Female Character of the Week: Lisa Simpson

We feminists put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be “perfect” women, and this struggle goes beyond the typical “Can I have a satisfying career and a family?” conflict. If we’re supposed to reject stereotypical gender roles, is it anti-feminist to shave our legs and wear makeup and high heels?  Is it okay for us (heterosexual) feminists to still want the men we’re dating to hold doors open for us, make the first move, and propose marriage?  Can we still enjoy typically “feminine” things and still be strong feminists?

These aren’t easy questions to answer.  One female character very close to my heart is often asking herself the same questions.  This complex, well-developed little Gloria Steinem-in-training is Lisa Simpson.

Name: Lisa Marie Simpson

Why She Rocks: Lisa is filled with intellectual curiosity.  She loves learning, exploring, and challenging herself.  She believes passionately in women’s rights and rejects the notion that women have to be in competition with each other.

At the same time, when she is faced with classmates who are equally intelligent or talented, she becomes nervous, threatened, and even cruel, sabotaging her rival’s entry in a diorama competition.

For all of her beliefs in women’s rights and harmony, she still struggles with losing her identity as the smartest girl in her class.

Lisa rejects the idea that she has to conform to society’s roles for women.  She wants to keep her own name if she chooses to get married.  She makes a new talking doll when Malibu Stacy disappoints her.  She enjoys violent Itchy and Scratchy cartoons as much as Bart does, even though she can’t abhor violence to animals in real life.

At the same time, she loves princesses, ponies, The Babysitter Twins, and many other things that are stereotypically “feminine.”

Lisa has a wide variety of interests and does not limit herself to things that are either “masculine” or “feminine.”

Lisa can also see that women are under-appreciated and overlooked in our sexist society.  She fights for respect, fights to get noticed, and fights for change in the system.

Yet Lisa is the first to overlook her hardworking, under-appreciated mother in favor of finding other female role models.  She takes advantage of Marge just as much as Homer and Bart do.

Does all of this make Lisa a hypocrite?  In a recent episode, she had the following exchange with her mother:

Lisa can change the rules of feminism when it suits her current needs.  That is, I admit, hypocritical.

But Lisa isn’t a hypocrite in general.  She has passionate beliefs and high standards, and often fails to meet those standards.  No one is perfect.  Even as a 2-D animated cartoon, Lisa is one of the most well-rounded, human characters around.