Harry Potter Illustrations That Have an Important Political Message
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"Harry Potter" books remain popular nearly 10 years after the final installment was published, and one artist is helping keep the spirit of the novels alive through a series of colorful illustrations.
Louise Reimer, a Canadian artist, is collaborating with Sparknotes to create "Harry Potter" themed illustrations with a strong feminist message.
One of her creations, for example, makes a subtle statement about consent and a woman's right to make decisions about her own body using the Hogwarts house, Ravenclaw:
Another illustration celebrates the power of Helga Hufflepuff, a founder of Hogwarts:
Reimer made the illustrations after taking an interest in mythology and creating drawings for her project, Mythologie, she told The Huffington Post in a recent interview. In her research, she found that many mythology stories depict sexual violence, and that this strengthened her appreciation for the world of "Harry Potter," which she described as a "much safer place for women."
"I enjoy the imagery of mythology, but I think ‘Harry Potter’ is a much safer place for women than the realms of the ancient gods," she said.
Reimer told Refinery29 that even though she loved the "Harry Potter" books, she felt that some of the female characters had to work really hard to be taken seriously.
"I liked Luna Lovegood and Professor Trelawney, but I wish there was more of a variety of female characters with more depth in the series. It seems like a lot of the female characters have to work really hard to be taken seriously, like Hermione and Professor McGonagall. Whereas the boys, like Ron, can be goofy, but still good wizards."
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, for her part, has been a long-time advocate for women.
AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth - apimages.com
In a 2011 featurette on the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" DVD, Rowling admitted she is a feminist and revealed that she was insulted when someone referred to the character, Molly Weasley, as "just a mother."
“Very early on in writing the series, I remember a female journalist saying to me that Mrs. Weasley, ‘Well, you know, she’s just a mother,'" Rowling said. "And I was absolutely incensed by that comment. Now, I consider myself to be a feminist, and I’d always wanted to show that just because a woman has made a choice, a free choice to say, ‘Well, I’m going to raise my family and that’s going to be my choice. I may go back to a career, I may have a career part time, but that’s my choice.’ Doesn’t mean that that’s all she can do. And as we proved there in that little battle, Molly Weasley comes out and proves herself the equal of any warrior on that battlefield.”
[H/T HuffPost]
