Destroying the Damsel: Exploring the Relationship of Feminist Values
and Heterosexual Romance in Studio Ghibli Films
Leah Bayley-Hay – ENG 403 Literary Research Capstone – Stevenson University
The Female Ultimatum
In the early days of film, female characters did
not serve much purpose beyond being damsels
in distress, waiting to be rescued by her “prince
charming” and fall in love. As feminism has
progressed, so have female representations in
film – one of those character archetypes being
the strong heroine. The fearless, the bold, the
strong, but normally lacking a love interest. The
strong binary that the heroine and the damsel
create leaves us with, what I call, the ‘Female
Ultimatum,’ in which it seems female characters
either get to give up some, if not all, of their
self-autonomy for love or maintain it
completely outside of a romantic relationship.
Deviations from this are not unreal, but rare,
especially in animated films.
Ghibli films, Princess Mononoke (1997) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) are
examples of a well-done deviation and what it looks like to fall victim to the female
ultimatum. My project also challenges the meaning of love/relationships (which in their
nature are self-sacrificial), and questions if love allows for full self-maintenance By
breaking down these representations through a feminist critical lens, I seek to
understand the balance of female autonomy and love.
Heroine vs Damsel
“San’s role as a warrior and her cool emotional control deviates from anime’s
standard dewy-eyed female character. Although she is typical in her youth and
beauty, San manages to possess several unsterotypical traits, notably her self-
awareness, strength and fearlessness.” – Karen Olowu (Deconstructed Gender
Norms in Princess Mononoke, p. 4)
“Traditional gender roles cast men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive; they
cast women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive.” – Lois
Tyson ( Critical Theory Today, p. 81)
“…the sense of freedom and autonomy in the relationship is important in true
love, as well as the acceptance of different tastes and preferences of the partner,
own time, and space for each partner’s individual activities.” – Julita Czernecka
(The Social Definition of Love and its Role in Maintaining and Intimate
Relationship Typology of Attitudes Towards Love, p. 124-125)
Female Autonomy & Romance
Ø By looking at these films through a feminist critical lens, I’m analyzing them under the
assumption that we exist in a patriarchal world/society and thus, most media is a product of
a patriarchal value system – either adhering to or diverting from those norms
Ø Sophie, the female MC in Howl’s, falls
into the trope of being Howl’s “Angel in
the House.” Throughout the film she is the
traditional pure and self-sacrificing
woman that helps save the male MC
(Howl). She abandons every aspect of her
life prior to meeting Howl and devotedly
follows him, proclaiming her love for him
by the end of the film. The sweet romance
does negate the fact that Sophie loses her integrity in pursuit of love.
Ø On the opposite end, San (Princess Mononoke), is a character that walks her own path in
life, has a strong set of morals/values, and an even stronger sense of self
Ø Throughout her respective film, she is constantly fighting for her home, her family, and
what she believes in (the protection of nature against humans). For the first portion of the
film, she even fights her own love interest, Ashitaka, to defend her home. When Ashitaka
joins the battle to help her bring peace to her forest, they form a bond and fall in love
Ø Despite their romance, San never fully conforms to what Ashitaka, or other characters wish
for her. She continues to make decisions based on her own values while maintaining
romantic feelings towards Ashitaka. In the end, she states her love but does not physically
stay with him since to her, home is still in the forest with the wolves and not among
humans. This representation is a successful balance of love and maintenance of self.
Theoretical Terms
Patriarchy – social norms, structures, values, and practices, in which men are are the
governing force and women are oppressed and exploited
Feminist Criticism – a critical lens that observes literature’s reflection of adherence to, or
deviation from, patriarchal attitudes.
Gender Roles – culturally defined behavioral attitudes, patterns, and characteristics that are
perceived as either “masculine” or “feminine”
References
Julita Czernecka. “The Social Definition of Love and Its Role in Maintaining and Intimate Relationship Typology of Attitudes Towards
Love.” Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Sociologica : Zdrowie - Choroba - Życie Codzienne, vol. 14, no. 79, Jan. 2021, pp. 121–
32. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-600X.79.07.
Olowu, Karen '14, "Deconstructed Gender Norms in Princess Mononoke" (2013). 2013 Fall Semester. Paper 5.
http://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/fall2013/5
Tyson, Lois, and Lois Tyson. “Feminist Criticism.” Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, Third ed., Routledge, Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxon, NY, 2015, p. 81.