In a message dated 22/02/99 22:02:59 GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
<< As a little girl of the sixties I feel my TV-and-merchandising fantasy
opportunities were severely limited - however if there are any ladies out
there who would like to reminisce with me about identifying with Daphne on
Scooby Doo, or remind me which Watch With Mother character had an eskimo doll
- or if there is any one who would simply like to tell me I am talking out of
the back of my head - I would be glad to hear from you! >>
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There were relatively few "female" role models conceived especially for girls
in the 1960s, but this may be a reflection of narrative of the period in
general -- there were fewer narratives in which a woman was the protagonist,
and that included advertising and its close relation, merchandising. Where
media-generated role models existed for girls, they were frequently not female
and not children. (I remember pouncing about with a towel around my shoulders
pretending I was Batman while a friend, also a girl, was Robin). But some were
-- Emma Peele, Catwoman. I liked Mary Poppins but didn't really much want to
be her. So, maybe the prevalence of girl and boy toys/ads/merchandising
reflects the growth of awareness, even respect, of the female character -- and
therefore market -- as distinct from the male. In that sense, it could be
regarded as an equalizing phenomenon, since equal does not have to mean the
same. The emergence much later of girl power as a merchandised commodity and
perhaps a social reality (anybody doing any work in this area?) would be an
interesting progression to consider.
By the way, I would say the same phenomenon can be observed in literature. I
could sort of identify with Jo in Little Women, but it was much more fun
seeing through the eyes of Alan Quartermain in King's Solomon's Mines.
Jenina -- another little girl of the 60s
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