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Topic: Is Smurfette Sexist?
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GreenDay Smurfs
Super Smurf
Member # 2895
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posted 10-15-2010 08:20 PM
i would say that smurfette is sexist because she is always flirting with some smurf like to hefty "ooh hefty your so strong" and when she was created she had her hand on her hip and hair and like she looked like dirty and wierd. thats just me though because i've never really liked smurfette.
Posts: 347 | From: E | Registered: Aug 2009
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Ruffette
sammylurvesyou
Member # 2646
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posted 10-16-2010 07:02 AM
Yes, smurfette is Sexist. I don't like her personality much and how much she whines about every little thing. she just, really anyoying. She's like that one "pretty girl" at school, and all the guys likee her, but deep down she puts down other girls.
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Ben eats bunnies...
Posts: 447 | From: windsor ontario canada | Registered: Dec 2008
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Cool Smurf
Super Smurf
Member # 1290
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posted 10-16-2010 05:04 PM
I'll have to disagree. Most of the time, Smurfette has to work just as much as the other Smurfs, and barely gets singled out for anything.
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RozStaw57 DeviantArt
Posts: 963 | From: Jacksonville, Florida | Registered: Feb 2006
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Rocker Smurf
Smurf
Member # 3178
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posted 10-16-2010 06:36 PM
I also have to disagree. Cool Smurf made the point that she does have to work as much as the others, and I think the points discussed in the page that Papa Smurf posted that stand in her defense are very true. I think to make her completely sexist would be to make her an air-headed idiot (being blonde), or a damsel-in-distress who got kidnapped in nearly every episode, like other cartoons such as Scooby Doo and Inspector Gadget have done. Smurfette is neither of those. I always thought she was one of the smarter, more knowledgeable characters, perhaps evidenced in the episode "Like It or Smurf It". And as for a scenario where she gets kidnapped in front of all the boys, who then had to go and rescue her, the only episode I remember that happening in was "Smurfette's Dancing Shoes", and even then, towards the end of the episode, she fought back against the enemies, thus showing that she isn't weak or completely helpless, and just waiting for the male action hero to defeat all the bad guys and then take her home safely.
I know that she is a character who is interested in flowers and fashion, like perhaps some people typically expect women to be, as well as rather emotional and sensitive, but I don't think that makes Smurfette sexist, just very feminine.
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Smurf yourself a smile and have a smurfy day!
Posts: 217 | From: Smurfy old England | Registered: Apr 2010
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swarlock
Super Smurf
Member # 746
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posted 10-17-2010 04:06 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Rocker Smurf:
I also have to disagree. Cool Smurf made the point that she does have to work as much as the others, and I think the points discussed in the page that Papa Smurf posted that stand in her defense are very true. I think to make her completely sexist would be to make her an air-headed idiot (being blonde), or a damsel-in-distress who got kidnapped in nearly every episode, like other cartoons such as Scooby Doo and Inspector Gadget have done. Smurfette is neither of those. I always thought she was one of the smarter, more knowledgeable characters, perhaps evidenced in the episode "Like It or Smurf It". And as for a scenario where she gets kidnapped in front of all the boys, who then had to go and rescue her, the only episode I remember that happening in was "Smurfette's Dancing Shoes", and even then, towards the end of the episode, she fought back against the enemies, thus showing that she isn't weak or completely helpless, and just waiting for the male action hero to defeat all the bad guys and then take her home safely.
I know that she is a character who is interested in flowers and fashion, like perhaps some people typically expect women to be, as well as rather emotional and sensitive, but I don't think that makes Smurfette sexist, just very feminine.
The one thing I liked as well is when Papa Smurf and Grandpa went on their Smurfquest to recover the long lifestone. Who does Papa choose to take care of things? Smurfette.
Why? Because Brainy as smart as he thinks he is would use the opportunity to boss everyone around and nitpick over anything. Yes. She does have her feminine moments but she's resourceful when she has to be.
And let's not forget the episode where she almost married a troll but the guys were being overprotective of her just because she was a girl.
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Every day in every way I am smurfy!
Posts: 430 | From: Kissimmee, Florida | Registered: Jan 2005
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
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posted 10-17-2010 05:47 PM
I have a story idea for one of my Empath fanfiction stories where Smurfette starts getting smarter while everyone else in the village gets dumber except for Sassette and possibly Baby Smurf, that it starts off with Smurfette somehow coming up with a solution for one of Papa Smurf's experiments out of nowhere and it evolves from there that she has to use this intelligence she gains over time to save the village from a certain disaster. However, after the situation is resolved, her intelligence level goes back down to where it was before, which although bothers Smurfette somewhat, she also feels relieved as if she's no longer pressured to come up with solutions for anything that she would leave for the male Smurfs to figure out on their own.
The title I would give to this story is "All This And Brains Too".
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4085 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Smurfy1For2
Blue Believer
Member # 1224
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posted 10-27-2010 04:39 AM
No way is Smurfette sexist she is pretty tough even though she cries a lot. Come to think of it she says boo hoo hoo all the time but she also lays down the law to the other Smurfs so I wouldn't call her a weakling or anything. I think they put Sassette in the show to kind of balance out the "girl power" so there wouldn't be any question about it really.
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u wished u rocked as i
Posts: 1957 | From: Fairfield, VA | Registered: Nov 2005
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
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posted 10-27-2010 06:10 AM
A whole village of Smurfettes similar to the ones in Raven Child's fanfiction universe, if they were introduced to the mainstream Smurf universe, would definitely balance out the "girl power" significantly, as the boy Smurfs would find themselves toe to toe with female characters that would make Smurfette look like she could use some lessons in female self-empowerment.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4085 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Cheeky Smurf
Smurfling
Member # 3542
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posted 03-08-2011 10:34 AM
Political correctness makes even harmless innocent things somehow look bad which I find silly (and possibly a little neurotic) when we over-analyse this kind of thing since PC became more dominant. I love Smurfette's Boohoo's. It cracks me up everytime lol.
Just about all the smurfs could be considered a stereotype in one way or another. She isn't overly vain like Vanity, and people who wears glasses don't all act annoying like Brainy but we should all love their hammed up stereotyped faults all the same, and furthermore as Papa Smurf always says...
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Tra la la la la la, I'm smurfy as can be :)
Tra la la la la la, but don't you smurf with me :P
Posts: 48 | From: The Enchanted Forest | Registered: Mar 2011
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Cheeky Smurf
Smurfling
Member # 3542
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posted 03-10-2011 02:11 AM
But tbh, there are still a lot of these Smurfette traits in many female humans today.
To turn it the other way around, what about snorting Hogatha?, she's about as unsmurfette and the very least of good female role-models as you could smurfily get.
Gargamel himself, he doesn't escape the ism's, he could be deemed as a stereotypical ignorant male too, as with at least 90% of the baddies that seem to be male, not counting Hogatha of course.
And as for Hefty, he is really just a stereotypical macho male which male viewers could easily just as identify with the male version of Smurfette, and let's not even go there with Vanity.
So there's really no difference, and as Papa Smurf always says... (Bad Brainy impression).
There's just too many ism's in the world! Don't say you've never noticed any of these traits in real life today, of course you have. Even the more stupider wiser of females and males have (bad angry gargamel impression) ![[Gargamel]](graemlins/gargamel.gif)
Oooh I just won't have politics interfere with a race so politically innocent as The Smurfs.
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Tra la la la la la, I'm smurfy as can be :)
Tra la la la la la, but don't you smurf with me :P
Posts: 48 | From: The Enchanted Forest | Registered: Mar 2011
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Squeaky Smurf
Hering Smurf
Member # 2416
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posted 03-10-2011 04:30 PM
When Peyo launched the Smurfette comics - as well as he did with Black Smurfs, as I explained before - he wasn't worried at all if there was a possible sexism in the story or not - after all, even though the story first appeared in 1967 and WOMEN'S LIB increased at the same time in ocidental world - one must always remember the Smurf comics were originally directed to children with the intention of amusing and transmitting good ideas.
In the original story Smurfette was really somewhat futile (eg the moment when she wanted a swan feather) and seductive (eg she manages to make Poet Smurf to open the floodgate lock). Due to Gargamel's spell, of course, for she was already just that way before getting beautiful thanks to Papa Smurf. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I've observed that both in following comics and HB cartoons Smurfette can be typically sentimental in certain moments, but when necessary she can be resolute. Smurfette was created to be a little Eve among the Smurfs and later changed a bit becoming a true friend (without losing her original charm, of course) to the Smurfs. ![[Smurfette]](graemlins/smurfette.gif)
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Keep on always smurfin'!!
Posts: 7471 | From: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Registered: Jul 2008
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VicyJoe
Smurfling
Member # 3538
Rate Member
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posted 09-06-2011 03:48 PM
I would like to "bump" this thread as I have somethiing to say about the topic.
From the Smurfette is Sexist page:
Even popular Smurf stories written by Peyo and Yvan Delporte were rewritten through the lens of the modern American perspective. Would these American writers really sacrifice their own values to honor the intent of Peyo, a man that spoke no English and had no involvement in the show? It appears the answer is no
According to "The World of Smurfs" book by Matt Murray, Peyo did had complete control over content in the cartoon series. This is part of his contract with Hanna-Barbara, and he can veto anything that disliked. This is a man who is known to maintain the quality of his properties according to his own standards.
Even though Peyo did not speak English (even though is father is British), his friend and collaborator Yvan Delporte did and acted as Peyo's representative to Hanna-Barbara.
While it is true that Smurfette is not the only female Smurf in existance, she is the most important as Sassette and Nanny never had the popuarity and name recognition as Gargamel's creation. While the latter two appeared in many cartoon episodes, Sassette is often relegated to a minor character after her comic debut in "L'pitits Schtroumpfs" and Nanny appeared in a previously un-published comic story ("La Maman de les Schtroumpfs") that would be considered non-canonical because it was rejected by Studio Peyo in the 1990s. The latter story never appeared in Spirou nor in the magazine Schtroumpf, but appeared in a four-volume collection of 28 unpublished short Smurf stories.
While the article is informative, it could have more balance on how Smurfette is depicted in the comics. It is too cartoon-centric. Unfortunately, most of the Smurf comic stories have yet to be translated into English and it would be years before we see enough stories to get an idea of how Smurfette is depicted from her 1966 debut to the present.
Posts: 94 | From: Claremont, CA | Registered: Mar 2011
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Peazjelly
Super Smurf
Member # 3101
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posted 09-07-2011 02:01 AM
Excellent points Onesimos.
I had been under the impression that Peyo was rather uninvolved with the cartoon and things like master franchise licensing, at least when it concerned the United States.
It would be so much easier if we could simply ask the man himself.
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__It's PeazJelly Time
Posts: 432 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 2010
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
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posted 09-07-2011 09:32 AM
Unfortunately, the only way we can explore Smurfette's character and see what makes her behave anywhere close to what Peyo may have intended for her is through fanfiction.
Hearing that Peyo did have a direct hand in overseeing the cartoon show, it does make this line from my "Video Killed The Radio Star" parody song "Season 9 Killed The Smurfs Cartoon Show" all the more telling:
In my mind and my heart,
I think Hanna-Barbera went too far.
The season came and broke my heart,
But were they to blame, or was it Peyo?
For the full song lyrics, see this page on AmIRight.com.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4085 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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swarlock
Super Smurf
Member # 746
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posted 12-16-2011 01:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeky Smurf:
Political correctness makes even harmless innocent things somehow look bad which I find silly (and possibly a little neurotic) when we over-analyse this kind of thing since PC became more dominant. I love Smurfette's Boohoo's. It cracks me up everytime lol.
Just about all the smurfs could be considered a stereotype in one way or another. She isn't overly vain like Vanity, and people who wears glasses don't all act annoying like Brainy but we should all love their hammed up stereotyped faults all the same, and furthermore as Papa Smurf always says...
Hear hear! They are all exaggerations of real humans in my opinion.
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Every day in every way I am smurfy!
Posts: 430 | From: Kissimmee, Florida | Registered: Jan 2005
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Tabby Smurf
MrsHandySmurf
Member # 3715
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posted 12-16-2011 01:54 PM
I dont understand this question....... Im still only 11 so idk what it means. Can somone please tell me what sexist means?
Posts: 619 | From: Handy Smurf/ MrsHandySmurf mushroom, Smurf Village | Registered: Jul 2011
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Animator Smurf
Sam Gamgee Smurf
Member # 3898
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posted 12-16-2011 02:28 PM
Oh, and Sexist basically means offensive, judgmental, critical, or stereotypical about a particular Gender. For example, some people believe Smurfette is sexist because she has waving blonde hair, a beautiful dress, and all the smurfs love her. Some people think that Peyo seemed to think all girls are like that. Another reason she is seen as sexist is because when she was originally made, when she was evil, she had Dark Brown hair, a big nose, a scraggy dress, and ugly eyelashes, but suddenly when Papa Smurf makes her a good Smurf, she's suddenly beautiful, with high heels, waving blonde hair, a pretty dress, long eyelashes, and all the Smurfs suddenly love her. Some parents think that this means all girls have to be like her to be nice. It sounds quite ridiculous that some people think that, but some people always look for the faults in things...
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Metsu-Hadoken!
Posts: 1258 | From: Minas Tirith, Gondor | Registered: Sep 2011
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Smurfette
Smurfalicious
Member # 4140
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posted 12-16-2011 02:32 PM
Ha ha. I'm only 12! And Animator here's what happened. The Smurfs (exept Papa and baby) loved Smurfette and that's why she got away with all that stuff. Heres an example from the episode:
Smurfette "Oh, this log is so heavy, do you think you could carry it for me"
Clumsy "Well, okay Smurfette"
and Clumsy being Clumsy
Smash!! and her eylashes were always long and she always wore high heels. The only difference was her hair, dress and features. Or should I say my hair, dress and features!
Posts: 2886 | From: Smurf Village | Registered: Dec 2011
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Animator Smurf
Sam Gamgee Smurf
Member # 3898
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posted 12-17-2011 12:26 AM
And every othersmurf who says Smurfette is sexist...she isn't! My Grandma seems to think she is because of Smurfette's waving blonde hair, well all her kids (and herself) had dark brown or black hair. I'm sure if they had blonde, she'd think Smurfette smurfy! ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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Metsu-Hadoken!
Posts: 1258 | From: Minas Tirith, Gondor | Registered: Sep 2011
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Sportette
Bakette
Member # 4102
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posted 03-30-2012 02:24 PM
im nine i have no idea what this is i just clicked on a random topic but i would say no i think
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Seether karma and effect
Posts: 2007 | From: Buffalo,NY | Registered: Nov 2011
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Carnation
dogboo22 / Brunette / Greedette / President Smurfette / Summer Smurfette
Member # 4086
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posted 03-30-2012 03:12 PM
Well, in my opinion Smurfette is like any other smurf! She should not be treated different but even if smurfette cries a lot that does not make her weak or wimpy! i cry a lot and nobody ever ever ever calls me weak. The smurfs only treat her so special cause they only have one grownup smurfette in the village (besides nanny).
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With a good attitude no one can bring you down - Carnation
Posts: 969 | From: Far Far Away | Registered: Nov 2011
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Smurfette
Smurfalicious
Member # 4140
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posted 03-30-2012 03:24 PM
Smurfette is Not sexist
But I think Smurfette's cool! (dah!) She was always cute and kind to every smurf! So what if there was a little flirting? I personally think she was just having fun! She was a normal girl...we're kind of similar.
Posts: 2886 | From: Smurf Village | Registered: Dec 2011
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Archive Smurf
Baraduke Brainy / De-Evolution Smurf / Space Harrier Brainy / Oingo Boingo Smurf / ToonerSmurf Inc. / Smurfus Norsmurficus / Archive Smurf
Member # 2350
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posted 04-07-2012 08:20 PM
I thought Smurfette was soooo cute myself. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) (Not to sound perverted, just like the banned user on this forum)
Posts: 1476 | From: Canada | Registered: Jun 2008
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Righting Legend
Baby Smurf
Member # 4396
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posted 04-08-2012 01:42 AM
@Onesimos
There is an official myth being created by the Peyo heirs that approaches a hagiography. Matt Murray is part of this myth-creation. It is very easy to say, decades later, that Peyo had "complete control over content" in his "contract".
However, after researching into how the Hanna Barbera show was run, I can safely say that it was an entity unto itself. It is an appealing fantasy to think that Peyo had his compatriot Yvan Delporte transcribe and translate transatlantic conversations regarding weekly episode minutiae - but it did not happen. The idea that huge tomes of evolving scripts were couriered to Peyo is simply ludicrous. The truth is this: Peyo was rarely listed as a writer on his own Smurfs show. The throngs of writers listed at the beginning of the episodes actually wrote the scripts, with the help of the usual fixers and industry friends who lent a hand from time to time.
The Hanna Barbera series is directly responsible for the true success of the Smurfs. Few would watch a sexist, misogynistic show about a useless female Smurfette who shrieked "oh help me" whenever danger approached. In fact if you read Peyo's original character description of Smurfette (ruining jokes, stupid, unhelpful), she is a wicked and totally unlikable character. Perhaps that is what Peyo intended, but we should all be thankful that Hanna Barbera turned her into something else.
In fact, Hanna Barbera not only "remade" Smurfette, they directly influenced many other characters, including the boisterous tomboy Sassette and versatile Nanny. Whatever Peyo's original intentions, it is clear Hanna Barbera became the ultimate voice of the Smurfs. Even today, on this website, the animated series canon dominates above all else.
Sassette is a fixture of many, many episodes Onesimos. Nanny is notable on the series as well. Perhaps you just haven't seen these episodes? My niece says the episodes with the Smurflings and Sassette are the "real" episodes, as opposed to the earlier seasons, so who is important in the series is a matter of personal taste. Just because Sassette and Nanny appear insignificant to you because of their lesser comic book status doesn't mean an entire generation of children didn't grow up seeing them, and loving them, every week.
Smurfette didn’t end up a sexist character thanks to the diligent efforts of Hanna Barbera. Sassette and Nanny sealed the deal, ensuring that the show's young viewers got to see girls and women in empowering, fun adventures.
I believe the reason the article is cartoon-centric is because modern-day Smurfs are a pure mathematical function of the Hanna Barbera cartoon. Everything is sieved through that cartoon, and what remains are the dominant character definitions we expect and associate with the Smurfs.
Thanks to Hanna Barbera, we now have an entity we universally consider the "Smurfs" that functions independently of the initial (perhaps misguided) ideas. I don't think that's a bad thing.
Posts: 1 | From: Woodland Hills | Registered: Apr 2012
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