When I’m not writing, I teach A Level English to
sixth-formers. The other day, one of
them – a girl – said to me, ‘I love Jennifer Lawrence. I LOVE her.
I think I’m ACTUALLY obsessed with her.’
And then she’d gone pink and looked a bit confused.
I just smiled. ‘You’re
not the first teenage girl to tell me that,’ I said. ‘Shouldn’t think you’ll be the last either.’
Because it’s true.
Since the first film instalment of The
Hunger Games, I’ve heard it loads of times.
Girls in my classroom chat about Salinger or Twain or Shakespeare or
Miller and then – when they think I’m not listening – their conversation drifts
off and takes another turn and they discuss their love of Lawrence
instead. Don’t think I’m talking about
DH because I’m definitely not.
And sometimes – like the other day – they just tell me up
front.
I don’t blame them.
I’m a bit in love with Jennifer Lawrence myself.
Although it’s not really Jennifer, is it? Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fantastic
actress. And she’s beautiful to look
at. And she looks like she eats the
right amount of food. And wears proper
clothes. And doesn’t dance around in her undies and ‘twerk’. [Shudder.] But actually – although we love you too,
Jennifer – it’s Katniss Everdeen we’re TRULY awe-struck by.
Because she’s strong and she’s brave and she protects the
people she loves.
And she can climb REALLY high trees.
And she’s AMAZING with a bow and arrow.
And she’s got two blokes both falling over backwards for her
but – you know what - she’s not ACTUALLY all that fussed about being in a relationship
right now…
And she knows her own mind and sticks up three fingers in
the face of tyranny.
And she’s cool and dignified.
And yes, she has THE FACE of Jennifer Lawrence.
But WHAT a lead
character for a box-office-smashing film franchise! This is no Harry Potter or Jack Ryder or
James Bond. This is a GIRLl! And one who doesn’t play second fiddle to a
male lead. And unlike Twilight’s Bella Swan, her decisions
aren’t made by a rich, controlling and – quite frankly – DEEPLY CREEPY
boyfriend. No one needs to protect
Katniss. She can protect herself thank
you very much. And if I were one of those spoiled, pampered reality TV junkies
in the Capitol, my money would TOTALLY be on Everdeen. She is tougher and smarter and spikier than
anyone else in the arena. And as for
men… She likes some, she hates some and
– awkwardly – she loves two of
them. But she doesn’t NEED them or
anything. She’s not made of chocolate…
And that’s why I
love her. And I think that’s why loads
of other girls and women love her too.
Because – finally – after an eternity of being dealt a deliberately
dodgy hand of cards, we’ve achieved some sort of equality. In the world of
fiction, at least. Katniss can play games with the
boys and win. Of course, it’s all thanks to Suzanne Collins for
daring to give such a heroic role to a female character. It seems a fitting reward that she’s allowed
to have her name on the cover of her books and boys aren’t bothered.
And more than one hundred years after Emily Wilding Davison
was trampled to death under the feet of a racehorse in order to fight the cause
of equality for women, it seems to me that the arrival of Katniss hasn’t come a
second too soon.
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| Emily Wilding Davison: Read more about her by clicking here. |
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