A new 12-part miniseries is being made, this time with a female character in the title role. This image of her has been released and is doing the rounds on fan blogs and so on, and some of the comments which have greeted it are very interesting.

Here are some of the initial replies I’ve seen (not exact wording):

• “Why does she look like a boy?”
• “She looks well butch.”
• “Take the pigtails out and you have a dude.”

All of which might arguably be true, but that’s firmly in the tradition of Avatar playing with gender in awesome ways. For a start, the character of the Avatar is a holy person who has reincarnated as male and female over the centuries. They have a long line of both to call on for wisdom during meditation.

Aang, the boy monk who is the lead character of the original Avatar: TLA series. Image copyright Nickelodeon.

In the original series, the Avatar is a boy named Aang, who presents as relatively gender-neutral: his young age and upbringing as a monk make him quite androgynous, his head has no hair or facial hair and he wears mainly shapeless robes. While physical power and combat are key measures of success for the world he lives in, Aang refuses to take the hyper-masculine pose which is constantly encouraged. He is instead always flying out of reach and using his enemies’ aggression to quickly slip behind them to safety (a key technique of the Ba Gua martial art which his tribe learn). He doesn’t judge or take sides, but is laughingly delighted to meet anyone. He has been away from the world, and society’s restrictions on gender simply make no sense to him compared to love for your fellow beings. Expectations of male and female conduct are explored (and often refuted) by everyone around him, but he stands alone in the centre. He is a pacifist trickster, unique in the world.

Tricksters in mythology are often linked to exploration of gender roles. They can be shapeshifters, disguise themselves as anyone, and try out, or even master, traditional women’s or men’s skills. Shamans in some communities (who can in many ways embody the trickster role) may not consider themselves to be male or female: some cross-dress, or adopt the conventions of different gender roles at different times. Tricksters are also usually Outsiders. They all know loneliness and derision, and can only succeed in their task if they do NOT fit the safe confines of known social roles. Aang is definitely an Outsider, and the lonely last of his kind.

The fact that the series can do all this while still being a genuinely thrilling, hilarious and entertaining children’s show is just one of its strengths (do you get the impression I like it quite a lot?) The attitude of neutrality with regard to gender isn’t laboured, and as the episodes progress Aang develops a hetero attraction towards a female character, but by that point it doesn’t feel like it was inevitable in a Hollywood kind of way.

When we look at who the commenters expected Korra to be like, the closest fit is probably the main female of the original group – Katara, a teenage girl who, like Korra, also comes from the Water Tribe. Katara has complete agency over her actions and repeatedly refuses to fit into everyone’s expectations for what ‘a girl’ should be able to do. She does take on the familiar female roles of healer and nurturer, but only after proving she is as strong and determined as the men around her and choosing the additional activities for herself. Demanding them, in fact, when there is so much which she rejects and fights against as well. But at the end of the day… she is also very conventionally pretty.

Korra doesn’t give the studios that reassurance. You can usually be as liberal as you like in a new show – provided you have a white male lead. I think Avatar: TLA did the minimum it had to in order to be made, and took great risks after it had snuck in under the radar. Avatar: TLK isn’t putting up with that nonsense at all, has a teenage young woman of colour as the protagonist and (if the previous writers were anything to go by) will not be taking any crap about it.

I can’t wait to see what Nickelodeon do with Korra, and in many ways “she’s not feminine-looking enough!” is a wonderful comment to have provoked. Television for children is SO important in terms of teaching norms to a new generation. The original depicts the heroes observing the world around them, choosing for themselves which parts to take into their life, and being treated with honour and respect no matter who they feel they are. I just wish we were getting more than a 12-part miniseries this time!

Just trawling for images to use had me wanting to watch the whole series again! (Image and characters Copyright Nickelodeon productions.)

I’ve had a few people ask me about one of the presents I mentioned in my suggestions for Team BadRep’s Christmas list: the cartoon series Avatar – the last Airbender. Unlike some of the gift suggestions it’s not a specifically feminist item, but I recommended it because I think it’s awesome on many levels and feminist-friendly as well. (Some spoilers ahead!)

First of all, there’s a rough gender balance. The core group is made up of two boys and two girls. They are as important as each other on average – one of the boys is the title character, but the other is something of a clown figure who doesn’t have any of the powers that the two girls do. It’s not that clear-cut because everyone has a lot of growth over the series, but there is no “male hero and some sidekicks” dynamic going on here. They are all important, and talented in different ways.

The enemies are initially men (especially a teenage boy and his grandfather), but his sister and her female friends take even more of the villain roles later on (and are frankly better at them). When the core group gains another man, a woman who was previously a side character gets more screentime too.

What’s more interesting to me than strict number balance is that the roles for women are very, very good. The show is set in a fantasy world in which combat is a critical part of cultural identity and power, but if anything the women are more precise and technically proficient at fighting than the men. There is even an early scene where a blustering male fighter spars with an expert female warrior, assuming he’ll have to go easy on her, and she deliberately and calmly takes him apart. In the ‘enemy’ family, the sister has a greater knowledge and tighter focus of their family’s technique than anyone else.

Another thing it does well is to show real martial arts, and how women can be just as effective at them without falling into the typical trap of only being given the soft and gentle styles. In this story the arts are learned by tribe, and if either men or women show talent then they can perform them. So the main young woman in the group does Tai Chi (thought of as soft by anyone who hasn’t had to go up against it, seriously, bloody hell) but all the men of her tribe do too. In fact, she encounters prejudice from a teacher who won’t train her because he doesn’t see it as a woman’s role – so the show certainly didn’t assign her the style because it sees it as soft and feminine.

The other girl in the main group (and I mean girl, I don’t think she’s a teen yet?) knows the style which is the heaviest and most unmovable, based on rock. When you have a mixed group like this the female roles often just happen to result in “Invisible Woman with passive/protective powers”. Healer girlfriend, in other words. Not here – these female characters are determined, immensely capable in attack, and in some cases the most ruthless people in the show. The camera doesn’t cut away from the effects of their rage or violence either, as we’ve seen a trend recently where women aren’t shown equally during violent scenes. The fighting is an extension of their character, even their soul, so is shown in great detail because it is relevant and part of the storytelling.

The series is also very good on race. The “Tribes” are roughly based on Asian countries, with Japan, China and Tibet being obviously represented. The Water Tribe live at the poles (on the ice), and are darker skinned than everyone else. This is never once commented on: they are the Water tribe, of course they’re the colour they are. While there’s plenty of tension between the groups, there’s absolutely no racial hatred. Characters acknowledge that one of the tribes is being warlike right now, but they know that all four make up the world and never treat anyone as lesser based on skin colour. Those planning the long-term subjugation of other tribes are shown to be dangerously out of control and out of balance.

(This became a sore point when M Night Shyamalan made a Hollywood movie of the series and cast predominantly white actors as the all-Asian characters. And a British-Indian actor as the baddie, who ironically is the palest person in the cartoon series).

Most of all I recommend Avatar: The Last Airbender to everyone because it’s just so full of joy. The comedy is genuinely funny and never gets old; the sentiments are exactly what I want kids to be learning from TV. The characters are deep, flawed, and have development arcs, the women are not sidelined even though the cultural and fantasy setting could have made that easy and even likely. It celebrates establishing yourself but doesn’t glorify violence. It’s just superb, frequently beautiful and very admirable.

I’ve seen quite a lot of the anime series and movies which are popular in the West. I’d put this up as one of the best children’s shows I’ve seen in any format, an anime which holds its own alongside more famous adult fare such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion etc.

It’s critical that we teach equality to our children from an early age and TV is still the best medium to reach the most people. I think this is a series you can choose without hesitation. Look for it in the post-Christmas sales!

There’s more good news too: a sequel series, The Legend of Korra is underway. The Avatar is reincarnated (and can contact their past incarnations, who are men and women of all the tribes). This sequel stars the next Avatar to be born – who is Korra, a teenage girl of the Water tribe.

Promo Image for The Legend of Korra, copyright Nickelodeon productions.

Despite running for several seasons and finishing a few years ago, Avatar: The last Airbender is still surprisingly unknown in the UK compared to the US. Have you seen it? Did you like it, from a feminist perspective? Share your thoughts with us!