[AgathaTheWitch]

This is a very cool hack, and I support the intention behind it. Still, it is something I would never do for two reasons:

For one, as an author, I disagree with altering a text for a political purpose. To be sure, this instance is fairly innocuous, and parents frequently change bedtime stories on the fly to suit their kids. Nevertheless I consider the Legend of Zelda to be a text with its own mythology and themes, and just as I wouldn't rewrite Hamlet as a girl for my daughter, I wouldn't do it to Link.

Secondly I think it is important to teach kids to have role-models of BOTH genders. Two of my brother's biggest fictional role-models growing up were Wonderwoman and Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. In the same way, girls can learn leadership and toughness from male protagonists and heroes. I'm not accusing this father of not knowing this, but it would be my approach were I playing Zelda with my daughter.

[hythloday]

just as I wouldn't rewrite Hamlet as a girl for my daughter

Are you aware that Hamlet is a rewriting of an earlier play for a political purpose?

[arrrg]

There is no dearth of male heroes. Your concern about her not encountering male role models is completely bonkers.

I’m also not sure what your exact reason for opposing changing a work of art is as long as the original is not destroyed. And what is this political purpose you are talking about? I don’t see any connection to politics.

[AgathaTheWitch]

I'm not concerned about her not encountering male role models. I wrote "girls can learn leadership and toughness from male protagonists and heroes." That's what I would try to do with Link, not make him into a female.

I'm speaking very generally when I say "political purpose". I don't mean that he is advancing an ideology, but rather he is addressing a gripe he has with society, specifically the lack of female heroes. He is addressing this issue by changing a text. I don't agree with this, though I assume the father's intent was purely to help his daughter and not to push his politics on anyone.

[scott_s]

You view it primarily as "a gripe he has with society." I think he views it primarily as "I want my daughter to be able to pretend she is this character." There is a difference.

[AgathaTheWitch]

Ok, fair enough. I still don't think it necessitates changing the character's gender. I lived vicariously through a number of fictional heroes of the opposite sex. How this father approached this issue just isn't how I would approach it.

[scott_s]

I don't consider this a "political" purpose. It's not done for other people, it's done for his daughter.

[lmm]

If that were the case he wouldn't be publicising it.

[saraid216]

> just as I wouldn't rewrite Hamlet as a girl for my daughter

Actually, that's sort of an interesting thought experiment. I was going to point out "Get thee to a nunnery," but I guess "monastery" would work fine. I think the act of rewriting Hamlet with gender-flips would be a nice exploration of sexism.

[stcredzero]

Actually, that's sort of an interesting thought experiment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2000/aug/23/artsfeatures.e...

It's been noted that in many parts of Africa, the reaction to Hamlet's reaction to his uncle would be: A man dies, so his brother marries the widow -- that's the good and proper thing to do!

[dmlorenzetti]

Classic treatment of this, and other ways in which Hamlet doesn't "translate" to another culture, is Bohannan's "Shakespeare in the Bush" (http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/picks-from-the-past/12476/s...).

[tedunangst]

Marrying your brother's widow was the good and proper thing to do in England (or Denmark for that matter). That's not what makes Claudius the bad guy.

[theevocater]

Both Wonderwoman and Kusanagi are women designed by men. They are literally characters designed by men that dictate their views on how women should be. Even if they are relatively positive, they are still men transmitting their thoughts on how women should be.

Tell us more about female role models please!

[AgathaTheWitch]

What's interesting is that both of those characters have evolved considerably beyond their beginnings. I think it is oversimplifying to say that they represent men dictating "how women should be", but both Marston's Wonderwoman and Masamune's Kusanagi have been interpreted in drastically different ways by other writers.

If you believe that a character who's gender is the opposite of its creator is somehow invalid or cannot be a role model then I don't know what to say other than I don't agree. It's a subjective point and not particularly interesting to debate in my opinion.

[IvarTJ]

Both Wonderwoman and Kusanagi are modeled with apparent sex appeal by male authors. Could they really still be good role models? I ask this as someone who don't know much about either comics.

[pjscott]

Of course they can. Imagine a hypothetical comic with characters of both genders who are all sparklingly excellent role models in the way they behave. Now imagine that this comic was drawn by people who designed all those characters to be blatantly, panderingly sexy -- a fairly common situation, since sex sells, and cross-demographic appeal makes commercial sense. Does this make the characters poor role models, in spite of their good personalities and deeds? I doubt it.

[IvarTJ]

These are not hypothetical comics. If the characters are primarly tools to entice male audiences, then they are unlikely to also serve as good role models.

[3143]

Why is that? Males have poor taste in role models?

[shardling]

The creation of Wonder Woman is actually pretty interesting -- it was done in collaboration with the creators wife, and she was modeled somewhat after a woman they were in a polyamorous relationship with. She was also explicitly designed to be a good role model for girls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderwoman#Creation

[mnicole]

> In the same way, girls can learn leadership and toughness from male protagonists and heroes.

As inspired as I am by men in web development, I don't get the same feeling of confidence as I do from other women in the industry. I would say that while these heroes are naturally going to have a positive effect on anyone, the females are inherently more relatable - and therefore more influential - to girls.