Where My Ladies At?

If I were an alien visiting from Uranus (huh-huh huh), watched a bunch of American movies, cartoons, and TV shows, and was then asked to estimate the percentage of men v. women on Earth, I would probably say there are about 90% men and 10% women.  Women make up approximately half of the world's population, but where are we?  And when we do get to exist, our roles in mainstream media for the most part are limited and predictable:

1. love/sex interest

2. mom

3. rape/murder victim (to be avenged by male hero)

4. innocent little girl (to be protected by male hero)

5. evil temptress/betrayer

6. stripper/prostitute

7. princess

[Cartoons are the worst offender in that final category.  Come on, folks.  How many fucking princesses do you know??]

Personally, I feel like I've played other roles in my life, but I rarely see any females I relate to, or would like to identify with, in the media.  There are so few intriguing and interesting female role models, and so many boring/vapid/pathetic/obnoxious/dead ones shoved in our faces on a daily basis.  Instead of seeing a sea of pole dancers, crabby girlfriends/wives, cheerleaders, nagging moms, and sexually tortured girls ("sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous..."), I would love it if little girls could see more images of female strength and general wicked-coolness like this:

How cool is she?  I love her!  In addition to more interesting females, I'd just like to see more females as a rule - like how about if women played half of the characters in any given movie, television show, or cartoon?  Like in real life??  What a concept!

I live in a city with something like 2 strip clubs for every 3 people.  That's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.  There are lots of strip clubs here.  Yay for me, and yay for all the young girls in this town seeking role models & a life path!  :/ 

There's a club that I pass on my way to work each morning, and they have a neon sign outside that is supposed to read: "PEEKABOO MODELS."  When I used to see that sign at 7:30 a.m., the thought of peekaboo models & the people peekabooing at them would significantly elevate my ever present early morning crankiness.  However, most of the letters have burnt out, so for the past 2 months the sign has read:  "PEE MO."  Now it seems like a strip club that specializes in golden showers.

Here is what I like about the PEE MO sign:  it makes me smile, and over the years, I've learned how valuable it is to find anything amusing within the structures that make me want to kill people.  For example, whenever my husband and I are flipping through the channels and happen upon one of those woman-rape/torture/mutilation shows that people seem to love so much, we both yell, "ESPECIALLY HEINOUS!!!"  Then we change the channel as quickly as possible and have a little laugh.  I much prefer laughing to screaming or crying, and I think it's healthier, too.  Give me laughter over rage any day.

So rock on, golden shower club.  I hope you never fix your sign.