girls

Kick-Ass, the new R-rated movie based on the R-rated comic book, follows a few masked-and-caped citizens whose paths cross over mob dealings and misunderstandings. The Watchmen it's not, but the introduction of a pint-sized heroine who plays with butterfly knives instead of Barbies sets it apart from other superhero flicks. Watching the movie, I found that when I wasn't wincing at the violence, I was cringing at the gaping disparity of both skill and storyline between the title character--the green-wet-suit wearing Dave, aka Kick-Ass--and the foul-mouthed, truly ass-kicking, Mindy MacCready, aka Hit Girl.

When you have a small child, many conversations begin like this:
Another parent – often the expensively-educated New York Times-reading mother of at least one boy –will say, with the air of someone who is imparting a profoundly original thought, "You know, I always thought gender was socially constructed, but gosh, it’s just amazing how different boys and girls really are." Her inevitable conclusion? It’s all in their intractable little natures.