Literature of Comics: Day 8

          Waltz with Bashir was an interesting film both visually and in terms of theme. I was not a huge fan of the animation, mostly due to me knowing how it is done. I found it to be quite stiff and swim-y, but I found that the subject matter, story, and overall symbolism of the movie to be done well. I feel that stereotyping and repression of emotion to be harmful. Yet, in my major, Computer Animation, we are taught to embrace stereotyping to a certain extent, mainly because it is recognizable to a majority of people. In film, stereotypes are used all the time, and often become a major theme in the film.
          Look at (one of my favorite films) Legally Blonde. Opens on Elle Woods, the stereotypical hot, white, blonde, stupid sorority girl waiting to be proposed to by her hot, rich boyfriend Warner. In the musical, the first song "Oh my God you Guys" is literally singing about her making herself bride material with the help of her sorority girls. This can be seen as very stereotypical, yet I have met girls just like her, and Elle in the show is kind and funny and smart when it comes to fashion, yet is called "a Marilyn not a Jackie". That line really made me think, but it is another stereotype that may not be true, but everyone in the audience knew exactly what he meant. I had never questioned that line until I looked at it from this standpoint.
          Another stereotype in the film is that students at Harvard are boring, dull, serious lawyers. Then here comes Elle dressed in all pink compared to there navy blue, grey and black cloths. I find truth in this for I have never seen a lawyer dress in a hot pink Juicy Couture sweats, they are always dressed in suits or nice work clothing. This is a stereotype, but everyone in the audience understands this and finds the contrast between the law students and Elle to be funny. There is an entire song in the musical called "Is he Gay or European" which makes fun of those stereotypes, yet the audience is laughing the whole time. I feel that people get racism and stereotypes mixed, both can happen at one, but when I think of stereotypes they are traits that have been observed repeatedly to the point where they are easily taken as truth. For example, lawyers wear suits or business men wear watches and carry a brief case. Are these stereotypes? I have met many lawyers and businessmen whom wear suits/ have watches/ carry brief cases, so does that make it a stereotype? What about a Texan wearing cowboy boots? I am a native Texan and I own and have worn cowboy boots, does that make me a stereotype? I am white and like Starbucks, does that make me a stereotype?