https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y Exploring the character Seth Acosta en-us 2021-02-28 20:15:03 UTC 2021-02-28 21:09:52 UTC hello@padlet.com beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250761858 While Seth mostly defies male stereotypes, he definitely conforms to some of them in a more underlying way. The main character, Vivian, who dates him, actually gets angry with him over some of the "typical guy things" he does. More specifically, he has slightly misogynistic tendencies. 
- He tells Vivian to "calm down" when she is upset about the injustice among her school.
- He doesn't initially believe the woman who accused another male character of sexual assault.
- He makes a joke about something that upsets Vivian.]]> 2021-02-28 20:23:38 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250761858 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250779166 Overall, Seth's character is one that rejects male stereotypes; he's the "good guy." There are several aspects of his character that exemplify this rejection.
- He doesn't play sports.
- He promotes Moxie, Vivian's feminist zine, and even participates in its events (drawing stars on his hand for solidarity, the walk out, etc).
- He listens to non-mainstream music and dresses as a reflection of that.
- He's not loud (the GIF below is my reaction to this one).]]> 2021-02-28 20:33:11 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250779166 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250788721 The book doesn't really expose how men react to Seth's character, but one can assume they'd either respect him simply because he's a guy, or despise him because he doesn't conform. Vivian's friends, though, regard him highly because of the fact he defies stereotypes. They detest the typical "macho man" type that runs rampant in their school, so anyone different is a breath of fresh air. These responses allow Seth the gratification of knowing he's not a bad guy, which he frequently shows insecurity about in the story. However, this praise can easily let a man fall into another stereotype: "the nice guy." To me, the nice guy is a man who treats women and other marginalized groups decently and feels like he deserves a pat on the back for it. I really do not view Seth's character this way, but in real life I have witnessed this far too often.]]> 2021-02-28 20:39:09 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250788721 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250796237 As previously mentioned, Seth's participation and involvement with Moxie alters the social construct of East Rockport High as well as gender as a whole. Gender can act as a divisive construct, which is something we witness as a society every day, so it's nice to see the main male character in the story promoting a feminist cause. However, I also appreciate how the author doesn't write him as the model male character, but rather giving him his flaws that make him more realistic. These flaws also emphasize how even the most socially aware of men have internalized misogyny given their upbringing in a society that treats them as the superior gender.]]> 2021-02-28 20:43:36 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250796237 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250805828 There are many stereotypes that are most often reinforced by characters in books. As for male characters, they are most often the sexist jock who either ends up "redeeming himself" by falling in love with a girl who isn't conventionally attractive or popular, or they remain static and play one of the main antagonists. These tropes are employed to dramatize the sexism existing in day-to-day life, or to make it seem like even the worst guys can have a turn around and become a better person. The most common stereotypes for women in media include either the "dumb blonde" background character or the angsty feminist teen. The first stereotype perpetuates the age-old sexist stereotype that women aren't smart and blonde women are typically used because they have been considered the most attractive in our colorist/racist society. The idea is that the more attractive a woman is, the less smart she must be. The latter stereotype is usually considered annoying by her peers, but is usually the target with whom the mean jock character falls in love. To me, this stereotype is used because it puts women in a box to where no matter how "hardcore feminist" they can be, they'll still end up with a man that is polar opposite from them and their beliefs.]]> 2021-02-28 20:49:11 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250805828 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250822324 Seth is an example of a character resisting the most frequent male stereotypes: he is a feminist and doesn't play sports. The aforementioned alpha-male stereotype is exactly what Seth's character is created to defy, and what is relatively often defied in other media. These antitheses allow readers/viewers to understand that not every man in the world is sexist and insufferable. They also give readers someone to root for in contrast to their peers. Additionally, Vivian's character is one of the many examples in media where the lead female role exists to resist the dumb, complacent stereotype of women. This resistance excites readers, especially fellow women, because it shows that they don't need to adhere to what society expects of them. ]]> 2021-02-28 20:58:49 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250822324 beardliliana https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250832753 As I get older, I'm really not a fan of any of the tropes/stereotypes that I mentioned. I think Moxie did a great job of including/resisting stereotypes in a realistic fashion, though sometimes I found it to be a bit dramatic. I wish YA books in general had more realistic and fleshed out characters that carried aspects of both ends of the spectrum, rather than making the characters extremely polarized on the basis of gender. ]]> 2021-02-28 21:05:04 UTC https://padlet.com/beardliliana/l8hyhrjasu5lsg1y/wish/1250832753