There has been a fascinating discussion about the role of women in Star Wars and all-too-frequent disconnect that occurs between the marketing and reality of female fandom. I have seen this firsthand in my classroom as it is almost always the female students who not only have never seen Star Wars but also are conditioned to think that it's not for them and/or they won't enjoy it. And yet, these girls always seem to be the ones who get the most out of it and express the most appreciation. For them, Star Wars is a long-forgotten or ignored gift waiting to be opened. Every year, these girls become my greatest "success stories" that I share with the next group of reluctant viewers.
Many of my past students come back to my classroom to express their gratitude and excitement about the future of Star Wars (and also to ask when I'll be showing it again). Almost all of them are girls--and they usually bring gifts :) When it comes to demonstrating the positive and lasting impact that Star Wars can have, one needs to look no further than these girls. Disney and Lucasfilm would be wise to capitalize on this phenomenon and not assume that Star Wars is just for boys. After all, when I told all my students about Episode 7 last year, the one who fist-pumped was a girl who hadn't seen Star Wars and initially tried to beg off the assignment completely.
No comments:
Post a Comment