As a girl growing up surrounded by superhero movies full of strong male leads and role models, it was hard to find someone that I could look up to. If you talk to any young boy, he most likely can list a surplus of male heroes he wants to grow up to be like. Maybe it’s Superman, or maybe it’s Ironman — whoever he chooses, it’s clear that he has options. As a young girl, I didn’t. When examining superhero movies, it’s clear that women play less of a part. Only 28% of all speaking characters in action films were girls and women, according to Women in Hollywood. Out of the 28% speaking female characters, we can assume only a handful of them act as an actual superhero. On top of this, as explained by Ada New Media, male superheroes often work alone, while female superheroes act as a part of a unit. This shows the audience that men can handle fighting on their own, but women require some kind of assistance. Young girls need female heroes in films that are leading roles and not just extras.
Up until the age of about ten, I was lacking this. I didn’t have my female superhero I could look up to until I experienced the magic of watching Spirited Away. In case you haven’t experienced the same magic and thrill that I have, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is a Japanese animated masterpiece that follows main character Chihiro Ogino on her journey to save her parents. She encounters many hardships throughout her time in the spirit world, but (spoiler alert!) she ultimately succeeds in the end.
When I first witnessed Chihiro in action, I realized what it truly meant to have a superhero. She’s strong, resilient, brave, and inspirational. She pursued a near-impossible journey alone, with minimal to no help. She was tasked with rescuing her parents after they were captured by the evil antagonist, Yubaba. When the going got tough, she simply got tougher. Towards the middle of the film, Chihiro was forced to take care of the most repulsive, disgusting spirit. Instead of backing down from this challenge, she knew this would ultimately help her save her parents so she didn’t give up. She fought back — and she fought hard. When her only source of help, Haku, abandoned her and left her to fend for herself, she kept going. This specific part of the film stuck with me most, because Miyazaki is proving to the audience that Chihiro doesn’t need a male character to assist her — she can do it all on her own. In order to truly understand Chihiro’s resilience and selflessness, I recommend watching the film.
The one thing I hope you can take away from this is that Chihiro is a role model for young girls everywhere. She fought on her own to rescue her parents and she never gave up. Although she may not be the cookie cutter “superhero,” she will always be my superhero.
I’ll leave you with this quote by Miyazaki himself: “Many of my movies have strong female leads—brave, self-sufficient girls that don’t think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They’ll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.”
Girl Talk is an Opinion column written by a current female student to discuss issues surrounding women, whether it be feminism, current events, personal experiences at Stevens or in life, and more.
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