Smurfette Principle

The Smurfette Principle is a term coined by Katha Pollitt in 1991 in an article for The New York Times.[1] It refers to a trope, found in many TV series and movies, where there is only one female in an all male ensemble.[2][3] In Pollitt's words:

"Contemporary shows are either essentially all-male, like "Garfield," or are organized on what I call the Smurfette principle: a group of male buddies will be accented by a lone female, stereotypically defined... The message is clear. Boys are the norm, girls the variation; boys are central, girls peripheral; boys are individuals, girls types. Boys define the group, its story and its code of values. Girls exist only in relation to boys."

Such is the case of Smurfette in The Smurfs and of other characters like:

Then there are other similar cases, when there is other female characters in the series or movie, but only one is part of the "team" while the others are objects of desire. For example:

The Smurfette Principle establishes a male dominated narrative, where the female is the exception, and exists only in reference to males. This signifies an under representation of women, since they are half the world's population.[4][5]

Another tool to measure the representation of women in TV and film is the Bechdel Test.

References

  1. ↑ Hers; The Smurfette Principle. New York Times, 7 April 1991
  2. ↑ Tropes vs. Women: #3 The Smurfette Principle
  3. ↑ Lori Day; Charlotte Kugler (1 May 2014). Her Next Chapter: How Mother-Daughter Book Clubs Can Help Girls Navigate Malicious Media, Risky Relationships, Girl Gossip, and So Much More. Chicago Review Press. pp. 203–. ISBN 978-1-61374-859-6.
  4. ↑ What the Smurfette Principle Teaches Your Kids About Girls
  5. ↑ Sharon Gmelch; Marcie Heffernan Stoffer; Jody Lynn Yetzer (1998). Gender on Campus: Issues for College Women. Rutgers University Press. pp. 224–. ISBN 978-0-8135-2522-8.