Turning Inside Out Upside Down

Loyal readers of my blog will note that there are few things in this world that drive me quite as nuts as something that is aaaaalllmost perfect, but has a few glaring flaws...especially if those flaws could have been easily avoided if only the Powers That Be had simply spent a day or two inside my head! (It's lovely up here, really!)

And oh my goodness, does Inside Out fit this pattern to a T! Pixar created such an original and imaginative world inside Riley's head, and the visual design is absolutely brilliant. BUT, it's really noticeable that in contrast to the incredibly creative internal world, the outside world just coasts on stereotypes, and this is particularly regressive and galling with regard to gender. I don't have enough electrons to list everything I love about the movie (and tons of people have already done that), so here is a series unpacking the gender stereotypes in Inside Out and how these kinds of stereotypes affect our social norms:

Prologue: So...One Little Nitpick About Inside Out nothing really deep here, but as a native Californian I just can't let this one go.

Part 1: Actually, Inside Out's Gender Norms Are A Major Problem looking at how some of the unquestioned setup of the movie reinforces a very unfortunate status quo about gender, family dynamics, and the workplace in the real world.

This post generated some vigorous debate that is becoming a sub-series to address the way our sexist norms operate in fiction and real life:

• Part 1.a: When "Choice Feminism" Really Means "Don't Question The Status Quo, Ever"
• Part 1.b: No, Dudes, Sitcom Dads Are Not An Evil Feminist Plot. They're Postmodern Patriarchy.
• Part 1.c: Look How Hilariously Political Traditionalists Are, (Especially) When They Think They’re Not

Part 2: Inside Out's Feminism, and Other Imaginary Friends how the contrast between the brilliant and imaginative mindscape and the cliched sexism of the movie's "real world" sets up some toxic implications.

Part 3: Has Anyone Else Noticed That Riley's Parents Kind of Suck? cliched writing and storytelling shortcuts combine to make these underwritten parents implausible as the heads of a happy, functional family.

Part 4: When Sexism Is More Than Just Bad Table Manners my frustration with the gender roles in this movie intensifies with some incredibly lazy sexism and sitcom cliches that have no place in a movie of this caliber.

Coming Soon!

Part 5: The Revenge of The Dinner Table Scene

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