Why do women appear to be more successful in animation than in any other areas in the film industry?
Animation is one of the world’s leading industries in the 21st century. I intend to elaborate on why women appear to be the most successful in animation than other areas in the film industry? Inspiration, The quality, the theme, audience or messages there trying to pursue? Is it another way which there using to be heard personally? Theres a number of questions which could be asked which I will give my own opinion upon. Woman in animation and film in the past two decades have made a huge difference, it’s not just something which accured in the 21st century, from as far as the 18th century women have persistently shown their involvement, artist such as Alice Guy-Blache born in 1873 French pioneer filmmaker who directed the first female motion picture also is considered to be one of the first directors of a fiction film. Charlotte Reiniger, Mary Ellen Bute, Faith Hubley, Caroline Leaf, Joanna Quinn, just a threw names who have comprised their talents as painters, filmmakers, in the industry. In addition this question I would say is purely about my opinion, and knowledge on what I know and I personally would love to influence my opinion on this type of question reason being why I choose it.
Furthermore the history of women animation goes way back to well known animations, Lotte Reiniger one of the first prominent woman in animation, known for her consistant strong silhouettes and her famous animation ` The Adventures of Prince Achmed`. Candy guard was also a 1980s animator who earned her stripes producing adverts for channel 4. Erica Russell also did a number of free lance work gaining knowledge and experience which led her to set up her own studio. Caroline Leaf also known for her amazing silhouetted techniques using materials such as sand over a light box she developed a technique which of animating which was an on going process drawing and redrawing movement. Woman in animation has had its starting point, with its solid history it’s no doubt women in animation are developing and has grown with a number of woman being successful threw this path in the industry and who are well recognised till this date which may off had an influence on Joanna Quinn herself.
Moreover the `Buzz`for women in animation started off in the 19th century with Lotte Reiniger`s `The Adventures of Prince Ahmed` I personally think her famous work inspired artists such as Caroline leaf to use a lit box and sand to create silhouettes its sort of like she thought of a different way to create silhouettes using Reinigner`s animation as reference.
Moving on a specific artists who I came across to me as really intriguing who really got my attention was Joanna Quinn and her `Body’s beautiful` animation Quinn’s animation starts off with a group of working women who appear to be friends 1 of the lady’s who’s fairly big in size experiences abuse and physically and verbally which drives here crazy and even to join the gym but doesn’t last long as she breaks her diets with doe nuts `Aye what’s that a whale costume? ` 1 of the verbal abuses she comes across as pictures herself in a tight bal lay costume which she knows she will never be able to fit into. The message I believe Quinn was trying to put across was about how woman’s weight can really affect them emotional and physically. Also Woman over weight are treated differently in many situations verbally abused, neglection because of their weight and body size `Oh she`s so big` this character is constantly abused until she loses self confidence and even to hide herself from her own husband Quinn wanted this reality story to be animated because it’s a similar issue we have to date now.
In Addition woman issues have affected the way they think, woman constantly care and observe, indecisive on how they appear to others, being pressured to be good at everything they do. I think Quinn’s idea to create an animation about women issues, maybe she experienced the same things or friend or family which inspired her.
Women struggle quietly with the drive to be authentic and accepted for who they are. Yet pressures fit the mold of the ideal woman surround us. These challenges sometimes manifest themselves in aspects of our lives and behaviors that may seem unrelated, but are part of the bigger picture of how we feel about ourselves and our relationships to others.
Relating this back to the question in mind this could also be one of the main reasons why women in our day are so successful in this business because animations such as Quins `Body`s Beautiful` relates to common issues which still occur now in the 21st century. Maybe it’s because artists like Quinn herself are concentratrating on women issues because that maybe a good route for women voices or issues to be heard and recognised more within animation.
Candy Guard an animator who began by reading women magazines then relating her work to women everyday life and what they go threw to be women, `Ladies` one of her recognised animations, seems to come across she wants people preferably men to understand what women have to put up with and there aint as easy as it looks, having to always stay looking good maintaining hair nails accessories and weight jus to impress loved ones or to feel good about themselves. Maybe Guard feels that women are really unappreciated and really need to be recognised.
Another artist who I came across as a talented artist Caroline Leaf with her solid anima background `Owl Who Married a Goose 1974`, `The Streets`, `The Metamorphosis or Mr Samsa` all made in the same style but `The Streets` she uses washes of water colour and ink to create her animation it’s an imaginative and straight forward statement about how families react to ageing and death, as a young poor Jewish grand mother dies.
Relating back to the question again why are women so successful in animation, it maybe because they applying meaning behind there work relating it to reality things that happen every day which will make another think.
However woman have limited routes when it comes to careers, woman cannot work in any careers which persist physical force, simple not just that it’s a sexist opinion but due to the fact that woman are not initially because woman are muscular or big boned. Which limits them and there paths in what they would like to be or do. In our day and age woman can only reach a `glass ceiling` in other words a woman could have the same job as a male but being able to progress further to the top to reach roles as owners wouldn’t be possible This could also be progress further related to woman issues and why males should decide whether or not woman should be able be above them in job roles. Many of the biggest workplace challenges facing women revolve around gender. Females still earn less than males holding the same job. I don’t believe the glass ceiling will ever be shattered, and it would probably take more than justs votes to change anything, maybe a protest may awaken a threw of blinded to really look into the matter apart from that it will most probably stay the way it is females earning less than males holding same jobs.
Moreover personally I think it’s extremely sexist for women not be able to pursue in the career she desire`s, limiting them to jobs such as hairdressing, social workers, cooking, cleaning, they should be giving a equal chance and allowed to progress further in life, but there is the argument of woman being woman and that could be a problem if we were to have a woman leading the country as they may not tackle the main issues of our day in age but refer or tackle mainly woman issues.
The fight for women's equality and the feminist movement has a long history with numerous players and participants. The freedoms and rights so many women take for granted today were hard-fought by women not so long ago.
