Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect is a movie about a group of female college students who join a group called the 'Bardon Bella's' lead by a uptight control freak named Aubrey and her 'sidekick' Chloe. At first glance, this film is heavy handed with the stereotypes. A girl wearing thick black eyeliner, listening to/arranging music and curling her lip at most of her first experiences at college; must be an alternative loner. Attractive girl who wears promiscuous clothing; must have a lot of sex. These first impressions do change through out the movie, even if it is slightly in some cases. Beca does make friends, even if she keeps her alternative music and dark eyeliner. Aubrey does take the back seat and allow someone else to take the lead. Chloe does stand up for herself and start making her own decisions. While these are all good things, one character that didn't show much, if not any, development was Fat Amy.

 Fat Amy is a viewer favorite because she is a confident girl, who doesn't seem to care about her weight at all, and makes jokes that are mostly at the expense of the other characters personalities. She claims that she calls herself Fat Amy, "so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back". But this is funny right? Since so often the fat girl is at the punchline of the joke or insult, it's okay to call skinny people bitches. It's okay to assume that they would be rude about her behind her back. It's okay, because they're skinny and bitchy, so they would have done it anyway. It's not just skinny people she targets though, it's anyone with a weakness or unique trait. The girl that got kicked out of the Bella's in the very beginning? "Slut". Cynthia-Rose trying to admit something that she said was hard for her to say? "Lesbi-honest". Lilly talks at a higher volume than usual? "Excuse me bitch, no need to shout". The idea we're getting from Fat Amy's character is that you can be mean or rude to everyone if people are rude or mean to you. In the movie, the only character we see acting in a rude way to Fat Amy is Bumper, yet the list of people she insults nearly takes up the whole cast list. Lilly, Cynthia-Rose, Chloe, Bumper, the Jewish students, even unnamed extras whose only reason for being in the film were to be laughed at by Fat Amy.

While there is a very common and prominent stereotype of 'skinny mean girls' in teenage films (Regina George), it is almost just as damaging to have a 'fat mean girl'. The point of the matter is that girls shouldn't be mean to each other, no matter their size or appearance. While Fat Amy's character may be a new kind of 'mean girl' it doesn't mean that her character is groundbreaking or setting new standards for girls. If a pretty, skinny girl made the same comments that Fat Amy does, she would be portrayed as the 'villain' of the movie; the character we are supposed to hate.

Pitch Perfect has a lot of good points. Those good points include Aubrey Posen, who is introduced as Beca's rival and competition, but is more than just a one dimensional character. She has flaws, she has her strengths, but above all, she has character development. That is what is important for teenage girls to see. It is important for girls to see that: hey, you can be a beautiful perfectionist who is not afraid to step on people's toes to win; but you can also break down, you can be insecure, you can take the backseat, you are not defined by one personality trait, and more importantly, you are not defined by your appearance.

At the beginning of the movie, we see Aubrey struggling to restructure the Bardon Bella's after the embarrassing loss of last year; mainly due to her (slightly unrealistic) projectile vomit on to the audience. This seems to be something Aubrey is unable to escape, where ever she goes, and is a literal, physical representation of her need to stay in control. She is constantly at Chloe's side, and often calms Chloe's panics, especially at the beginning when Chloe is worried that no one will sign up for the Bardon Bella's. Aubrey remains cool, confident and in control; only losing her temper when Beca turns up and starts to insult Aubrey's biggest passion. Acapella Singing. Immediately we understand that Aubrey respects tradition, is fiercely competitive and will do anything to win. On first glance, we could think that this is because of her perfect appearance, and her need to apply this perfection to all areas of her life. But as the movie progresses, we see her need to attain perfection reach obsessive levels, which begin to not only ruin her friendships, but also affect her mental health. After another episode of projectile vomiting where Aubrey proclaims that "This time I'm not gonna choke it down!", we see Beca come back and calm down all the fighting. At this point, the true reasons for Aubrey's uptight personality are revealed. "But I am my father's daughter. And he always said: 'If at first you don't succeed, pack your bags'."

At the very end of the movie, we see just how much Aubrey has grown as person. She lets Beca take the lead, which is clearly a very difficult decision for her to make. Obviously Beca realizes this, and she still asks for Aubrey's assistance and opinions. For example, when the girls go out to practice in the quad, Beca asks Aubrey for a song the should use. Aubrey chooses Brone Mars' 'Just the Way You Are', which is an odd choice for her, because earlier in the movie, she says that they only perform songs made famous by women. This is another small hint that Aubrey is truly leaving her old self behind, and trying new things. The last performance is a perfect visual representation of Aubrey's character growth throughout the movie. She comes onto the stage wearing the traditional Bella uniform (mock flight attendants outfit with short skirt and tidy bun), but halfway through the song, she throws the jacket to the side and lets her hair down. It's a nice symbolic use of a costume to show that, while Aubrey still values and respects tradition, she isn't afraid to make it her own, and have her own take on it.

Aubrey may begin as a stereotype, but she overcomes it and shows what she's really made of by the end. She's confident, beautiful and in control, but she's insecure, a little afraid, and has just as many problems as the next girl. Aubrey is multifaceted, complex, and above all, interesting.

What is a Stereotype

stereotype

ˈstɛrɪə(ʊ)tʌɪp,ˈstɪərɪə(ʊ)-/

noun

noun: stereotype; plural noun: stereotypes

1. 1.

   a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

   "the stereotype of the woman as the carer"

   synonyms:

   standard/conventional image, received idea, cliché, hackneyed idea,formula More

   • a person or thing that conforms to such an image.

     "don't treat anyone as a stereotype"
2. 2.

   a relief printing plate cast in a mould made from composed type or an original plate.

verb

verb: stereotype; 3rd person present: stereotypes; past tense: stereotyped; past participle: stereotyped; gerund or present participle: stereotyping

1. 1.

   view or represent as a stereotype.

   "the city is too easily stereotyped as an industrial wasteland"

   
   
2. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotype)

According to dictionary.reference.com, a stereotype is an image or idea that applies to a particular group. They are a way of judging and categorizing people with only a few generic traits. Using stereotypes means that we don't have to come up with our own opinions of a person when we first meet them, because the idea already exists for us. We can see a blonde woman wearing pink walk into a room, and automatically assume that she is dumb and ditsy without even hearing a word that comes out of her mouth.

Stereotypes are a somewhat lazy tool often used by different groups in the media. It means that the creators of television shows and movie don't have to spend time developing new and unique character traits, when there are already a large selection of preconceived ideas at their disposal. 

But stereotypes can often be damaging to people who share a few traits with the general idea. How could a woman possibly be taken seriously in a job largely run by males if the stereotypes that come with her gender are 'catty', 'domestic' and 'unintelligent'?