Thursday, March 17, 2011

Peppa Pig betrays feminism

I have disappointing news for women – Peppa Pig has exploded the idea that it is possible for you to have it all.

For years, we have marvelled at the endless capabilities of Miss Rabbit – unmarried mother-of-two and serial entrepreneur. More than any City superwoman, Miss Rabbit showed that you could be a good parent and have a job. Hundreds of jobs, simultaneously in fact, ranging from helicopter rescue pilot and junkyard owner to supermarket checkout assistant and dental nurse.

Well, I'm sorry to have to let you know that far from projecting this progressive message to pre-schoolers (and their reluctantly entranced parents), Peppa Pig has made it abundantly clear that – sorry girls - it's motherhood OR employment.

The episode "Miss Rabbit's Day Off" (first aired October 10 2010, 8.15am on Five, fact lovers) makes it clear that Miss Rabbit and "Mummy Rabbit" are in fact two separate people. Rabbits, rather.

Like many viewers, I had always assumed that the occasional reference to "Mummy Rabbit" was just a functional description – just as Daddy Pig is occasionally referred to as "Mr Pig" by people (anthropomorphic middle class animals, rather) who are not his children.

Well, I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Astley Baker Davis have retconned this inspirational figure into two sisters. And as the episode shows, "Mummy Rabbit" is not fit for the world of work, failing miserably to handle the least demanding of Miss Rabbit's occupations at the supermarket.

How much more clear than twin sister cartoon rabbits could it be that women must choose between the path of economic and personal liberation or sublimation of the self in the family?

I was prepared to forgive Peppa Pig a lot. It's considerably less annoying that most of the stuff Roger Jr makes us watch. Even the class snobbery inherent in the contrast between the "nice" parents and comedy prole Mr Bull (the binman, carny and foreman of the road workmen) is deft enough not to offend.

But this is a terrible betrayal of Peppa Pig fans, womankind and the whole of the next generation.

8 comments:

  1. For anyone who cares, that comment by "Leopold the Second" on the Telegraph article I linked, was written by me in one of my many "European royalty" disguises.

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  2. RogerofSicily is my main pseudonym, although I have occasionally gone by the soubriquet "Lucky Pierre" as well.

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  3. You need to get a life rogerofsicilly . Seriously .
    Everybody knows miss rabbit is on speed

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  4. Mummy Pig works from home. Many of the mothers work in the fire service. All the children attend creche so one would assume that most parents are working.
    Not sure why it's a problem that they show one mother who stays at home, we do exist in the real world too you know. I thought feminism was about choice? So long as we don't make the "wrong" choice it seems.

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  5. Indeed, anonymous. By far it is more women that tend to be stay at home parents. But should a tv show reflect this reality, it has somehow gone wrong! Welcome to crazy world.

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  6. Hello! It may amuse you to know that this post has contributed round about 30% of the all-time traffic to this site. Not bad considering the main argument seems to be based entirely on a misunderstanding on my part of the Peppa Pig "canon". Considering how many times I have watched EVERY SINGLE EPISODE EVER that is quite ironic in itself.

    Anonymous, as a non-woman I make no pretence to define feminism for anyone. My thinking was "wow, Miss Rabbit does everything - what a great role model; a mum who doesn't fit into any stereotype". Then I found I had missed the point entirely and that the point being made was completely the opposite of what I had thought it was. In retrospect, the fact that I misunderstood a programme for toddlers is probably the message best taken away from all this.

    What about that Mr Fox in the latest series though? He's got a spiv moustache and everything...

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  7. Miss Rabbit is Mummy Rabbit's sister and has no children :P

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