I think the pairing of a girl with a strong man *is* inherently problematic. It wouldn't be if girls regularly were paired with strong women, boys with strong women, and boys with strong men (that at least is a common narrative, but not in this particular genre). We also don't see girls and boys figuring out life together, which happens a lot in real life and is a healthy alternative.
There's an unhealthy meme that hasn't left real life, which is that no woman has ever succeeded without a male mentor - however far she gets, she only gets there by the grace of a man (and with the unspoken threat that if she gets too uppity, he can take her powers away again.)
The mentors in these stories always seem to want to bind the young women to them - teaching her to find her wings and her own path in life doesn't appear to be an option.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-07-21 01:05 pm (UTC)There's an unhealthy meme that hasn't left real life, which is that no woman has ever succeeded without a male mentor - however far she gets, she only gets there by the grace of a man (and with the unspoken threat that if she gets too uppity, he can take her powers away again.)
The mentors in these stories always seem to want to bind the young women to them - teaching her to find her wings and her own path in life doesn't appear to be an option.