Hermione Granger-a comparison

Unlike most of the female characters we are exposed to in the media-that is the bland, pretty and feminine girls who seem to have no ulterior motive except getting a man’s approval- there are some characters young girls are exposed to that break this stereotype. One of the very good examples of this is the character of Hermione Granger, who is a lead role in the Harry Potter book series and films. She is a fabulous, in my opinion, role model for young girls and teenagers as she is smart, witty and does not need boys or boyfriends to validate her. Throughout the series, she proves herself to be a very heroic character who can work with others and by herself in surviving the many adventures that she and her friends have. Also, she is described as being not the prettiest of girls but this does not diminish her character-young girls can look up to her as she shows that you don’t need looks or a ‘hot body’ to succeed. Indeed, she is the smartest person in her school year and is well known in the series as a brain box. I think that this encourages girls to not be afraid to show their intelligence and teaches them the lesson that women can stand for themselves.

 

 

In our world where so much emphasis is put on girls who are pretty and attractive to men, I think that Hermione is a good female character for girls to look up to because she is strong and powerful-she never lives up to these toxic stereotypes often used in the media that girls are ‘weak’ by comparison to men. She isn’t stunningly pretty or ‘cute’ but is seriously smart-a character which we all, as young women, should want to be like. In this short video, much of Hermione’s wit is shown in a collaboration of her best lines in the film series. If for example, Bella Swan’s (from Twilight) best lines were shown, they would be completely related to her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, and would show her as the boy-obsessed, worthless idiot that she is. Hermione’s lines, however, are witty, smart and show her for the kick-ass character that she is. I think we should all be exposed to more characters like her in the world that what we are currently.