Day Eleven: Female Character Meme

[ishtar79]

Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show: Lisa Simpson




I'm aware that's cheating, since the Simpsons is not, strictly speaking, a children's show but...kids watch it too? More for the visual jokes, Homer misadventures and Bart one-liners than the pithy social commentary, but I can see the all-ages appeal. Either way, Lisa is an amazing character, and I certainly hope she's been watched by/inspired enough little girls in the show's 20+ year run (along with the not-so-little girls).

She's genius-level intelligent, idealistic, driven, precocious, artistic and a whole range of other things one can't help but wonder how she came by (the leading canon theory seems to be Grandma Simpson, since the rest of the family are not exactly likely candidates). Not that it all comes easy to her-she lacks her brother Bart's (questionable in method but undeniable in result) social skills, can't seem to make a friend for more than one episode, she can occasionally be a swot and a bit like an overenthusiastic first-year-student in her myopic and naïve embracing of certain causes (which, given that she's EIGHT, is not bad really) and she's very much aware of her intellectual and moral superiority to the rest of her family. All her traits, positive and less so make her one of the most interesting, endearing and pretty damn emulation-worthy characters to appear on television.


Day One: Favorite lead female character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Thre: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you'd like!

Comments

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I had some trouble with this questions, thinking I might put Luna Lovegood here (if HP is for children...), but liluv thought of SJC and I agree. So I'm picking Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane (because I really do love that character).

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I thought of Sarah Jane too, but it's been ages since I watched part of S1. I need to catch up with it.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I love Lisa soooo much. I love the way she's a little genius nerd (I think she's actually 8 and Bart is 10 but I haven't watched the show in years--maybe she grew!!) but that doesn't mean that she's always portrayed as a little genius nerd. Sometimes she just wants a pony or laughs at Itchy and Scratchy. I love the stuff they get into with her relationship with Homer.

My favorite moment for her is the one with the substitute teacher where he gives her a piece of paper that will help her get through anything life throws at her, and the paper just says YOU ARE LISA SIMPSON.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Damn it, I actually knew she was eight (and no, nobody ages on the Simpsons ever). Fixed the mistake. And yeah, I love her just being a kid too, even when it's in adorably nerdy ways, like the feminist games she comes up with for her Stacy doll.

Her relationship with Homer is one of the sweetest aspects of the show. I remember one episode where she was fed up with his insensitive remarks and said "You, sir, are a BABOON!" and he seemed genuinely hurt/tried to fix things.

Ooh, I remember that substitute teacher episode. That was a great moment.

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

I swear, most of the Lisa-plot episodes are some of my top favourites, and inevitably make me cry when there's a 'moment' between her and one of her parents or with her and one of her sibs. I'm such a sap for their sweet little family moments! XD

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

The Lisa-heavy eps are my favourites too. For all its occasional cynicism and irreverent commentary, this show has heart, and Lisa (and her relationship with her family), is a huge part of that.

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen many of the recent Simpsons eps, but I love the old skool ones, like when she doesn't want to play ball because she's 'sad', and the Malibu Stacey doll one ('When I get married, I'm keeping my own name! Oh, that should be "If I choose to get married!")

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I remember both of those, they were great (especially the Malibu Stacey one!). The quality of the Simpsons has somewhat waned in recent years, but I still like catching up with it when I get the chance.