15 votes

Why do political ads love to feature girls instead of women? Defiant young girls have become a political symbol in a country that fears grown women.

Posted by spit-evil-olive-tips
Tags: usa, politics, 2020 us presidential election, girls, identity, society, advertising.political, author.rebecca traister, source.new york magazine, paywall
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/11/why-do-political-ads-love-to-feature-girls-instead-of-women.html

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Title
America's 'Daughters' Grow Up To Be Women It Can't Handle
Authors
Rebecca Traister
Published
Nov 13 2020
Word count
1987 words

4 comments

  1. [3]
    moocow1452
    (edited )
    Link
    This is going to be an odd connection, but it kind of reminds me of something of a trend in media, where child heroes are deputized by a power to "fight the forces of evil," but more often than...

    This is going to be an odd connection, but it kind of reminds me of something of a trend in media, where child heroes are deputized by a power to "fight the forces of evil," but more often than not they're imposing that power's societal values on their opposition in a more palatable form.

    Puella Magi Madoka Magica Explicitly the magical girl to witch pipeline in Madoka, where our magical girl heroines have their souls removed from their bodies, locking them into an undead youth, and wearing them down in their battles against witches, until they decay into the witches that the next batch have to fight against. The system in play doesn't allow for elder stateswomen of magical justice, because your options are stay blind to the system and fight it until you die in battle, or give in to despair, "grow up," and become an obstacle to the next generation. Even in the finale where our heroine apotheosises herself into the goddess of a new and just system, she is still a girl in command of magic, and the only thing that changes is that magical girls are whisked off into a valhalla upon death and a decay into witchhood can simply no longer happen. You never even have to become a woman, you can lock yourself in youth for the cause and then immortalize yourself in the promised paradise where your legend can live forever.

    Under that interpretation, young girls can save the future, but the best that adult women can do is raise them and try not to cause trouble.

    EDIT: Clarity and flow.

    13 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. moocow1452
        Link Parent
        Was implying that in that particular framing that an ambitious girl is eventually fated to become an annoying woman, but I probably could have made that clearer.

        Was implying that in that particular framing that an ambitious girl is eventually fated to become an annoying woman, but I probably could have made that clearer.

        10 votes
      2. skybrian
        Link Parent
        A typo I'm guessing: "Stacy Abrams"

        A typo I'm guessing: "Stacy Abrams"

        5 votes
  2. Good_Apollo
    Link
    Cynically, I think it’s because there’s a sexual angle.

    Cynically, I think it’s because there’s a sexual angle.

    1 vote