girls

Here in the blog series Reverse Cowgirl, we’ve looked at everything from women warriors to advertising aimed at horse-loving girls, each getting at this baseline question: what is it about girls and horses? Now, as it’s time to hit the trail (sorry, had to), what can we come away with?

Many young girls are horse-crazy, and advertisers have tapped into this attraction to sell everything from toys to cartoons to bedroom sets. But how do they manage to appeal to rough and tumble tomboys and girlie-girls alike? And where to these ads fit among the feminine stereotypes being sold to young girls? 

The American Girl company leaves many feeling torn between its promotion of pricey consumerism and the dolls' celebration of history and education. One thing is certain though, the story of Felicity and her horse Penny is one that offers hope to the suburban girl—the horseless girl with a wild heart.

When it first started, Girls was automatically compared to Sex and the City, mainly because it was about four female friends in New York. And really that’s where the similarities, for the most part, end. All season, our characters have been messy and aimless, desperate for things that they seemingly cannot attain. And that process has been rife with ugly, rotten situations, and depressing, humiliating sex that has no place in the alternate reality of Sarah Jessica Parker's show. But last night's show—the season finale—veered into rom-com territory.

Growing up in 4-H, I heard the joke often: girls would rather give up boys than our ponies. When women talk about horses, they often speak of freedom and power, of connectivity and understanding, of trust—often using the same language we use when we discuss intimate relationships with humans.

I’ve never known quite what to make of the sex scenes in Girls. While I appreciate the show’s desire to examine how flawed and awkward sex can often be, the fact that the characters so often seem unsatisfied with their sex makes it difficult to distinguish an off night from sex taking place without consent. More often than not, the scenes that are hardest to read are the ones involving Adam.

Nowhere was consent in the show more confusing that this week’s episode, which made many people pause and say, “Wait. Was that rape?”

Here's some news to help you over the hump that is Wednesday!

• Think you're living a sexism-free life?  Think again.  Andrea Grimes reveals the implications of the everyday choices feminists make and defends them. [Hay Ladies!]
• An open letter to Michelle Williams on dressing up as and equating Native Americans with Munchkins. [The Nation]
• Colorlines covers the heartbreaking death of 16-year-old Kimani Gray who was shot by the NYPD this past weekend after allegedly attempting to adjust his belt. [Colorlines]
• Defense attorneys of the recent Steubenville case will be pleading that date rape does not exist. [The Atlantic Wire]
• The new stats on gender disparity in publishing were released last week by VIDA.  Here's what the editors at the least sexist publications had to say on their practices. [Flavorwire]
• Monica Roberts of TransGriot is the first transwoman keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Black Transmen Conference which starts today, March 13, and goes through March 17.  [TransGriot]
• Tell your stories of identity and gender to The Bandit Zine by March 15 for consideration in their upcoming issue. [Autostraddle]
• With all the awkwardness and realness Girls is servin' up, it leaves some wondering what's up with the lack of condom talk on the show.  [Slate]
• Sure, things are mostly casual on Grindr, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't take it seriously.  The app is actually changing the way people connect in more ways than you might think. [The New York Times]

So that's what we've been reading up on.  Did we miss any links?  Send 'em our way and let us know in the comments.

Based on a true story, the 1991 film Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken tells the story of an orphan girl named Sonora (played by Gabrielle Anwar) whose beloved horse is sold off by her aunt as punishment for Sonora's bad behavior. Sneaking off into the night, Sonora takes to the road in search of a traveling diving horse show. That's right, a TRAVELING DIVING HORSE SHOW!

This idea of cleansing oneself has permeated this season—and the theme continues in this episode. Our characters here aren’t particularly good at cleaning up and starting afresh, but what they are good at is self-sabotage. In this episode, "On All Four," several characters successfully take themselves out at the knees. 

Last week, a woman at Adam's Alcohollics Anonymous crowd set him up with her daughter, Natalia. Surprise, surprise, the two actually hit it off. Suddenly, they're going to see romantic comedies starring Sandra Bullock, taking lunch breaks together and even attending friend’s engagement parties. Natalia seems good for Adam, mostly because she’s completely up-front about what she wants. When the two first have sex, it at first seems awkwardly negotiated. But Natalia tells Adam what she won’t do, what doesn’t work for her, and is clear about her boundaries. Adam isn’t really used to. He says, “I like how clear you are with me.” To which Natalia responds, “What other way is there?” 

The 2006 film Flicka is one of many interpretations of Mary O’Hara’s 1941 novel My Friend Flicka, telling the story of a girl named Katy who finds a wild mustang and trains her in the dark of night against her father’s wishes. When her father finds out, he is furious and sells the horse to a local rodeo. The story that follows is one of connectivity and identity; one of power and freedom. 

But in the novel and early television and film versions of Flicka, the protagonist was a boy.

How does the message change when we swap the gender of Flicka's protagonist? Does the modern version provide space for a more meaningful narrative?