Refusing to Acknowledge That Katara Canonically Was Parentified Isn't Progressive, You're Just Devaluing Women's Work
People far more eloquent than me have discussed Katara's parentification (and how the fandom has a habit of shooting the messenger/getting pissed when people talk about momtara, a term that is mostly used by people acknowledging and talking about the emotional and domestic labor that Katara canonically performs for the Gaang). (And I've reblogged quite a few of those)
(many of these also talk about zutara, since many katara fans ship zutara, "momtara" is often followed by "& dadko," and part of the appeal of the ship is that katara isn't acting as a mother figure to him, and how one can extrapolate that zuko would be doing his fair share of the household chores if they were in a relationship)
this, this, this, this, this, this about giving sokka credit for katara's work, this,
also in this thread longing-for-rain did an excellent job debunking the claim that sokka is a parental figure to the gaang.
but in the notes of a post I came across, I saw these tags, and they pissed me off enough that i felt compelled me to write this.
Giving a man all the credit for something a woman did is not "freeing her from her shackles." Devaluing and erasing the boatload of domestic chores and emotional labor Katara does in canon and claiming that Sokka is the real parental figure of the gaang is rage-inducing and incredibly sexist. Throughout the series, there are numerous scenes of Katara doing domestic labor such as sewing, grocery shopping, cooking, giving emotional support and checking in on the others, and when disaster strikes, she is usually trying to problem solve and figure out what they should do next.
A prime example is when they were stranded in the Si Wong Desert. If it wasn't for her keeping a level head, they would have died.
Aang (to Toph): You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone! Katara: Aang, stop it. You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives. Sokka: Who's going to save our lives now? We'll never make it out of here. A: That's all any of you guys care about, yourselves! You don't care whether Appa is okay or not! K: We're all concerned, but we can't afford to be fighting now. A: I'm going after Appa. [Aang takes off on his glider.] K: Aang, wait! [Cut to Aang still flying away from the group, and then the camera cuts back to Katara.] K: We'd better start walking. We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se. [They start walking in the direction Aang went, with Katara leading the way.]
Honestly I could just post the entirety of the episode's dialogue, because the entire time Katara is being the adult (figure) here. She is the one keeping them going forward instead of giving into despair. She's focused on problem solving, reminds them they can't afford to argue right now, notes that they will need to conserve water, cautions Sokka against eating a strange plant, and instructs Aang to collect water from a cloud.
Also, in the first episode of the entire show, we have this:
Katara: Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! Sokka: [Fearfully pointing at the large iceberg behind Katara that is cracking] Uh… Katara… Katara: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant!
So yeah, even long before The Runaway, the show was telling us that Katara was filling her mom's shoes.
(Yes, as the series progresses, Sokka becomes a fine strategist and leader, however, this does not automatically make him a parental figure.)
