Ambiguous Figures + More Infographic Explanation
Ambiguous Characterization ▒ and Reclaimed Heroines ▓
- Autonomous
- Magical
- Powerful
- Odd
- Enigmatic
- Lives physically outside confines of society
- Singular
- Healing
- Has answers
- Trickster
- Uncommitted
Some cases of villainous women and woman characters have gone on to be culturally vindicated by means of their modern recontextualization. Even if they cannot be considered true “reclaimed heroines” due to their explicitly wicked actions, they are at least afforded some nuance in their current analysis. The blood-thirst of old witches, the abuse of bitter stepmothers, and the cruelty of ugly stepsisters is inexcusable and takes them out of the running for any true heroic position. However, even these undeniably evil women are given the grace of being understood through the patriarchal framing they were created in. They are not upheld as feminist icons like Joan of Arc or Lilith, condemned for arbitrary misogynistic reasons, but they are permitted to exist somewhat within the grey area, which they were previously barred from.
Infographic Construction
For each character, I drew from what I knew about their respective stories and focused on the qualities that were most emphasized. I then rated each one on a scale from one to ten across five qualities that I found to be the most informative in distinguishing heroic from villainous characterization of women in fairy tales. The aspects I settled on were as follows:
- Powerful (vs. Powerless)
- Intelligent (vs. Simpleminded)
- Honest (vs. Deceptive)
- Selfless (vs. Selfish)
- Beautiful (vs. Unattractive)
Since I knew there were trends in which traits characters tended to exhibit, I thought a Web Diagram would be an effective way to showcase that information visually. I displayed all the villainesses on one web, the heroines on another, and the ambiguous women on a third. This produced interesting, easily visible results, allowing viewers to see at a glance which traits are typically associated with each type of female figure.
