When we talk about empowerment in the creative arts it’s
usually in the context of female empowerment, sometimes extending to other
minority groups gaining the strength to overcome disadvantageous conditions. To
see a character like Katniss Everdeen, or perhaps Honor Harrington as leaders
and strong warriors overcoming impossible odds is inspiring to girls reading their
stories and wondering what they can accomplish in life. Personally, I hold to
the idea that a well written story needn’t stop at its demographic. It can
inspire everyone.
Too often, however, I see the styling’s of empowerment with
none of the substance. I used to think of this as Spice Girls empowerment,
although for you younger folks that might be Katy Perry Empowerment. It’s the “You Go Girl” “You’re a smart, sexy,
sophisticated girl on the town and you’re going places, Yeah!” school of feel
good empowerment. Unfortunately, saying it doesn’t make it so, any more than someone
saying I’m a loose cannon, a maverick who plays by his own rules but gets the
job done makes me Dirty Harry. It’s the emotional equivalent of a sugar high,
and it will not sustain you when you need it to. Real empowerment requires the
earning of Real Power, not just the semblance thereof.
I’ve never really publicly jumped on the bandwagon of trashing
Twilight. I mean, what’s the point? It’s been well and truly panned by people
far more eloquent than me. Of the many
things wrong with that series one in particular stood out with me. Edward never taught her how to drive. It was
just “Oh you’re such a terrible driver, I find that exasperating and yet cute
and adorable. Now get your ass in the passenger seat.” This is all well and good so long as he is
available to drive her around. What would happen though if they were attacked
by multiple vampires and the only way she could escape was by jumping in the
car and burning rubber while he held off as many as he could? Well, my guess is
she runs into a tree 100 yards down the road and dies because he never took her
to a big empty parking lot after dark and practiced with her until she got it
down.
There are millions of different kinds of power whether it’s money,
or learning jujitsu or Spanish, or how to drive safely at high speeds. It’s not something you can just wish into
being. It’s real and it’s useful and it’s yours to keep independent of anyone
else. Real power is earned through time and effort. Sometimes someone helps you
gain it. Sometimes it’s something you do for yourself. Sometimes it’s only a change in the way you
fell about yourself and is as simple as making a choice and sticking with it. In Hunger Games Katniss made a choice not to
let her family starve. She stopped reacting and hoping to be saved and started
acting on her own to control her own fate. That was empowering. She chose to break the rules of their oppressors
by entering the restricted area to hunt. That was empowering. She made a bow
and learned to hit what she was aiming at. That was empowering. All this was real power and was there for her
to call upon when she needed it to survive.
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