What does Gender Neutrality Look Like?

I've been wondering about the real nature of gender neutrality a lot recently, especially with relation to cartoons and children's books. There has been a lot said about gender in The Hunger Games series, primarily because it highlights stereotypically masculine and feminine characteristics within opposite-gendered characters (see NPR).

Much has been said in praise of The Hunger Games' for its gender neutrality, but it really seems to mean gender stereotypes portrayed in less conventional ways. The tough, female protagonist allows for male readers, and the love triangles appeal to female readers. This is not to diminish the true literary complexity of the characters, but just to note an overarching observation.

What seems to be such a simple idea is really difficult to present within popular cartoons. While some shows appeal to a wider audience than they were intended to (think My Little Pony and Bronies), this is often not the case. Shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show (see my last post) can appeal to female audiences, but it is obviously not the target market, which is evident in the episodic progression, joke thematics, and in the nearly all-male casts (or females that are exclusively love interests).

All too often, gender neutrality is defined by a lack of feminine characteristics. My Little Pony is mocked because of it's "too feminine" nature, while hyper-masculine shows are seen as neutral because they can appeal to both genders.

For children, it seems that there are two options for shows:

 

or 

I think it's a big issue for young girls and boys, who are exposed to either cartoons that are ultra-effeminate or diminutive to female characters.

That's why we need more material like The Hunger Games  on our tv screens, because as more families become two-income households, children are left to watch these shows unattended and without discussions. Although, Hunger Games still manages to portray feminine traits as weak. So, perhaps this really isn't the direction to go.

With this said, cartoons oriented for older viewers tend to be much more gender neutral. Shows centered around "family life," like Family Guy, American Dad, or Bob's Burgers, tick all the boxes, so to speak. By covering, and satirizing, all aspects of the family dynamic, with the young adult-adult market in mind, stereotypes are not centered around gender lines, but rather age-specific attitudes. For example:

With issues of their own (generally with insensitivity and language), these shows are obviously not for young children's viewing.

All-in-all, if we're going to promote gender neutrality, we need to start including male and female friends, without any romantic entanglements involved. Bob's Burgers flips from character to character as the central plot-mover, suggesting that stereotypically masculine and feminine problems can come from male and female characters.

But, the most important part of any cartoon-viewing experience is to watch with the children, and make sure they understand that every character is valuable, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.