Girl+Power+All+Around,+Stacey+Rand

Banet-Weiser states in her book //Kids Rule,// “The most common critique or analysis about the gender politics of kids TV is that male characters and male themes dominate, and that female characters are primarily depicted as hyperfeminine and sexual” (108). In the past, there was a misuse of power among female characters which depicted them in a negative light. Females were shown as “corrupt female villains” or “hyperfeminine animated characters” (Banet-Weiser, 108). Disney movies brought female power onto an entire new level; feminine power was separated into two categories, “corrupting, evil, and lethal” or “binary, innocent, and pure” (Banet-Weiser, 108). The innocence of a Disney Princess made her perfectly susceptible to abuse from more powerful figures. Other (evil) female characters “had too much power for their own good” which symbolized to audiences that women in power caused catastrophe and pure evil to the goodness of the world (Banet-Weiser, 109). These Disney fairy-tales left young girl viewers with two choices, “the powerless but beloved masochist or the powerful but detested narcissist” (Banet-Weiser, 109). **In this research report, I am going to find examples of this female misuse of power in the Pre-Clarissa era, show how Nickelodeon ‘changed the game’ with //Clarissa Explains It All//, explain Nickelodeon’s progress in programming succeeding //Clarissa// and finally outline the next steps in my research. **

**Examples of Female Misuse of Power in the Pre-Clarissa Era (NON ‘Girl-Power’ Shows) **

**__Rainbow Brite __****: She was a “character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards” (Rainbow Brite, Wikipedia). Rainbow Brite was an animated show that first aired in 1984. Rainbow Brite was targeted towards kids as it was programmed during the Kideo TV segment on DIC. Rainbow was sexualized with her mini-dress, long eye-lashes, and bare legs exposed in her every-episode attire. **

**__Barbie __****: Although Barbie was not a television show, it is a very popular children’s toy that conveys extreme sexuality and should be discussed as part of the misuse of female power within children’s media. Barbie is a doll in a fully developed woman’s body. She has many clothes and accessories and a child has free-will to play with Barbie however he/she would like. Some outfits and accessories may have negative impacts on young girls to look or act a certain way. Although this is extremely subjective, the fact that Barbie is a full-figured woman who exemplifies ‘the perfect body’ __could__ be represented as misuse of Girl Power. **

**__Disney Princesses__ ****: ** In every Disney Princess movie, the protagonist female embodies a dependent, sexualized, and/or victim who is in need of savior (usually from a man). Many times, the princess will exemplify all of these characteristics. In //Aladdin//, Jasmine is dependent on Aladdin and her tiger Rajah to be happy and feel free in her sheltered life. This leads to her being a victim in need of saving. She relies on Aladdin to save her from her royal life because she cannot escape by herself. Her clothing and body are sexualized. She is a full-figured curvy woman wearing a cropped shirt exposing her complete midriff. Ariel, in //The Little Mermaid// is another example of this female powerlessness. Ariel is dependent of Ursula the sea witch, as it is her desire to experience life out of the sea and cannot do it alone. She must give Ursula her voice in order to be granted such a wish. She finds her human love Eric and he saves her from the ocean storm and kills Ursula (who had control over Ariel). Without her savior (Eric), Ariel would still be a victim and dependent of Ursula. Ariel is sexualized in her shell-bra and most of her upper body exposed.

(Jasmine Dependent of Aladdin)

This list could go on and on from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle.

__ Betty Boop: __ **First appearing in the media in the 1930’s, Betty Boop is iconic for being the first sexualized animated character. ** **﻿ ** **How Nickelodeon ‘Changed the Game’ with Clarissa ** So, “Girl Power” in essence has always existed, but Nickelodeon has challenged the old female stereotypes (sexualized, victim, dependent) and instead used their programming to __empower__ young girls to see these gender dynamics in an entire new light. They changed the meaning of Girl Power in children’s media. The network did this by casting a female protagonist in a positive light with its debut of its first monumental Girl Power program, //Clarissa Explains it All// in 1991. Clarissa paved the way for other Girl Power shows to proceed. ‘“Clarissa Explains it All” is heralded for being the first Nickelodeon series to feature a female lead. The show helped open doors for shows such as “The Secret World of Alex Mack” and “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.” The show earned high ratings for a cable kid’s show and was a headliner on Nickelodeon’s SNICK (Saturday Night Nick) lineup” (Moore, 2008).

**Nickelodeon’s ‘Girl Power’ Line-up __After__ Clarissa ** “And, in the world of children’s television, programs about self-confident, assertive, and intelligent girls such as Nickelodeon’s 1991 hit //Clarissa Explains It All//, and the network’s more recent animated programs such as //As Told by Ginger, Rocket Power,// and //The Wild Thornberries//, initiated a new trend in programming that actively rejected the conventional industry wisdom that children’s shows with girl leads could not be successful” (Banet-Weiser, 105). __ Nick News __ (1992-present): News topics that cover gender issues, body image, bullying, girls’ sports. __ The Secret World of Alex Mack __ (1994-1998): Alex Mack had mysterious abilities such as changing her shape, moving objects with her mind, and zapping people with small electrical shocks. The main characters are Alex, her older sister Annie, and her best friend Ray. However, the show revolves around Alex and her life. __ The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo __ (1996-1998): This children’s television series revolves around Shelby’s adventures of solving mystery cases. Shelby is independent as she took on adventures of her own without parent dependency and it shows that Shelby is intelligent and has goals as she is an intern at the local police department. __ The Wild Thornberries __ (1998-2004): This animated show features protagonist Eliza Thornberry as she travels around the world with her family. Eliza has the ability to speak to animals. She is caring, adventurous, independent and intelligent. __ The Amanda Show __ (1999-2002): This was a sketch-comedy show stemming off of Nickelodeon’s other popular sketch-comedy //All That//. The lead cast-member is Amanda Bynes and she acts in a variety of comical sketches. //The Amanda Show// shows Amanda Bynes’ array of talent in acting and comedy. She is confident, intelligent, and can pull off any role conceivable. __ Rocket Power __ (1999-2004): Reggie Rocket is the protagonist female in this animated Nickelodeon series. Reggie is tough enough to play and keep up with the boys in all athletic activities. She has goals and a vision to be a publisher and even has her own magazine. Reggie’s personality is more mature than the other boys and she remains calm in stressful situations. __ As Told by Ginger __ (2000-2003): This is an animated series that deals with Ginger and her group of girlfriends in Middle School. Ginger is caught in between her loyalty to her lifelong friends and fitting in with the popular group. Ginger, being just an average girl shows empowerment to young girls through the issues that she deals with socially at a school. __ iCarly __ (2007-): iCarly brings females interacting with technology into a whole new light. Carly Shay is the care-taker of her older brother, has two best friends, and her own web-show…all the while attending high school. ** Next Steps ** I will be watching episodes of //iCarly// and //Clarissa Explains It All// to find comparisons and differences in the aspects of how Girl Power is portrayed. Also, I will find excerpts from //iCarly// that show different instances when she does empower girls and does not. Excerpts of empowerment might consist of scenes where Carly is a good-role model, assertive, intelligent, and self-confident. Non-Girl Power would be examples of sex appeal, bad morals, etc.

References: Banet-Weiser, S. (2007). Girls Rule!. // Kids Rule!. // (105-109). London: Duke University Press. Moore, M. (2008, April 29). // Top 20 kid shows from the 80s & 90s. // Retrieved from [] **Rainbow Brite. (n.d.). In // Wikipedia //. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from [] **


 * Don't know why all the fonts are different, no matter what I did, they wouldn't become uniform...