Mabel Pines is from Disney's currently running cartoon Gravity Falls. The show stars Mabel Pines and her twin, Dipper Pines, and tells of their summertime adventures in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Mabel is outgoing and goofy, sporting a large smile whenever anything comes her way. She's slightly boy crazy, but this doesn't outshine her curiosity and urge to explore.
From a gender perspective, there are certainly ups and downs to the approach that Gravity Falls decides to take to gender. Even though it sometimes uses language like "You ____ like a girl!", most of it's episodes deal with gender in some way and it proves to be very interesting. While it sometimes fuels binaries, it also addresses certain issues to being a woman. Not only does it address the difficulties of a woman's world, but it also addresses the idea of establishing manliness (or being unsure of oneself because of not being able to) in other episodes.
One episode I would like to discuss is The Hand That Rocks The Mabel. Throughout the summary, I'll label the points I plan to discuss with numbers.
A character named Gideon is introduced, being loved by the entire town for his charm and his psychic abilities. Wanting to test his authenticity as a psychic, the twins decide to go to one of his shows. Part of his character is that he's a very charming young boy with good looks and smarts. He explains, because of his endearing personality, that people have a hard time saying "no" to him. By the time the spectacle is over, Dipper is not impressed by Gideon's song and dance while Mabel says that he was quite adorable. Little did they know, Gideon was eavesdropping on their conversation.
The following day, Gideon drops by The Mystery Shack- the usual hang out of the twins- and offers to bring Mabel to his dressing room for makeovers. When she comes back with a new look, her brother explains that he doesn't trust Gideon. Mabel years to give him a chance- mentioning that Dipper never wants to do girl things with her (1).
Soon enough, Gideon asks Mabel to hang out once more. He takes Mabel to sit on the rooftop of his family's factory and asks her on a date. Thinking that he means some sort of play date or shopping date, she accepts reluctantly at Gideon's promise of only one "date".
For the date, Gideon arrives on a horse to take Mabel to a fancy restaurant. By the end of it, Gideon is convinced that it was a total success and guarantees that the next date will also be up to par. He then uses a South American Rainbow Macaw to ask Mabel to join him at the ballroom dance, which in itself is quite overwhelming. Even though she doesn't want to go, she agrees because of the fact that the couple is getting a lot of public attention (2). She hopes to just be friends, though. When she gets back home from her date, she explains to Dipper that she doesn't want to be with Gideon. He offers the idea of breaking up with him and ends up doing it for her.
Once Dipper breaks the news to Gideon, he throws a massive tantrum. A mystical amulet is involved and Gideon uses this to control Dipper. Eventually, Mabel destroys the amulet and is left with the promise from Gideon that he will see her again. She proclaims that she will never date him and the twins return to their home to joke about Gideon's revenge. The idea of his revenge is addressed at the end of the episode, implying that the character will return.
Points of the episode I would like to address:
1) The idea that putting on makeup as strictly a girl's thing is very upsetting. It's definitely enforcing gender binaries by telling young children that makeup is only for girls. Another thing I find interesting about this issue is the feminization of the villain. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's very odd and also slightly confusing. Why would Mabel call makeup a girl's thing when she just got back from a makeover with Gideon? And is this why Dipper doesn't trust him? Is it because Gideon is a boy who wears makeup? The idea that he is a straight young man who is interested in makeovers is actually really nice to see, showing that the stereotype of makeup being something unmanly or homosexual is wrong and misplaced. Addressing makeup as a "girl's thing" though makes the point difficult to push through the show.
2) I find this topic incredibly interesting and it's a very important point to make for young women. Nobody should be forced to date anybody that they're not interested in- nobody. The idea of the "friend zone" is, quite frankly, disgusting. Like Mabel, some girls are asked on dates publicly. This also happens with marriage proposals and invitations to school dances. This pressures young women into saying yes to things they don't want to do- like go on dates- to avoid seeming like a "bitch" or a "tease". In Mabel's situation with the publicity of her current friendship, she would seem like a terrible person if she didn't want to date the loved Gideon. This is why she doesn't want to break up with him and this is why she doesn't want to say no to a date with him. Now, the fact that she doesn't want to go on a date with Gideon doesn't mean that she despises him entirely and doesn't want to be friends with him. This just means that she is not romantically interested and this is totally acceptable. The fact that he has a temper tantrum and is shown as slightly crazy tells young men that it is NOT okay to be upset with a woman for not wanting to date you. It's juvenile and it's completely unacceptable.
It can be very frightening for a young woman to have to refuse a date. I have been in this position many times, knowing exactly how Mabel feels as she's on a date that she felt inclined to go on. I respect Gravity Falls' choice to address this issue because it's SO critical to teach young girls that they shouldn't be forced into anything. Nobody should be forced to go on a date with somebody else, even if they're the most loved person among all of your comrades.
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