I Don t Think Kantha Pollitt, And Ann Ducille - 799 Words

For many members of my generation the Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement seem somewhat like ancient history. Most of us are not naà ¯ve enough to believe that all of the ills of society have been cured and that racism and sexism no longer exist, but the larger portion of us would probably argue that in the 50 or so years since both of these movements took place great changes must have happened. While I don’t think Kantha Pollitt, and Ann duCille would entirely disagree with us, they both bring up several points that still certainly need addressing, especially when it comes to little girls experience of race and gender in our culture. In Kantha Pollitt 1991 article â€Å"The Smurfette Principle† she makes the argument that, like Smurfette who is surrounded entirely by only male characters, the majority of media in the United States is centered on male characters and the women and girls in those images are almost entirely supporting characters. To drive this point home she states, â€Å"Take a look at the kids’ section of your local video store. You’ll find that features starring boys, and usually aimed at them, account for 9 out of 10 offerings.†(Pollitt, 1991) In other words, despite women (and girls) comprising about half of the U. S. population, about 90% of the media available for children is geared almost directly towards boys. Additionally, when discussing the content of much of what is available, she states, â€Å"Boys define the group, its story, and its code of