A symptom of sexism, here's a look at what is behind this concept of underrepresentation that is still far too common on our screens
Whether it's "The Big Bang Theory," "Avengers" or "Star Wars," many TV shows have this thing in common: they all suffer from the Smurfette syndrome. A symptom of sexism, we take a look at what is behind this concept of underrepresentation that is still far too common on our screens.
You're probably familiar with "The Smurfs." The small blue characters were first seen in the comic strip created by Peyo in 1958, which would later spawn animated TV shows and films. Fans likely find it easy to name the various male characters whether it's Hefty Smurf, Handy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf and Lazy Smurf not to mention Papa Smurf, but there is essentially only one female character: the famous Smurfette. Unlike the male characters, this character is only differentiated by her gender, without other added value. And of course Smurfette exists only in her relation to the male characters. She represents a kind of traditional feminine ideal: beautiful and kind, a figure that all men are in love with. It is this principle that Katha Pollitt, an American essayist and feminist, theorized with the Smurfette syndrome, in the newspaper The New York Times in 1991.