unattainable beauty and flawless, enviable features? When I looked at Bonnie Wright's Ginny Weasley, I felt like every girl had the potential looks to be Harry Potter's future-girlfriend-and-wife. While Ginny's mastery of wizardry and witchcraft are indeed spellbinding, her person on screen wasn't for me terribly... bewitching.
These roles were cast about 8 years ago, so there's explanation enough. And it's not as if I'm saying to boot out the current actress for some pin-up starlet. Nor were my female friends who likewise felt Ginny had a lack of necessary hotness for the role. That's not the real point, and my larger question remains: is judging women based on their attractiveness ever appropriate for women who (like to) consider themselves "feminists"? Is it always degrading or objectifying? What about for women who are attracted to these women more seriously?
And with those question, I'll so part from this quandary. And perhaps picture what would happen if Harry Potter ran into Rory Gilmore in the Room of Requirement instead. What? You say I'm embarrassing myself now? See ya...
