I want to tell “girl power” stories. I want heroines with feminine characteristics such as subtlety, humor, quiet assurance, courage, wisdom and patience. I want to find girls and women who are not afraid to stand up to evil, be it supernatural or in their neighborhood. I want to depict girls and women who use the powers of observation and listening to solve problems and take care of themselves, their families, and their communities.
“Girl power” – not in the sense of rock ‘em sock ‘em, blow ‘em away (though that is fun too), but in the sense of nurturing, caring and knowing in their hearts that what they are doing, thinking and projecting is inherently right.
Tall order? Indeed. I want to stop you right now if you are thinking, “OMG, Marian is so into gender stereotyping!” No – I am not. I do however, acknowledge that stereotypes are rooted in reality, they exist for a reason. I am not writing this to prove stereotyping right or wrong, but rather to point out the obvious. Boys and girls, men and women, ARE different, and they perceive, adapt and manipulate the world around them in a different way. That is a GOOD thing, if you ask me.
Try as we will to encourage our girls to be assertive, to take up sports, to not shy away from traditionally male careers – girls and women will go about accomplishing these things in their own, unique way. Offer a little boy a doll and he will love and nurture it in a style that he has (hopefully) seen his father or another male role model demonstrate. Then he will gently lay the baby in the crib and pick up a stick, a block or a wrapping paper tube and he will “defend” his little family to the death with a sword, gun or spear. It is part of his nature – and it is ingrained in his psyche. Most little boys will not grow up to be mass murderers – but they will instinctively protect those who are weak or less able to fend for themselves. Why stifle this? It has worked thus far in the evolution of man (poor decisions and violent wars aside) – but the nature of man is different than the nature of woman.
Girls are as confused as boys today. “How should I behave? How can I compete without seeming too aggressive or unfeminine? It is a confusing time for girls. They can dress the same as boys (often it is hard to tell them apart). They can cuss and fight with the boys (they are often worse) on the playgrounds or in the halls of high schools. But how do they find role models who display strength without losing their femininity? Despite all that is available to girls today in the world of competition, career and behavior, girls still want to be girls. That is a GOOD thing.
Stories can help them find their way. In the planning and research for a compelling set of “girl power” stories, I hope to offer up heroines who manage to fight for right with their sense of identity as women intact. Girls will be girls just as boys will be boys. I want to encourage the female strengths of observation, listening, wisdom, intuition, negotiation, and nurturance. I want to celebrate these characteristics as tenacity. Girls can be aggressive, when they need to be – but they more often use subtlety to find a solution to a problem. I have found that girls respond to such story prompts with enthusiasm and fascination.
Tales about girls and women who succeed despite all odds, or use their common sense to outwit a foe are needed in today’s world of confusing and often conflicting gender identifiers.
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