Anti-Smurf Conspiracy Documents
Smurfs are called...
The Smurfs in England and the USA
De Smurfen in the Netherlands and part of Belgium
Les Schtroumpfs in France and part of Belgium
Die Schlümpfe in Germany
Los Pitufos in Spain
Barrufets in Catalonia (Spain)
I Puffi in Italy
Smølferne in Denmark
Smerfy in Poland
Smoulove in Czech Republic.
Smurffit in Finland
Smurfene in Norway
Smurfarna in Sweden
Strumf in Croatia
Strumparnir in Iceland
Smurfies in South Africa
Os Estrumpfes in Portugal
Törpök in Hungary
Sirinler in Turkey
Dardasim in Israel
Sumafu in Japan
(print out this handy list and study it!!!)
Smurfy
Sexism: Drawn with a Biased Hand
By
Mariruth Graham
Cartoons are the highlight of every child's day. I remember waking up every Saturday morning overcome with dread, wondering if my dad had a hangover, yet joyous nonetheless knowing that all day I would be watching my favorite television programs. Shows like Jem, My Little Pony, The Monchichis, and my all time very most favorite-- The Smurfs, could brighten any kid's day. Now that I am more educated and less naive, I look back on that one show and am appalled to find latent sexist messages. The Smurfs have only one female character, Smurfette, which creates a subtle problematic. Smurfette's stereotypical "female" physical characteristics, personal attributes, and anonymous role in the Smurf community and Smurf Realpolitik promote inaccurate stereotypes of females.
Smurfette's physical appearance marks her as a charicature of a hoochie-momma,
and this promotes sexism through the insulting image of women she perpetuates.
From the moment you see Smurfette's delicate physical features, her blond
flowing hair, those shapely legs, and always in that tight white dress
and "fuck-me" heels, you immediately expect her to be one hell
of a classy, feminine broad, in all her actions and speech. Studies show
that children are easily fooled by such feminine stereotypes, "North
American children report that viewing gender biased materials leads to
gender biased attitudes." (Davidson, Yasuna & Tower, 1979, Pingree,
1978.) This study supports the notion that children are impressionable
and can mimic the attributes of television characters, often to the point
where it becomes quite annoying. In the cartoon The Smurfs, Smurfette
always wears her hair down and when danger strikes she is forced to run
in high heels-- is this fair? The creators of Smurfette confine her in
tight, revealing clothes. The message this conveys is certainly not a
positive one for children.
Smurfette's personality traits, such as her tendency to worry or be silent,
create a subtle, yet forceful, sexist subtext as well. Whenever Smurfette
speaks she begins every sentence with the signal exclamatory clause, "Oh!"
For example, she says to Papa Smurf, "Oh! I don't know how you could
sleep all right! I've been worried all night!", in reference to the
younger Smurfs' "special" night spent alone outside. Because
the writers burden Smurfette alone to endure the entire community's feelings
of anxiety and concern for children's safety, they make a pathetic spectacle
of their own biases towards all women. Whether the scene entails the Smurfs
running from Gargamel (their antagonist, and one heck of a nice guy,)
or reflecting on the day's activities in Smurf Village, the writers consistently
position Smurfette next to or near Papa Smurf within the mise-en-scene.
In one show she stands silently adjacent to Papa Smurf, facing the other
Smurfs, while he praises their group work ethic. Visually, because Smurfette
does not stand together with her proletarian Smurf comrades, spectators
could be lead to assume that she actually does not fit into the group's
dynamics. When female children are forced to watch hour upon hour of Smurfette's
daily routine they subliminally accept her actions as right, and tend
to mimic her perverted characterization of the feminine at the least appropriate
times. However, when male children observe Smurfette's actions they usually
assume her behavior is typical, and expect other females to act and respond
in a similar fashion.
Smurfette
does not have a specific job title attached to her name, and as such other
Smurfs must view her as insignificant. She does not have a trade, or the
ability to contribute any useful product to the Smurf community. Because
Smurf Village bears a suspicious resemblance to a communist society, having
a vocation probably secures one's position of power and authority within
the Smurf commune. Characters such as Handy Smurf (the architect,) and
Jokey Smurf (the group's comic relief,) all have very definite responsibilities
to their Smurf comrades, and appear certain in their knowledge that they
have their place in society. Not giving Smurfette a job or title sends
the message that women should agree to perform any assignment, chore,
task, or perverted sex act that men can dream up. Whether the task be
to help save a fellow Smurf from Gargamel, or to take care of the adolescent
Smurfs, Smurfette must rise to any and all occasions. Her unemployment
directly correlates with her insignificance to the community. Young male
fans of The Smurfs may begin to view all females as subordinate,
and they may even try not to embody any feminine qualities for fear of
being as insignificant as Smurfette. One study on children's television
shows in Japan it suggests that children learn, "being feminine is
not rewarding in that it is consistently related to a loss of social power"
(Rolandelli.) If another Smurf embodies a typically female characteristic
such as obsessive concern for their appearance, as Vanity Smurf does,
or an interest in the arts, as Painter Smurf does, the writers always
give them effeminate characteristics as well. Vanity Smurf speaks with
a lisp and wears a flower behind his ear and his job seems vague which
makes him insignificant as well.
If
that annoying The Smurfs theme song permanently remains in the
heads of children young and old, what other dangerous influences from
the show will too? In order for women to be fairly portrayed in cartoons
at this point in time a feminist hand is clearly needed. Nicole Hollander,
the author of a comic strip called Sylvia, has created a strong
female character we can all truly respect. Sylvia is smart enough to concentrate
on her friendships rather than relationships with men, finds no interest
in politics or sports, but readers of the strip know her as a strong-willed
individual with her own views about life. Smurfette wears a dress every
day, actually the same dress every day, making it difficult to take her
seriously if we judge by appearance, or personal hygiene alone. Sylvia's
humble and simple appearance, and her sharp, witty comments probably help
people see her as a serious person and not just some broad. Because cartoons
never get old or stop being syndicated, future writers should be more
conscientious about what they write and how they draw a certain character
because its' actions and words could have a harmful effect on many people
in future generations.
Works Cited
Davidson E.S., Yasuna A., & Tower. "The Effects of Television
Cartoons on Sex-Role Stereotyping in Young Girls," Child Development,
1979, p. 597-600.
Pingree S. "The Effects of Nonsexist Television Commercials and Perception
of Reality on Children's Attitudes About Women," Psychology of Women
Quarterly, 1978, p. 262-277.
Rondelli "Gender Role Portrayal Analysis of Children's Television
Programming in Japan," Human Relations, December 1991, p. 1273-99.
OR