Cartoon Freaks

`It is no secret that most female cartoons are portrayed as having a certain body and personality type. Since some of the earliest cartoons real women's body and personality features have been exaggerated in order to entertain cartoon lovers. As my group was researching about female cartoon characters many of the sites were entitled " top ten sexiest cartoons" or "Hot female cartoons". The sites were filled with pictures of the female cartoons that we all know and love, over sexualized in provocative poses and dress. This brings to my mind the question of whether female cartoons were created so that girls would have characters that they could look up to in the media or were they created to be the objects that men could make into anything they wanted.

One of the earliest and most well known female cartoons is Ms. Betty Boop. Betty Boop was created in 1932 as a lovable flapper. Although she was a cartoon who started out in comics she was definitely a sex symbol. She wore high heels, short dresses which revealed clevage and she wore a garter belt. Betty Boop was portrayed as being girlish and innocent but she also had a flirtacious and sensual side. In her cartoons Betty was often the object of men's desire, whether they where trying to peak at her or trying force their sexual advances on her. This makes me wonder if Betty Boop would have been so popular without her sexuality or that famous flirtacious "Boo-oop-a-doop".

Another early female cartoon is Olive Oyl who first started appearing in comic strips in the 1920s. Olive Oyl was most popular as Popeye the Sailorman's girlfriend. She is a tall thin flapper who has simple looks and big feet. Although Olive is not very sexy or pretty she is often being wooed by other male characters in the cartoon. Olive Oyl is described as the type of girl that is fickle and who is always being persuaded by material possessions. Popeye's rival, Bluto, is always trying to kidnap Olive and she usually falls for it until Popeye rescues her. Could Olive's portrayal as a weak minded emotional woman be hinting to what men really thought of women?

Some other female cartoons that frequently appear on the sexiest list are : Jessica Rabbit, Smurfette, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman, Lois Griffin and Judy Jetson. What purpose do these characters have? A character that women can see themselves in or a woman that men can mold for their own entertainment.

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bettie_Boop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Oyl

Marge Simpson crumping. The Simpsons. FOX

Lois Griffin-You'll never know

Marge Simpson and Lois Griffin

Even with the large amount of similarities between Lois and Marge I think that they are inherently different. Lois is vivacious, sexy, and at times vulgar and violent, Marge on the other hand is loving, sweet and at times shows her sexy side and she is not afraid to stand up for the one she loves. As far as gender roles are concerned Lois and Marge are somewhat stuck in theirs as attractive housewives, but they are not afraid to step outside of the box. For example Lois swears, drinks, does drugs and she became a black belt and had a stint as a bar singer. Marge has dabbled in MMA, posed for naughty photos and is never afraid to stand up for her man. Both ladies are extremely comfortable with their bodies, although Marge is a bit more demure. In both The Simpsons and Family Guy, Marge and Lois' bodies play a huge role. Marge's body although not always mentioned is a clear contrast to that of Homer's, and although they are not usually overtly sexual it is clear that Homer admires her body. Lois' body on the other hand is a hot topic, more characters than Peter admire her curves, Peter's friends Quagmire and Brian are extremely attracted to Lois and it is not exactly a secret. For these ladies being housewives with sex appeal, and extreme ventures in martial arts, binge drinking, and trips around the world, are everyday occurrences. My question is, is this a more realistic view of the average woman than those of Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit and the super heroins in comic books?

The Simpsons Website
Family Guy Website