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• 1 media/Merida Shooting.png 2017-12-12T21:18:32-08:00 Tabor, 3 14 The Echoes of the Past And Our Present image_header 2017-12-15T07:37:02-08:00

  "I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore, and I know too much to go back and pretend."
  -"I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy

  
  
  Lingering Stigmas:
  Even though we've made a lot of progress, there's still instances where society's previously established notions about women entering into the usually male-dominated world of comics, sci-fi and superheroes though lately it's played up for comedic effect in movies and especially TV since about half of the people buying comic books these days are in fact women. These instances also play up the old stereotype of male geeks being afraid of women to the point of when one or more walk into the comic book store they do nothing but stare in petrified wonder/'terror' as seen in these two clips from TV's "The Big Bang Theory":
  
  
  
  
  "The Big Bang Theory" also takes a comedic look at how women, especially those not so well-versed in comic lore, approach the material in this scene where Penny, Amy, and Bernadette start to discuss it amongst themselves like they were in a book club but when the 'finer points' of  the world of the comic is the topic it goes from a calm and civil discussion to a loud and heated argument between the three women
  
  
  
  Like I said, this is done purely for laughs but it does make a good point of how far we've come as a society in that while women are being accepted more and more into geek culture and/or making their presence within it known in a loud and big way despite the stigmas and naysaying that surround them each day from stereotypes that are fading off to the sexist comments some make that must be combatted each day, especially on the internet and social media. 
  
  
  Progress Takes Time: 
  
  Despite those stigmas of bygone days, ladies are making their presence known and felt not just in society in general but in pop/geek culture and the entertainment industry is helping further that reach by showcasing women who are strong and confident while also being kind and understanding which is being shown more as a strength equal to confidence and not as a weakness  like it used to be especially with female characters.
  
  Even Disney princesses are  evolving from ladies like Cinderella, Aurora, and especially Snow White who want nothing more than their prince to come and save them as they conform to societal expectations. They want the men to come in and give them their 'happily ever after' to women like Belle, Tiana, and Moana who do that for themselves and then some. After all Moana saved her entire village/people from being wiped out without a prince's aide while Snow White just did housework for seven little men before biting an apple and taking a nap  before a prince just so happened to come by and kiss her. Yes, all the Disney princesses have their strengths and weaknesses as individuals making all of them equally awesome but if we look at them as a reflection of the times then the contrast between these ladies is incredibly striking. 
  
  Then there are the Disney princesses who not only save themselves and the world around them but also show young girls that they are awesome no matter what and that it's ok to be the person you are-it's what makes you so unique so be proud of it. Princesses like Mulan, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Merida, Rapunzel, Elsa, and to a point Ariel show girls that despite what others may think or what you yourself may think-you are a person of worth and have so much to offer to be proud of that and don't let anything stop you from showing that awesomeness to the world for that could inspire others to take pride in and show off their own unique awesomeness too.
  
  Of course  it only makes sense that Disney has joined in on the female empowerment movement with their "Dream Big, Princess" campaign which shows how "for every girl that dreams big, there is a princess to show her it's possible"(as they put it) thus showing that even a princess can be someone who takes action and not sits around waiting for and letting someone else take action. It also shows that every girl can be a princess regardless of who she is, where she's from and so on. This is something that today's young girls, if not women of all ages, etc.. need to see, hear, and know cause that in turn becomes a tool for them to build and have confidence in themselves and help them thing that regardless of what lies in their way they can do anything they put their minds to and more!!!