‘Sexist’ Mr Men joke proves a bridge too far for feminist student reader
Academic claims Mr Clever makes female character feel stupid in latest Hargreaves book
IT was meant as a harmless joke to amuse young children. But yesterday the Mr Men series of books became embroiled in a sexism row after a feminist academic condemned a gag as an example of “mansplaining”.
The claims centre on a conversation between Mr Clever and Little Miss Curious, and a quip about the Forth Bridge in Scotland.
An exasperated Mr Clever explains the railway bridge is named after the river Forth when Little Miss Curious asks: “What happened to the first, the second and the third bridges?” He sighs when she fails to grasp the concept and the narrator says: “It was going to be a very long day.”
It resulted in a backlash from PHD student Shelby Judge. She accused the books of perpetuating “antiquated gender roles” and branded its illustrated characters part of a “sexist iconography”.
The 24-year-old said Mr Clever’s clarifying comment in the book, Mr Men Scotland, is an example of “mansplaining”, and said the text was telling girls they “need to be stupid”.
The publishers dismissed her concern, saying the characters were just getting up to their “usual antics”.
However, Ms Judge, an English literature PHD student at the University of Glasgow, said. “They’re using Mr Men to enforce these ridiculous antiquated gender roles. It’s meant to be a funny joke, but then it’s always at the expense of women. It’s punching down. You don’t have to joke at the expense of anyone – there’s just no need.
“It’s an example of these tiny things that build up to create a whole patchwork quilt of sexist iconography that every child of any gender is going to internalise.” Ms Judge uncovered the offending material during a visit to Stirling Castle where the book, aimed at children over the age of three, was being sold in the gift shop. She said: “They don’t need to rely on such tired gender stereotypes for a children’s story about Scotland.” The publisher of the books, created by Roger Hargreaves and continued by his son Adam since his death, has denied there is anything sinister in the special regional Mr Men story, in which Mr Strong tosses a caber, Mr Tickle pesters the Loch Ness Monster and Mr Noisy plays the bagpipes.
“In Mr Men in Scotland, the many Mr Men and Little Miss characters in the book get up to their usual antics,” a spokesperson for publishers Egmont UK said. “The book is a celebration of Scotland and its unique heritage sites.”
Mr Men has previously been criticised for alleged sexism over the negative traits given to the Little Misses, including “Bossy”.
It has also been suggested the female characters be called Ms. In 2017 Little Miss Inventor was announced as a positive role model to modernise the franchise. But in 2018 a University of Lincoln study found the Little Miss character to be less powerful and have less say than the Mr Men.