by Angie Liza Donnelly is an American cartoonist and writer. Donnelly’s collection of political cartoons which are showcased in The New Yorker. They have made an evolutionary impact on society regarding gender stereotypes as they are widely shown in the media and displayed in museums. Donnelly’s political cartoons commonly circle around using humor to criticize the societal gaze on women. Figure 1, Untitled (“I can’t decide what I’m going to be when I grow up – a good girl or a slut.”), 2020 This cartoon is filled with objects found in a young girl’s room. “Good girl or a slut” indicates that there are only two choices for young girls to be when they grow up. This shows how society views women, which is that they can only be “good” or “bad,” which is similar to a black-and-white situation. It is also known as the Madonna-Whore dichotomy. These two choices highlight the pressure that girls are placed in as they grow up, meaning that if they don’t conform to societal norms they will be deemed as a slut. Donnelly’s utilization of humor shows how even at a young age girls are exposed to the media and other bad influences. Donnelly is warning her audience about gender stereotyping and how it will affect future generations. Figure 2, MeToo Sexism Work, 2020 This cartoon that uses irony and deadpan humor to change society’s views on women. The text shows two women having a conversation about how the MeToo movement has helped to keep sexism under control, but this is immediately rebuffed when a man walks past and catcalls them. This highlights that even with the world improving, society is not improving with it. Donnelly shows that we have to change our mindset: that even though there is a movement against sexual harassment and acts against women, the way women are being treated still hasn’t changed. “We still have work to do” suggests that Donnelly is encouraging her audience to do something and to take action to correct it. Figure 3, Headlines, 2020 In this cartoon, Donnelly uses hyperbole to criticize how women are viewed in society. In the first headline, Donnelly uses text and juxtaposition to create a humorous effect. Stereotypically, pregnant women in the workplace are viewed as weak and incompetent. The pregnant woman should be weak, too, but she ends up running the company. The second and third headlines both comment on women’s menstrual cycle. Women are always viewed as fragile and delicate, and this assumption worsens when women are on their periods. Donnelly juxtaposes menstruation with great achievements like winning the Nobel prize and leading board meetings. This creates a humorous effect because of overstatement and illustrates Donnelly’s criticism of how women are being viewed by society. Figure 4, Where it all begins The fourth cartoon shows a scene at a hospital where babies are being kept on two different sides of the room with their stereotypical colors: pink and blue. This categorizes babies based on their gender and reflects societal norms associated with these roles. By depicting this scenario in a hospital, Donnelly highlights how these stereotypes are ingrained from the very beginning of a person’s life. The cartoon serves as a critique of gender norms and argues that gender identity is constructed rather than inherent. Donnelly’s work often uses humor to address serious social issues, satirizing and questioning how people (and especially women) are formed by society.
To see more of Liza Donnelly’s cartoons, you can visit her website here. a
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May 2024
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