Debate Magazine

Feminist Harry Potter

Posted on the 06 April 2012 by Juliez

from: http://feministharrypotter.tumblr.com/

Since I’ve been a die-hard Harry Potter fan since I was ten, I immediately followed Feminist Harry Potter on Tumblr when I heard of it. Within the last year, I’ve become more interested in gender studies and feminism, so I’ve been finding the posts on Feminist Harry Potter more interesting and comedic than I would have before.

Feminist Harry Potter features movie stills with text to emphasize not only feminist messages, but also flaws in the Harry Potter series, such as a lack of ethnic diversity among the characters.

Feminist Harry Potter

from: http://feministharrypotter.tumblr.com/

What I like about the tumblr is that it advertises all aspects of messages established in the series. Although I’ve read the Harry Potter series multiple times, and if you’ve read or seen any installment of the Harry Potter series, it’s evident that there are positive female role models, I never caught some of the negative characteristics of women portrayed in the novels. For example, one photo on the tumblr features Hermione Granger, and communicates that even though the series is titled Harry Potter, Harry and Ron wouldn’t have been able to survive without Hermione. This message was easily communicated on the screen, but there are many photos that made me read deeper into the series. For example, I never realized that the only female journalist in the series, Rita Skeeter, is depicted as gossipy and unreliable. But then again, another photo features Hagrid, breaking the stereotype that only women serve as housekeepers.

If you haven’t checked out Feminist Harry Potter, I would highly recommend it. Whether you’re into feminism or not, this tumblr brings Harry Potter into a new light, because while it reiterates the positive messages in the series, it also criticizes its flaws.


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