4 ms·

pretty sure that Ursula was the villain, not some secret feminism hero. Frankly everything she says is bad advice so what exactly is the message? I am getting l

pretty sure that Ursula was the villain, not some secret feminism hero. Frankly everything she says is bad advice so what exactly is the message? I am getting lost with the new narrative these days. The advice was be yourself not sell some preconceived notion....yet Ursula was all that and more bad traits. she was the epitome of falsehood. she was not true in anyway and used deception to get her aims....what is the message exactly?

deleted 6y ago
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TeeMassive 6y ago
Yeah the whole thing doesn't make sense unless if you already are looking for that kind of message in the first place, which I doubt little children has the ability nor the will to do so.
Barrin92 6y ago
>she was the epitome of falsehood. she was not true in anyway and used deception to get her aims....what is the message exactly? the positive message of a trickster (or witch) character can be to be subversive, play by your own rules, not seeking the approval of others, being individualistic, breaking norms and so on. For women in particular this can mean using femininity to your advantage rather than treating femininity as weakness. Using sexuality as a way to exercise control, basically think of the police scene in Basic Instinct as one of the most (in)famous examples. This sort of subversive, rule-disregarding and gender-affirming version of femininity has been lost almost completely in modern fiction, with (actually both 'progressive' as well as conservative) storytellers opting for some sort of Christian, timid, asexual 'strong women'. So it's not surprising that many people today will not see how someone like Ursula can be a positive character, but there is a very plausible way to read her as one.
- Dracophoenix 6y ago
  The femme fatale hasn't disappeared from fiction. Although the outwardly stoic woman has proliferated through out film and television almost since the beginning of the silver screen, characters like Catwoman and Harley Quinn are as popular as ever. Whatever merits Ursula's take on these traits may have are overshadowed by her role as a Svengali-Mephisto vis-a-vis an innocent and naive Ariel. Ursula makes a woman out of Ariel (quite literally) not out of a deep and abiding sisterly/motherly love but to advance her own agenda and does so at a terrible price for Ariel. That shouldn't go unnoticed.
bitwize 6y ago
I think it's very egalitarian to write a female villain who is every bit as powerful, cunning, and packed with personality as the male villains. Audiences actually love a good villain... look at the lasting appeal of, say, Darth Vader. Or Sephiroth. Growing up, my favorite bit about the Power Rangers was Rita Repulsa. The Rangers themselves were lame, but it was hard for me to think of a lead villain in an action-oriented kids' franchise who was a woman, and not subordinate to some other villain, until Rita came along. Yes, Lord Zedd would come along and upstage her, but for that first season Rita was it.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

TeeMassive 6y ago

Yeah the whole thing doesn't make sense unless if you already are looking for that kind of message in the first place, which I doubt little children has the ability nor the will to do so.

Barrin92 6y ago

>she was the epitome of falsehood. she was not true in anyway and used deception to get her aims....what is the message exactly? the positive message of a trickster (or witch) character can be to be subversive, play by your own rules, not seeking the approval of others, being individualistic, breaking norms and so on. For women in particular this can mean using femininity to your advantage rather than treating femininity as weakness. Using sexuality as a way to exercise control, basically think of the police scene in Basic Instinct as one of the most (in)famous examples. This sort of subversive, rule-disregarding and gender-affirming version of femininity has been lost almost completely in modern fiction, with (actually both 'progressive' as well as conservative) storytellers opting for some sort of Christian, timid, asexual 'strong women'. So it's not surprising that many people today will not see how someone like Ursula can be a positive character, but there is a very plausible way to read her as one.

Dracophoenix 6y ago
The femme fatale hasn't disappeared from fiction. Although the outwardly stoic woman has proliferated through out film and television almost since the beginning of the silver screen, characters like Catwoman and Harley Quinn are as popular as ever. Whatever merits Ursula's take on these traits may have are overshadowed by her role as a Svengali-Mephisto vis-a-vis an innocent and naive Ariel. Ursula makes a woman out of Ariel (quite literally) not out of a deep and abiding sisterly/motherly love but to advance her own agenda and does so at a terrible price for Ariel. That shouldn't go unnoticed.

bitwize 6y ago

I think it's very egalitarian to write a female villain who is every bit as powerful, cunning, and packed with personality as the male villains. Audiences actually love a good villain... look at the lasting appeal of, say, Darth Vader. Or Sephiroth. Growing up, my favorite bit about the Power Rangers was Rita Repulsa. The Rangers themselves were lame, but it was hard for me to think of a lead villain in an action-oriented kids' franchise who was a woman, and not subordinate to some other villain, until Rita came along. Yes, Lord Zedd would come along and upstage her, but for that first season Rita was it.