Unrealistic Expectations:  The Women of Robots
Image courtesy of 20^th Century Fox
Children's films are notorious for reinforcing dominant patriarchal ideologies; and, Chris Wedge's 2005 film, Robots, is no exception.  The stereotypical female characters in Robots endorse what liberal feminist Diana Meehan calls, "a secondary position for women, a place in the world as selfless, devoted adjuncts to men" (Meehan in Kaplan, 255).  Through desirable submission, undesirable aggression, and the fetishization of women's bodies, the subtext in the film Robots illustrates Wedge's male construct of femininity in an animated patriarchal society.  Of all the female characters in Robots, the submissive Barbie-shaped female protagonist Caddy best represents what men perceive to be the ideal woman because she does not pose a threat to her ego-driven male counterparts.  For example, during a board meeting in which Caddy is the only woman in a twenty-five person executive board, the male robot running the meeting, Ratchet, leans over Caddy and suggestively whispers in her ear that he is moving her office right next to his. By the grimace on her face, we are able to see Caddy’s lack of romantic interest in Ratchet; but, instead of directly addressing him, she merely averts her gaze and mumbles her disappointment under her breath.  Caddy’s lack of retort to Ratchet’s inappropriate sexual advances only reinforce the male tendency of demeaning a woman’s position in the work force by reducing her value to being nothing more than a decorative object without a purpose.  In addition to her submission to male dominance, Caddy’s curvaceous figure turns her image into the ultimate model of female perfection.  Not only do her unrealistic Barbie proportions attract male robots like Rodney and Ratchet; they also serve as a model for female robot upgrades.  One scene which emphasized the importance of Caddy’s figure occurs when a group of robots is looking at Bigweld’s new spring line of upgraded body parts.  This particular shot shows the male desire for all females to be shaped like Caddy when the camera pulls back to reveal rows and rows of shiny new boobs without a waist to emphasize the unrealistic expectations male dominated societies place upon women and their bodies.
Caddy in the foreground: Image courtesy of 20^th Century Fox	Piper in the background: Image courtesy of 20^th Century Fox
The counter balance to Caddy’s model of womanly perfection is Robot’s aggressive tomboy Piper.  Her pigtails and lack of curves suggest that Piper is still an adolescent, someone not quite educated in the ways of the male dominated world.  Whereas Caddy is submissive to her male companions, Piper is not afraid to verbally attack anyone who challenges her.  This becomes evident during the scene in which Piper grabs the owner by his collar, gets in his face, and tells him that he had better find the part, “or else” when the owner of the hardware store says he does not have the replacement part for her brother’s neck. On one hand, Piper’s assertiveness can be read as merely a reflection of her youth and immaturity, an example of a girl who has not learned how to act like a “polite” (i.e. submissive) lady in society.  However, because Rodney ultimately chooses Caddy over Piper, another reading suggests that Piper’s aggressive tomboy persona is a warning to women that they should not challenge the male ego if their ultimate goal is to get a man.  Like Meehan says, “except in the rarest of cases, expression of female autonomy” is or can be “potentially harmful or dangerous;” of course, whether or not female autonomy is dangerous ultimately depends upon the male who is scrutinizing her (Meehan in Kaplan, 255).  Hence, by contrasting Piper’s assertiveness against Caddy’s submissive behavior, director Chris Wedge further reinforces the male preference of how women should and should not act.
awkward Aunt Fanny: Image courtesy of 20^th Century Fox		sleek Bigweld: Image courtesy of 20^th Century Fox
Finally, the fetishization of the female butt rises to an entirely new level of obsession in Robots when the grotesquely disproportionate derriere of Aunt Fanny grows large enough to become its own character.  In addition to her name being a slang term for "butt," the very first image shown of Aunt Fanny is a close up of her enormous rear-end that automatically places her "at the mercy of the active male gaze" (Taylor 152).  Sadly, because her rear is literally twice the size of her entire body, the woman in front if it becomes lost in its shadow.  Yet, what is even more disturbing that the incessant ogling of Aunt Fanny's butt is how the objectification of the female body is not limited to subjective imagery.  Another disturbing aspect of this blatantly offensive fetishization is the number of butt jokes made "at the expense of the female" and her body (Kaplan, 254).  In the film, Aunt Fanny beeps like a truck every time she backs up, other robots yell for a crane to lift her whenever she faints, she "accidentally" demolishes her kitchen with her butt by merely walking, and she is the only robot in the entire film that is able to fart.  What director Chris Wedge fails to realize is that his ceaseless onslaught of butt "jokes" is not funny.  It is demeaning.  Why are there no jokes about the male robots of size?  Is it because their equally large butts somehow manage to remain sleek, shiny, and easily maneuverable?  If so, it is a double standard larger than Aunt Fanny's attention-grabbing bootie.  Without question, the exploitation of Aunt Fanny's derriere reveals more about Chris Wedge than just a fetish or an idealized version of femininity.  It reveals an underlying lack of respect for women and their bodies.  In conclusion, Caddy's desirable submission, Piper's undesirable aggression, and the fetishization of Aunt Fanny's body each represent an unrealistic male version of femininity in the movie Robots.  Unfortunately, these female characters have come to embody "the failure of popular culture to address women's positive ways of relating to one another and the portrayal of men as 'naturally' dominant" in a negative way (Kaplan, 259).  Since Robot's target audience is children whose impressionable minds are forced to learn at an early age the importance society places on women's appearances in relation to male dominant ideology, it is up to us as adults to point out these negative embedded messages and educate our children about them. © Kelly Bartley 2005
Works Cited Kaplan, E. Ann.  "Feminist Criticism and Television."  In Channels of Discourse, Reassembled edited by Robert C. Allen.  North Carolina:  The University of North Carolina Press, 1987.  Taylor, Lisa.  "From psychoanalytic feminism to popular feminism."  In Approaches to Popular Film edited by Joanne Hollows and Mark Jancovich.  New York:  Manchester University Press, 1995.