Maisie speaks out on Sexism roles for women

I don't actually think that in order to be tough, a girl has to sacrifice her femininity. You can be both, a strong female character and feminine at the same time (I'd say Catelyn and Dany are good examples for this). Arya is a bit of an extreme, in my opinion, she's almost too much of a tomboy and too wild. And Sansa is the other way around, she's a bit too passive. They are both extremely strong characters, of course, but if I think about it, neither one of them is a particularly good role model for young girls. A combination of them both probably would be, though. 

There's a bit too much of this whole badass butch need no man thing going around lately, Dany with her wine drinking while hot dude strips not being an exception here. Protecting those you love, being faithful and mature, having honor and dignity, pride, like Catelyn - that's a good role model. Not swinging swords and fucking hot dudes GIRL POWER FUCK YEAH

Well GRRM wrote Arya and Sansa as two sides of the same coin really. It was a purposeful flip of roles from one extreme to the other but I don't think it lessens either of them to make a good role model since both of them show strength in different ways. Plenty of girls out there want nothing to do with femininity (and this has nothing to do with sexuality mind you) and feel trapped or forced into 'girl' expectations such as gender specific clothing (pink/flowers/barf) ... I know because I grew up very much a confused Arya type girl myself. I wanted to be a woman, there was no confusion on gender identity for me, but I didn't want to be the stereotypical female and had no desire to wear dresses or play with dolls. When I got older, I cut my hair short and many thought I was a lesbian, but I wasn't. I married a handsome boy to prove that wrong but ended up being miserable. I was happier on my own, loving without boundaries to be honest. I've had both girlfriends and boyfriends and I don't really identify with homosexuality or heterosexuality. I suppose bisexuality is the truest 'confused' there is unless you're comfortable with it. That's why I was ecstatic about their casting Oberyn the way they did - it was very empowering for bisexual identity. 

But anyways, I did say Arya/Sansa wasn't necessarily about sexual expectations of femininity and I do believe that. George isn't always perfect at it, but I'm continually amazed as his character perception abilities. He wrote Arya the way she is to purposely challenge the ideals of a female strong character ... what IS the defining role of a female like Arya? Will she end up being like Brienne... teased and mocked for her masculine side? Or will she find her own form of feminine too? Cat of the Canals was Arya acting out a much prettier/feminine side of herself - and she was happy in that role even if it wasn't really Arya. You saw her smiling and enjoying herself and looking pretty without being overly feminine. They nailed that one too. Arya can be strong and feminine too ... it's not too over the top. 

It was a joke, the latter half of it. But Arya HAS some sociopathic qualities. But tbh, I think we all do.

GrrM's made the connection before between Arya and child soldiers, which even if she's older in the show is still a valid comparison in many ways. The Faceless Men definitely are directing her trauma and emotional immaturity in a pretty violent, antisocial direction. But just like child soldiers can be rehabilitated into society and live relatively normal lives afterwards, it's possible that Arya could too. It doesn't mean she will of course but the possibility's there for. Which will make it even sadder if she dies really...

A. Maisie is right when she says that there are a lot of female roles in tv and cinema which only attribute is to be hot. While I don't think those roles will ever go away, it's good that more people are talking about all the sexism that exists in the entertainment industry. Maisie knows what she is talking about.

B. People who call Arya a sociopath/psychopath should look up what those terms actually mean. Because that way they'd realize none of them can be applied to Arya.

C. Women are just as complex as men, and the idea that a woman/girl is too much of a tomboy/passive is really offensive. We are just as diverse and different as men, saying that one kind of girl is a wrong role model for other women/girls is like saying that one kind of women is bad and others should avoid being that way, which is bullshit. Both Sansa and Arya have their flaws but they are still great female characters and both of them are good role models.

D. The idea that only "tomboys" are respected and "traditionally feminine" women aren't is simply false. For the longest time women who didn't fit the mold that society tried to impose on them were humiliated and ignored, the only reason the "tomboy" became a cliche for "strong female character" is because we live in a sexist society that thinks the only way a woman can be strong is if she acts like a man, which is stupid as fuck. But saying that people should root for women who embrace their femininity instead of women who defy those conventions won't solve the problem. What will solve the problem is proving that women can be strong no matter what they wear or what they like. Period.

E. Yes @envie, I was the one who said that video about Arya dying and living in Nymeria was bullshit, and I still think the same.

PS: if anyone wants to see a tv show that depicts all kinds of women as real people I recommend Orange is the New Black.

I love Arya, but really, she is no role model. Although I agree with everything else Maisie says in this article More and more people are speaking up against Hollywood sexism these days and it is great to see. Long may it continue and I hope it has a lasting impact on the industry.

Although I don't think the idea of sacrificing your femininity in order to be tough is even remotely feminist. That just permeates the idea that femininity is less valuable than masculinity which goes against the entire basis of feminism. I think of all the female characters, Daenerys is the one that wins the most feminism points here as she's tougher than most male characters and she's still very feminine. The "tough female character" is usually pretty butch and Daenerys is not that.

Arya's feminism comes from her unwillingness to conform to gender roles and challenging the norm. Her resistance to becoming nothing more than a glorified baby maker is, IMO, more admirable than her willingness to kill and fight, but that's just me. I don't think that's a side to her that is celebrated often enough amongst fans.

More complex in what way? That's not what I've observed at all. I've met a lot of complex men and women in my life. That has nothing to do with sex and gender, IMO.