When I was young, I was a big fan of the Dairy of a Wimpy Kid books. I once read a book that the author, Jeff Kinney, wrote about his writing and illustrating process for the books. One thing that stuck to me was the reasoning behind how he drew the middle school girls at the main character Greg Heffley’s school. The majority of the girls were drawn the exact same way, with small varieties in skirt pattern or hair texture. In fact, the only women who were unique were Greg’s mother and Ruby, the “weird” girl at school known for biting people. Kinney even drew the elderly women according to the same template. In contrast, every male character was drawn individually, with different hair colors, hair textures, clothing styles, heights, weights, and facial features.

Kinney provided good reasoning for his illustrative choices. He explained that, in the eyes of a middle school boy, most women all looked the same. The only exceptions were the ones who were unique in an “unappealing” way: one was his mother, and the other, the school outcast. While Kinney’s reasoning was, in my opinion, reasonable and well thought out, it asks the question of why women are seen as such. Especially in middle school, young girls are experimenting with their styles, interests, and personalities. It is a time where, despite individual efforts to fit in, uniqueness thrives. Unfortunately, in a society run by men, female identities are pushed aside, and we (women) are all seen as simply doubles of each other, and the only way to break the mold is to make ourselves stand out in unfavorable methods.