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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Gender Roles in Miraculous Ladybug

Miraculous Ladybug is filled with excellent subversions of gender stereotypes. And no, I'm not just going to say it's feminist, because what I'm talking about is much broader than that. The show is filled with characters that refuse to fit the standard roles their gender lays out for them, both for female and male roles.

Let's start with the most obvious example, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or Ladybug. It's pretty clear that her character and function in the story revolts against stereotypes of femininity: she is a woman—well, a girl—but she leads her team, which is a traditionally male role. She is the decision-maker, the rationalist, the realist, the one who catastrophizes before she hopes—this is stark contrast to the traditional expectation that women follow and comfort, holding the team up with optism and joy. She is the head, not the heart (that's Adrien). She is driven, strong, determined, and self-assured.

Adrien, too, subverts stereotypes—perhaps more than Marinette, although it's not something you notice immediately like Marinette's subversions. (This is because we're familiar with the patterns feminist characters, but not the anti-sexism found in Adrien.) At heart, Adrien is arguably the most clasically "feminine" character in the show. On the surface, it's easy to see—he is a model, objectified for his beauty, something that has been done to women for all of history and is still being done today. But it runs deeper, too. He is submissive, mild, willing to bend to other's will—both his father's and Ladybug's, as well as the desires of other people in his class like Chloe and Lila (both of whom are, interestingly, women). His kindness and sensitivity, as well as his role as the heart and support when suited up, all mirror traditionally feminine traits and roles.

And yet, despite all this subversion, neither of the main characters are simply a rebellion against stereotypes. It's clear in Chat Noir's tendency to flirt and his function as a protector, but it's especially evident in Marinette, who doesn't just subvert female stereotypes—she also fulfills them.

Marinette is a leader, a thinker, a pessimist, but she's also interested in fashion and art, both of which are considered feminine. More than that, she's incredibly kind, exemplifying that women can abandon the negative feminine stereotypes of submission and obedience without sacrificing the positives like kindness and selflessness. And finally, she's clearly not a "strong independent woman who don't need no man" because she wants a man. No, she doesn't need a boyfriend, but she wants one. True feminism doesn't mean women throwing aside all romantic relationships, it means not pressuring women either way, into or away from romance. Marinette can be strong and independent while still loving someone and wanting to be loved back.

The character in Miraculous Ladybug are not governed by stereotypes. They were written to be good, nuanced characters, not feminist characters. Marinette has both feminine and masculine traits, proving that traditional "feminine" values are just as valuable as "masculine" ones. Adrien has both, but far more feminine than masculine traits, demonstrating that masculinity is not superior, and that toxic masculinity is just as harmful as classic sexism.

Miraculous Ladybug didn't say "We need to stop forcing women to be feminine," which is a common and harmful misinterpretation of the feminist vision. It didn't say "We should let women act like men!" or "Femininity is bad! Let's leave it all behind." It said, "Stereotypes—both for men and women—are harmful, and we should let people just be people instead of defining them by their genders." It created a world where there are no traditionally feminine and masculine traits, there are just people traits, and anyone can be anyone.

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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p. 240 The King’s Men

#the kings men #all for the game #aftg fanart #aftg #neil #neiljosten #Lola #lola malcolm

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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p 235 The King’s Men

#the kings men #Andreil #andrewminyard #neil #neiljosten #all for the game #aftg fanart #andrew

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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p. 222-225 The Kings Men

#all for the game #Andreil #andrewminyard #andrew #neil #neiljosten #the kings men #aftg #aftg fanart

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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p. 85 The Kings Men

#The kings men #andrewminyard #neiljosten #andrew #neil #Andreil

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Sorry, but simlpy had to share my mental picture...

u just know Mr, Scary Andrew Minyard would have a tea party with a little girl if she asked nicely. tiara and all

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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So I watch Chai Tii ( instagram.com/chai.tii/ )’s “styling the winx live action like it was meant to be “ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUf_jrP47Q8) and got inspired, so these are all drawing, made from what I could gather she would style the girls, with a bit of my own opinion here and there.

Bloom: Is seen to be quit artistic in the first episodes of Winx Club, so I would like for her to paint on her clothing, this mixed with Chai Tii’s Idea focusing on the dragon part of her powers, made me think she would paint dragons on her cloths.

Musa: Kept it very close to pieces from the video, I did however change the colour off the skirt, to match her colours in season one.

Stella: I like the idea of Stella being the one person, who always wears “to sexy” clothing to class, so went with the purple dress, and the purple jacket to cover her up. Then I changed some of her jewelry to match her being the fairy of the sun and moon.

Layla/Aisha: I mixed the wave pant with the blue jumpsuit, and then added some kneepads, as Layla loves to dance and in general is a very sporty person.

Flora: I liked the idea of her not only having flowers as her symbol but also butterflies, so tried to put as many of those in. I added a crocheted bag, as Flora is the sensitive nerd, who probably wouldn’t go anywhere without her books, but also the type to crochet. I can’t see Flora in denim, as most of her cloth is very flowy, so went with the maxiskirt for the video.

Tecna: I really liked the oversized sweater, this is the person who think it is fun to race program. But as Tecna comes from another dimension, I don’t think she would where something with Hallo Kitty, so changed the motive to Didget and the silver to green to match how ever technology in the series is green. I tried to incorporate the metallic fabric in the hat.

Again these drawing is based on Chai Tii’s video, so go check that one out, or check out her Instagram: instagram.com/chai.tii/

#winx club #Bloom #Stella #Layla #Aisha #Tecna #Musa #Flora

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Blissember day 4, Stars.

Red White and Royal Blue page 261

#blissember2020 #day 4 #Stars #rwrb #rwrb fanart #Prince Henry #alex #alex claremont diaz #FirstPrince #firstprince fanart

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Blissember day 3, Reunion.

Page 340, Red White and Royal Blue

#rwrb fanart #rwrb #Prince Henry #alex claremont diaz #FirstPrince #firstprince fanart #red white and royal blue

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Blissember day 2 - I am catching up...

Promt was pet, so I give you Neil and Andrew in the morning playing with their cats.

#blissember2020 #Andreil #andreil fanart #neil josten #andrew minyard #day 2 #pet

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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Blissember day 1 - jep I am behind again...

The prompt was hot chocolate, so of course I had to draw Andrew. First instinct was to let him enjoy it with Neil - but that guy cant hold his sweets, so I decided Bee was a worthier opponent.

#blissember2020 #day 1 hot chocolate #hot chocolate #all for the game #all for the game trilogy #andrewminyard #aftg #aftg fanart #all for the game fanart #bee #betsy dobson

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neko-kitcat · 3 years

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