Lisa Simpson: A Feminist Icon

Yes, we all know who the Simpsons are. No, these cartoons are not made for children. But I grew up with them.

The Simpsons series tells the satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield; a family in which we find one of the most admirable and endearing characters, but also one of the most misunderstood and underestimated: Lisa Simpson.

Well, what can we say about this little eight-year-old girl? She is in favor of education and activism. When she cares about something and believes in it, she does not mind the others' opinions. She fights for it. However, sometimes her character does not get the merit she deserves because she is a cartoon. But for this reason, what I really want to talk about is Lisa's feminist side.

There are many examples throughout the series that make Lisa one of the best feminist role models that has been sitting under everyone’s nose for twenty-eight years. This is why some deserve to be analyzed:

• Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy (what a parody of Barbie, huh?)

"Millions of girls will grow up thinking that this is the right way to act -- that they can never be more than vacuous ninnies whose only goal is to look pretty, land a rich husband, and spend all day on the phone with their equally vacuous friends talking about how damn terrific it is to look pretty and have a rich husband!"

In this episode, Lisa leads a protest against a talking doll which she believes is sexist. Some of Stacy's words were "Don't ask me, I'm just a girl", "I wish they taught shopping in school!" or "Let's bake some cookies for the boys!" (because this is what women are expected to do, isn't that right?). As a protest, Lisa creates a talking feminist doll, for which she records some lines such as "When I get married, I'm keeping my own name." Oh, no, that should probably be "If I choose to get married." Bravo!

• Girls Just Want to Have Sums

In this episode, Lisa makes it clear once again that she was not born to tolerate sexist comments such as "girls are bad at math just because of being girls" (what about the team of African-American women mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the US space program?). Springfield Elementary is divided into two separate schools (one for boys, one for girls) following Principal Skinner's demotion. Concerned that the boys are receiving a higher standard of education, Lisa disguises herself as a boy. But in the end, she reveals her true identity and proudly claims that she is glad she is a girl, and she is glad she is good at math.

• Bart to the Future

"As you know, we've inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump. How bad is it Secretary Van Houten?"

"We're broke."

In this episode, The Simpsons predicted that Lisa would become the President of the United States after Trump. There is not much to say about this. Just as they "predicted" Trump's presidency, may this prediction come true too.

Three cheers for Lisa Simpson!

by Ana Álvarez Nogales

Sources:

· IMDb. (2017). The Simpsons (TV Series 1989– ). [online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/?ref_=nv_sr_2 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· IMDb. (2017). Hidden Figures (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/?ref_=nv_sr_1 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Huerta, H. (2015). 13 Times Lisa Simpson Was The Ultimate Feminist Icon. [online] MTV News. Available at: http://www.mtv.com/news/2140944/lisa-simpson-feminist/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Kenwrick, S. (2017). An ode to Lisa Simpson, everyone's first feminist role model. [online] The Tab UK. Available at: https://thetab.com/uk/2016/12/09/ode-lisa-simpson-original-27689 [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Knopsnyder, G. (2016). 5 Reasons Lisa Simpson Is A Feminist Icon. [online] Odyssey. Available at: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/5-reasons-lisa-simpson-feminist-icon [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Borth, M. (2013). 5 Moments From ‘The Simpsons’ That Prove Lisa Simpson Is A Feminist Badass. [online] Thought Catalog. Available at: http://thoughtcatalog.com/maddie-borth/2013/08/5-moments-from-the-simpsons-that-prove-lisa-simpson-is-a-feminist-badass/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Griffiths, M. (2017). Look, Lisa Simpson is Still My Feminist Hero and I Don’t Even Care. [online] CATALOGUE MAGAZINE. Available at: https://www.cataloguemagazine.com.au/feature/look-lisa-simpson-is-still-my-feminist-hero-and-i-dont-even-care [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Harris, G. (2015). Why Lisa Simpson Is An Awesome Feminist. [online] Politicsandprogress.wordpress.com. Available at: https://politicsandprogress.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/why-lisa-simpson-is-an-awesome-feminist/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Keysmash, H. (2014). Lisa Simpson: FEMINIST – KEYSMASH. [online] Keysmashblog.com. Available at: http://www.keysmashblog.com/lisa-simpson-feminist/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].

· Buchanan, D. (2014). 19 reasons why every woman should love Lisa Simpson. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11298541/Simpsons-25th-anniversary-Why-every-woman-should-love-Lisa.html [Accessed 28 Apr. 2017].