'Toy Story 3' accused of "careless sexism"

[dutchman]

Warning: this article contains major spoilers for those who haven't seen the film yet

Toy Story 3 has been accused of expressing a "careless sexism" in its characters and dialogue.

The attacks were made in a critique of the Pixar sequel published on a blog for the self-described "unique, outspoken, and hard-hitting" Ms Magazine.

Spoiler:

Author Natalie Wilson wrote: "Toy Story 3 opens on a woman-empowerment high, with Mrs Potato-Head displaying mad train-robbing skills and cowgirl Jessie skillfully steering her faithful horse Bullseye in the ensuing chase.

"And that's the end of that: From there on, the film displays the same careless sexism as its predecessors."

The article criticises the marginalisation of other female characters and continues: "As for Ken, he is depicted as a closeted gay fashionista with a fondness for writing in sparkly purple ink with curly-Q flourishes.

"Pairing homophobia with misogyny, the jokes about Ken suggest that the worst things a boy can be are either a girl or a homosexual."

The review also complains about Barbie's "hyper-feminine presentation" and suggests that she and Ken's on-screen characterisation perpetuates "damaging gender and sexuality norms".

"Yes, the film is funny and clever. Yes, it is enjoyable and fresh. Yes, it contains the typical blend of witty dialogue as well as a visual feast-for-the-eyes," Wilson admits. 'But, no, Pixar has not left its male-heterocentric scripts behind. Nor has it moved beyond the “everyone is white and middle class' suburban view of the world."