My biggest problem with this series is something a lot of the fans, especially the girls, agree with. Whether or not we ship the same things.
You know, how girls are treated in this series. They’re not as smart as the men, they’re not as strong as the men, they’re too sensitive, they’re too bitchy, their boobs aren’t big enough, their boobs are too big, they cry too much, they don’t cry enough, they’re too slutty, they’re too boring, the only girls that get attention are those whose lives revolve around men, I could go on and on about the complaints people have.
But I’m going to talk about one girl specifically, Hinata.
I don’t like her character, and for reasons not a lot of people talk about. And no, it’s not because I don’t ship NaruHina. We all know she’s the most popular Naruto girl. And yes, she is kind, shy, some fans say she is beautiful [though no one in the series or databooks actually says it], some say she is strong [though she’s never won a fight that wasn’t added in or expanded by Studio Pierrot] and she’s very agreeable. So why don’t I like her?
Because she fits the bill of the sexist man’s perfect woman. Here’s a clip from American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron, for reference
Really this entire clip can be applied not just to the entire Naruto series, but the Anime and Manga business as a whole. But for my point, I’m going to point out one quote specifically,
“A good personality consists of a chick with a little hard body who will satisfy all sexual demands without being too slutty about things, and will essentially keep her dumb fucking mouth shut.”
And look at the youtube comments below if you think men don’t think like this.
For those of you thinking, “No, she’s a good person!” She’s not a person, she’s a fictional character created by a man who paired her with another character based off of himself. If you don’t agree that she fits the bill…
…We’ve got Hinata with the huge rack that has been pointed out more than once in the series [chick with a little hard body]. Her entire character revolves around wanting to be with Naruto and wanting to do what he wants to do [who will satisfy all sexual demands], but of course she’s not going to just throw herself at him because oh gosh that would be inappropriate [without being too slutty about things], and she’s oh so shy so she won’t speak her mind whenever Naruto’s being dumb or unreasonable [and will essentially keep her dumb fucking mouth shut].
Yes, she does fit the bill.
Kishimoto is not kind to women in fiction, never has been. Even to Hinata, everyone’s favorite “Byakugan Princess” [because being the oldest girl in a family makes you a princess apparently]. Even since the beginning, with Sakura, Kishimoto created her to act like a “real girl” and not just what men want women to be like. You know what else he claimed he first made Sakura to be? Unlikable.
Despite how great of a person people claim she is, Hinata was not spared by Kishimoto’s sexism. She simply bothers me because she is not a good person, she is the direct result of misogyny.