Should Miss Sara Bellum be a Role Model?

Cartoons. We all watched them as kids. And for some of us, they molded our standards and mannerism whether it is consciously or unconsciously. For the most part, cartoons portray good morals knowing the impact it has on the developing mind of a child, but not always. These good moral "slip-ups" happen all the time in cartoons whether it is rude humor or just being downright inappropriate, in hopes of it going over the child's mind and giving the adults some humor. But one of the worst and most frequently used messages I saw in almost all the cartoons I watched as a child are women's roles and standards in society. Women in children's cartoons or movies are always being categorized with unreasonable beauty standards, constantly being sexualized, and being ditsy or weak, not as capable as men. Looking back on all the T.V. I watched as a kid I notice more and more women that were held to those standards listed above all the way from Jessica Rabbit, to practically all Disney princesses.

One of the characters that stick out to me the most is Miss Sara Bellum from The Powderpuff Girls. She defies almost all the terrible standards and ideologies society has on women. Though most might want to counter this argument from the start because of her depiction and appearance, she overall is a very complex character. To start off I must acknowledge the point, that yes, her body is heavily sexualized and can be seen as unobtainable beauty standards. With this point, I do sort of agree and believe it is her biggest flaw as an almost "feminist" character. But I think the writers and animators of the show created this beauty standard on her for a reason. I believe they created this undeniably beautiful woman, without a face, to comment on society's standards of women. Yes, her whole physical appearance is surrounded around her body, but as such a complex character she has so many other key points that counteract this beauty standard. Miss Sara Bellum is the mastermind behind all the missions that the Powderpuff Girls have. The girls heavily look up to her because of her intelligence and ability. Miss Sara Bellum is the mayors assistant, which again is another standard society has on women. But Miss Sara Bellum does all the work for the mayor and helps him with everything! I think the T.V. show does this to comment on although society may have its social blocks on women in power positions that you should still work your hardest to be the best you can be. We see this pay off for Miss Sara Bellum because she is depicted as more intellectual and ultimately superior to the mayor. Like I said earlier Miss Sara Bellum serves as a powerful woman role model to the girls, as they too are in ways retaliating against women's standards. One of the many scenarios where Miss Sara Bellum performs a masculine task, or a task the mayor should e doing is when she opens his pickle jar for him, a classic "man of the house" thing to do. There are hundreds of more scenarios where Miss Sara Bellum is seen superior, both intellectually and physically, to the mayor. As a combination of Miss Sara Bellum's strong and powerful character but still classically feminine and is an exceptionally beautiful woman, the show The Powderpuff Girls develops Miss Sara Bellum as a complex character which most shows deny to do. Miss Sara Bellum has it all, she can be masculine and powerful, even when society's odds are against her, while still being able to look how she wants. I truly can see both arguments of either Miss Sara Bellum as rebelling against women's standards in media or a depiction of them, but when it comes down too it there are just so many aspects to Miss Sara Bellum that make the audience see her as much more than just her beauty or body.