#dystopiangirls

[marcoturiniart]

What will be the language of the future? She know! Can you help me to share info about this new ( and free for all!!!! ) Comic? Like, comment and Share are very welcome! Thanks guys! #marcoturiniart #dystopiangirls #comics #comicart (at Prague, Czech Republic) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2B1eXqCR8i/?igshid=u0q9fjshnm4w

[marcoturiniart]

Sci-fi Girl without suit and with suit - uncensored version on my website ( link in bio )! Made in #procreate for testing new brushes. #dystopiangirls #scifiart #scifigirl #illustration #procreatedrawing #drawings #artwork #artsy #illustrationoftheday (at Libcice Nad Vltavou, Hlavní Město Praha, Czech Republic) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5-RRhQp870/?igshid=1xwpawb2nbnk0

[femmedystopie]

Dystopian Appeal

At this point the Web is full of articles tacking this topic to the extent of making your eyes roll, but still there are certain ideas regarding the dystopian trend  (notably fading now) that are worth listing.

Dystopian narratives, be it novels or movies, were always created with adult recipients in mind. Even with the emergence of youth culture in the 1950s in the US, it wasn’t until 1990s that the first novels with teenage protagonist and POV emerged in this genre. One of such narratives is The Giver by Lois Lowry, a novel published in 1993, but reaching the peak of popularity fairly recently, and only partially thanks to the film adaptation (2014).

So why the appeal?

Dystopian narratives provide a sort of entrance to the adult world that is free of responsibilities. The stories tackle serious social and political issues, safely containing them and concisely explaining through the plot. The stories work as minuscule versions of multi-layered conflicts that in reality require in-depth study and additional information to be fully comprehended. A clear distinction between the protagonist and the antagonist allows also a clear division between good and bad—nonexistent in real life. The moral dilemmas and larger-than-life conflicts are presented in a digestible format. At the same time this fictive dream offers a transparent wall—the awareness that “it’s only a story—it’s not real.” This safety measure allows the recipients a peek into adulthood without concerns, yet still encouraging critical thinking.

Dave Astor points to “a certain ‘rightness’ in reading about a future that’s negative,” and it is hard to ignore the appeal. The general disappointment and hopelessness connected with politicians and the workings of the system in a way are reflected in apocalyptic stories. Astor adds, “They feel kind of honest.” In the end, through the depiction of worst-case scenarios they provide a source of hope derived from the sheer satisfaction “we’re not there yet,” and things can still get much worse. The moralistic lesson is for us to work twice as hard to make the world a better place to avoid a dystopian outcome.

One of the most prominent traits of 2010s dystopian narratives is the emergence of Violent Female Action Character (Gilpatric) as the teenage protagonist driving the action. An argument can be made that this shift toward female point of view is because the narrative needs to appeal to wider audiences. On another note, the VFACs are rarely portrayed as main heroines driving the plot and at the same time not defined by their relation to the male hero. Indeed, dystopian narratives not only challenge the status quo in Hollywood thanks to blockbuster productions, but generally influence society’s perception of gender norms. There is a certain level of liberation in a world where gender binary and sexuality are flexible (Smith), and this precisely is what dystopia offers.

But then again, precisely because of these portrayals of powerful women are put into a dystopian setting, ultimately the message is reaffirmed that divergence from conventional norms can only be allowed as a last resort during extreme circumstances—the ‘secular apocalypse.’ In this light, such portrayal of women ceases to appear so progressive.

Smith, Hannah. (2014). Permission to Diverge: Gender in Young Adult Dystopian Literature. Gender Studies Research Papers. Retrieved from http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/genderstudies_studentresearch/1  

Gilpatric, Katy. (2010). Violent Female Action Characters in Contemporary American Cinema. Sex Roles, 62(11-12), 734-746. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9757-7

Astor, Dave. (2012). Why Do We Like Dystopian Novels? Retrieved May 2, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-astor/why-do-we-like-dystopian-novels_b_1979301.html  

[blogdivergente]

Dystopian Girls

Katniss Everdeen Teresa Agnes Tris Prior Cassie Sullivan America Singer Wanderer (Melanie Stryder)