Wish you had discussed the role of religion in the Southern woman’s life as well - it’s oftentimes the foundation of her dedication to community and charity. Whether good or bad, the influence of religion on the South cannot be ignored. One of my old English teachers used to say he loved Southern literature because it was a place “haunted by God”.
@meg arbo, Agreed Hollywood ignores religion mostly unless it’s a throwaway line or critique. Melanie from Gone With the Wind is the only really religious Southern Woman I can think of (and overshadowed by Scarlett). So it wasn’t really nessecarily to discuss as a part of the trope.
Scarlett straight up married her sisters boyfriend to get her hands on his business and make bank turning it into a lumber mill... And she did not give a FUCK. Scarlett is such a good character. Not a good person, but a good character.
People really conflate the two things very often. On multiple occasions I have said that I really liked a character and people said I was a terrible person because that character is the antagonist or has some questionable morals; I'm not saying I would be their best friend, just that they're compelling and dynamic and make the story better! Best two recent examples of this are Queen Cersei from GoT and Abby from TLOU Part II.
Scarlett was very selfish, but at the same time I couldn't help but fall in love with her character. She is very strong even though she went through so much. At some points she seriously sucked, but I admire how she was determined to never go hungry again because she didn't want to go through all that suffering again. Her stealing her sister's boyfriend was shitty, but at the same time, the guy could have just gone to the sister and asked the truth. OR, the sister could have gone to him to get his help. No one did that so Scarlett wasn't entirely at fault, since she was doing everything she could to keep her family's land. Can't help but respect her in some ways.
@@vincegonzalez2171 I seriously don't get this. Many usually love the main character, even if they suck, since the main character can do no wrong, of course(which makes no sense but I guess some don't like to think about what they see). They see the antagonist and just hate them, no matter how great of a character they are, even if their reasons make sense and they are well written. For some it even makes sense as to why they hate the main character, and the reason behind it is so human and realistic, but God forbid anyone sympathises with them or likes them as a character. Many people just love siding with the protagonist, even if in some cases they are shitty compared to the antagonist. And, of course, many like hating the protagonist too. But in both cases, if it's a good character, then it's a good character, no matter what it is they do, and if they are well writter, then I will appreciate them no matter what people call me ;D
I would love to see the “hooker with a heart of gold” trope. She’s always beautiful despite her job. If she has a kid, it’s always a son and of course she’s someone’s love interest
I loved that Golden Girl's Blanche was an hilarious send up of the Southern Belle, being more promiscuous than her stereotype is known for. She's likely also named after the protagonist in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
I can answer that one. I'm from Georgia. Born bred and raised. I am a redneck hillbilly. Not all Southern women flirt. I don't. I find it being disrespectful to yourself. What she meant by that was some Southern woman feel like they have to flirt to better themselves. No flirting is not part of the Southern heartage.
True, but then you have those Southern Evangelical Women (and men too), usually fundamentalist and fanatical Christians, who rant and rave how women were 'seduced' by feminism and should remain in the home and not be tough or spunky. There is a youtube of Evangelist southern sisters who are so anti-feminist and anti-anything women in power (among other things). They're basically Southern Serena Joys.
I’m a Southern girl, born and bred and I remember way back in the day when I graduated high school and took a Senior trip on a cruise to the Virgin Islands. I wasn’t all that well traveled at the time, so was completely taken aback by what people believed about us. My girlfriend and I met tons of people from all over the US and a lot of them were completely shocked that we didn’t live on farms. Granted, this was nearly 30 years ago, but one guy we talked to, a Bostonian, honestly believed that we didn’t have indoor plumbing. He 100% thought we all had outhouses. I don’t mind the “Steel Magnolia” type trope or stereotype because in my experience, it’s a pretty accurate depiction of us, but Hollywood has done the South a pretty big disservice by propagating myths. The incidents I mentioned were from 28 years ago, but I have had similar incidents all across the nation in my travels since then.
I think the 30s? They had one house originally and ended up building another layer on when it became too small (they had 13 children), but I know that they had indoor plumbing by the 80s when I was a kid.
@@barbara832001 Oh!!! I had a great-aunt by marriage that had a packed dirt floor in her house! It had started out as a cabin, sometime in the late 1800s and in the original cabin area, there was that hard packed dirt floor. If you have never seen that before, it’s probably not like you are picturing. It was extremely hard and didn’t make mud or anything if liquid got spilled on it. I never thought to ask how that was possible. The cabin had had an outhouse, but when they built the house around it, they added a bathroom. That was all done prior to my birth though.
Michelle Obama talked about how whenever she went on walks in DC as the First Lady, people would come up to her and pet her dogs without ever realizing who she was. Even as one of the most famous women in the world, she was invisible, overlooked, forgotten.
Please do a video on Effeminate Men, or boys who like stereotypically "Girly" interests, like cooking, and how they may be emasculated or portrayed as "Weak."
I think that is an issue but i think the biggest issue with the portrayal of the effeminate male is that they always end up having to be gay and that's not true either.
I guess it's related to the Karen trope- but being from the South, there's a lot of racism that comes underneath the white Southern belle trope and how often the Southern belle is romanticized.
There is, it’s almost an accepted part of the culture. But as a black southern woman I know that not all whites are this way. Some of them hide their hatefulness behind religion but a lot are genuinely sweet as pie ❤God bless all the sweet ladies who have impacted my life.
This video really got me thinking about the Homemaker trope. The woman thats constantly underestimated and seen as less. This character has also undergone a radical change in the last few years. Do you think they might be worth looking into?
This makes me think of Sheldon’s mom from The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon because she is a strong, religious, matriarch in her southern household.
She was bad, but at the same time she was so well written. Her decisions made sense. I mean, her sisters did nothing, so of course Scarlett would have to take control over stuff. She was so young and suffered so much, it actually made sense as to why she was so determined to get rich and never have to worry about money ever again, even if it meant doing shitty things. But she was so stubborn and dumb at points. Sad that she was so blinded by what she thought was love, though. Would have loved to see her actual love go well. But honestly, her sister was also a bitch. A huge one.
@@cindyk7055 you think that because its from her pov. What would u do if u had a rich guy in the bag and then your own sister comes along and marrys him,and you're left with no suitors in a victorian world where u have no other option other than be an old maid,ne poor and have no fun going out. Thats why its written so great,you emphasize with a selfish arrogant woman you would hate if you actuslly knew her irl
@@MrBug-qp1zz my family always compares me to Scarlette, even though I'm English, but we have a very similar personality and I resonate with her a little too much. but Scarlette always has been my favorite character and I can sure as hell rationalize everything she does ahah.
I'm originally from Louisiana but moved away as a kid so I let my accent go flat overtime but can still sound southern when I want and it throws people off lol. I love southern accents they sound like home to me.
Really?? I'm from Texas and I can't stand southern belle accents, lol. I think any non-American accent is better than ours. The grass is always greener on the other side, I guess
@@robchuk4136 I lived in Georgetown Texas and the 'southern belles' were everywhere and were often bitchy and clone like. I found them quite odd. And I didn't find it sexy at all.
great video. as a southern girl from below the mason-dixie line i will agree we are varied indeed. but i want to get something straight. there is a difference between "southern girl" and "country girl" and you kind of mash those two together in this video. country girls are everywhere, southern girls are from a very specific geographical area of The South in the U.S.
So y'all just...kinda glossed over the fact that Blanche in A Street Car Named Desire, while being unstable yes, was pushed over the edge by her brother in law constantly persecuting, abusing and literally raping her, huh? And that he's the one that committed her to the asylum? That entire play/movie is about the predation of men on women that depend on them to survive (as Blanche did her husband and tries to do with two other possible suitors). In the play, it's why Stella sadly returns to the house with Stanley, but in the updated movie, she leaves him. I mean, good video as usual, but that part about Blanche felt way too simplified to fit the theme.
That show is amazing. It was killed way too soon. Maybe it’s a good thing-all of it is great instead of going on for ages and turning into crap like so many other shows.
Today on our collaborative Netflix Film Club series “Take Two," we're exploring the question of whether or not romantic comedies ruin us for love: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0BVs-GgI-xA.html Watch it now on the Netflix Film Club RU-vid channel!
Sooooo this is based on Southern white women, which is sad as a British black woman I lived up to southern Africa American and indigenous women as proper role models.
Seriously, The Take, you make such great videos: not only are they fun to watch for general audiencies, they're even good tools for investigation. I've used some of the sources you mentioned for my research. Thank you, so much.
There's a book series that's great called Rock Chicks and my favorite character is a southern belle named Daisy. The series is set in Denver but she's from... Texas (I think?) Any-who, she's the one who already went through hell and back that the rest of the women can't help but love and take into the fold because she's got this bubbling wisdom and a fierceness that comes out whenever the moment calls for it. She's always well put together, wears giant heels and resembles Dolly, and is loyal to a fault. Good stuff
This sounds far-fetched to some but it's absolutely true. I grew up in the rural south and I knew an older lady who, upon getting married and becoming pregnant for the first time, had no idea why or how it happened and was quite alarmed by it initially. She told this story while bemoaning "how much kids today know about sex!"
Great video! As a southern girl (although Florida randomly isn't considered "Southern" to alot of people) this was great! We are a mixture of sweet and sour! We all have alot to be proud of as far as our heritage (and I mean being taught manners and respect and to love one another) and I say that with everyone in the south.
From Georgia, but also spent a large part of my childhood in Ohio. This video is dead on. I would ask you to do a video on the Midwestern woman trope, but the stereotype for midwestern girls is essentially the same as that of the Cool Girl.
Funny how two epitomes of a Southern Belle are characters whose actress was a British subject who was born in and practically raised in India and numerous boarding schools. None of which were located anywhere in the States.
Irrelevant, Margaret Mitchell was born in Georgia. GWTW Scarlett was a popular literary figure before Vivien Leigh ever laced up that corset. Also other actresses have played Scarlett. I believe GWTW has even made the rounds in South Korea. A member of SNSD played Scarlett. Scarlett’s characterization has more to do with Margaret Mitchell than the actresses who play her. Mitchell created her, after all.
@@Amayram21 Yes you're right. You don't have to be, but think of it this way: No one can understand the hardships that black people face due to racism better than the black people and similarly no one can understand the prejudice surrounding muslims better than the muslims. That is why I said it would be better for a muslim to explain this topic. It's not a question of whether or not they can portray the prejudice, it's about how well they can portray it.
@@shoaibakmal3151 well of course we would be able to do it better but this channel talks about social issues that don’t affect them like racism pretty well and maybe if they do their research and hear Muslims pov then it shouldn’t be a problem we just need to get the conversation going
I know I already commented this on a different video, but Wise Old Man trope would be a great video to do. Mr Miyagi, Dumbledore, Yoda, Uncle Iroh, Gandalf; all those guys.
Thank you for these, could you do a video on eastern european women tropes? I find we are either not represented at all or always stereotyped, even in this day it seems still acceptable to make cringy, outused stereotypes of easter europeans in american cinema.. even though statistically it's the largest european population residing in US i still can't seem to find any stories depicting or representing those experiences... Sadly very popular shows supposedly reinventing expectations of women and minorities on screen, like jane the virgin or new girl, have used very demeaning and aged considerations towards Russians and Czech people...
As a Golden Girls fan, I was thrilled to see a little bit of Blanche Devereaux here. But I was hoping you could have discussed her more. :-) Or maybe do a separate video on the Golden Girls??
I was wondering when this will come. Maybe do the Small Town trope? Also on Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta there are a lot of pushover brides. Pushed around by siblings, parents, in laws, or even the groom
Yes to both of these Takes! ❣️ I've always wondered why, particularly in Hallmark movies, Small Towns are portrayed as charming and intimate. Most people from the big city eventually fall for a local, and settle down there, when in reality, there's a reason why they might have moved away in the first place.
@@trinaq Also that some small towns are so tight knit that they could be exclusive and Not open minded. Like there are people who talk about receiving bullying for their appearance order disability and someone would comment (like the victim or a relative) "it's a small town". Like for something that's supposed to be so sweet and welcoming...
It's part of the Emotional Labor section of Southern womanhood. Too many women I know -- Southern -- are the strong one to a mother with "the vapors" in whatever modern form they take or are flighty themselves leaving others to deal with the details. The pushovers have big weddings when they don't want them.
@@fabrisseterbrugghe8567 I also notice just how young and often naive some these brides come off and even if like their say established career women pushing 30 there is still that thing about being manipulated. I sometimes also wonder if these girls are marrying super young to get out from under their parents thumb. No shade
@@trinaq I even notice in these big city versus small town narratives it's always like focusing on affluent areas. Like the smalle towns always look like there not super far from the nearest Walmart or mall and the residents seem to have enough money to invest in their fancy Christmas decorations and parties (and look Hollywood ready). And the city people are usually depicted as coming from affluent Manhattan areas and not, like, an inner city. Also it seems like these narratives forget that there are big cities in the Midwest and the South and small towns and farms in the North and West Coast
Jesus Christ, the way the movie described her (not going out in the sunlight on dates to hide her wrinkles) I thought she was supposed to be in her mid-50s. Hearing Blanche was meant to be thirty is sad.
A woman was considered past her prime at a younger age back then than she is today. Probably partly because we live a little longer now, and we tend to get married later--partly due to marriage being considered more something to be entered into out of romantic love and less for financial reasons than it was in the past. I once heard it said that over the course of history, marriage has evolved from being the first step that one takes into adulthood, to being the last. Also, Blanche wasn't considered pitiful so much as a result of being thirty as for being thirty and unmarried--or never having gotten remarried after that one brief marriage when she was a teenager.
No she was in her late forties trying to pass herself off as being in her 30s..all if the women in Tennessee Williams plays was highly delusional..the man hated women an you can tell by the way he wrote them😁
I'm only at minute 1:49 and even though this is the only representation I've seen so far, I am grateful y'all had a black woman included in the "Southern Woman" category. It's unfortunate how when it comes to black people being a part of anything we always have to be reminded of oppression, the worst parts of our existence, so I'm glad that we're acknowledged as part of southern culture because it doesn't all belong to the withe folks.
A few other Southern Woman trope characters worth mentioning is the cast of Hush, Hush Sweet Charolotte. Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor. I'm not sure which subgroup they would fall into...but they are definitely a standout in the Southern Woman trope.
Thank y'all for adding the spoilers ahead label-- I know y'all had it somewhat before but I'm loving seeing it more frequently. (If you ever have time to add time stamps in the descriptions, I'd appreciate it.)
PLEASEEEEE do a character/story analysis of each of the Golden Girls, and characters Stan & Miles, I think that would be so good and see how they can relate to people today with each of us finding our story.
Just a thought: does the fact that Leigh and the guy that plays Ashley, are both British and Clark Gable is passing (he is white, Black and Native American) change how we see these characters versus how they are in the far more racist book? Also does the fact that the actor playing Ashley barely hides his British accent change how audiences perceive him? Brits know instantly he’s British, but most Americans think it’s a “Southern Genteel” accent(not sure if one ever actually existed)
I mean the book is from the perspective of an extremely selfish character. She doesn't care about taking other women's beaus, even marrying her own sister's. It's a bit much for her to be conscious of the very righteous good that is emancipation. She just doesn't care about other people. I do love the book for what it is. I just don't understand how it's such huge necessity to make disclaimers about it not accounting for the horror that is slavery when that's not the story it's telling in the first place. She's horrible to everybody.
There most certainly is a “genteel” Southern Accent. It really does sound a bit like a “posh” British accent with soft, “drawling” vowels & long pauses after sentences. Regional accents are on the decline in today’s mass media climate, so it’s rare to find. However, my grandfather & all his side of the family had one.
A video about the romanticization of mental illness just made reference to the tortured artist trope and of course mentioned Van Gogh. This could be a great topic for your next tropes video! It would be important to note that it is now believed that Van Gogh was actually shot accidentally by some teenagers who used to amuse themselves by harassing him. He allegedly told them to run away and allowed his death to be perceived as a suicide to perpetuate an image that he had already cultivated of himself as a tortured mentally ill genius...
[southern accent] “Oh my stars, I'm just a little lady! My fragile constitution cannot handle the fearsome outdoors.” Gold star if you know who I’m quoting
I’m from Texas and I remember in middle school a new kid from New York transferred to my small hometown school and said he thought Texas was all horses cowboy hats and boots lol
I'm from Arkansas and, when visiting New York, kids would come up to my dad after hearing him talk and ask if he was a cowboy. It's funny what ideas people have about different places
Interesting that both Blanche & Scarlett are played by Vivian Leigh. Was she from the south?🤔 Where Whitley Wayne from A Different World? She was a total Southern Belle played hilariously by Jasmine Guy!
I am all southern but I grew up in Atlanta not the country. I don't know anything about that life at all. I appreciate this video because I am not the typical southern either.
I'd love a Take on pageant girls in movies and tv! I've searched for years and I've never found one that actually represents scholarship pageants and it'd be so nice to hear about the stereotype :)
I was born and raised in the South! And then I met a real cute, sweet Yankee boy, when I was nearly 19, and went with him to the Northwest, and have been here for 21 years, next month! 😸 I love the Southern Woman trope though! It's always going to be one of my favorites! I've been lucky enough to know some women that seem like they fell out of Steel Magnolias, The Yaya Sisterhood, and Fried Green Tomatoes! Ugh! I've sat here, and made myself homesick! 🤪
The true Southern woman is a steel Magnolia. She will swoop a man up in flattery and set him just where she wants him, before he even knows what's happened. A Magnolia without the steel is not a Southern woman. She is a hot mess. Don't mess with Texas.
I have a book called Hell's Belles: A Tribute to the Spitfires, Bad Seeds, and Steel Magnolias of the New and Old South, and it seems to suggest that the reason Southern women are so strong is that their lives are spent dealing with the failures of the men running their society, including the effects of long-standing poverty and racism, not to mention antebellum "little lady" sexism. It's meant to be admiring but I thought it was just sad: that if the South could just get their act together, then the Southern belle identity would be no more; that they probably unwittingly perpetuate some of their troubles because it is tied up with their identity. Yikes.
I love your videos. Could you please do a video on the redhead trope in media. Please include how it's sometimes use as a proxy for black people. Thank you.
