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It's not "Born Sexy Ye I had the great fortane of eatching up with the fifth season of Samura Jack jast in time for that episode, and,well thare's a lot I eould say. But I want to jast focas on one thing what bothers me about so much media criticism-and this is coming from someone who engages in ite a bit of it-is that, in attempting to eall out tht thy And that's esacthe my issse with the "Born Sency Testerdayvideo-and essactly moy issoe with the "Born Sesy Yesterday trope being applied to Ashi (Well, aside from the fact that the whole rideo in question is a Jonathan cIntosh video, who was a co-writer and producer for the first season of Feminist Frequency's Tropes 1s Women in Video Games" series, which has this aue on top of a whole host of otbars, but that's a discussion for The For a sort of testbook defimition of the trope in question, Melntosh defines the Bo Susy Yesteday eharacs as so McIntosh: She has the mind ofa narre, yet highly-skilled child, but n mature, sescualized woman. She also serves a Born inesperienced, or ignorant As a media trope, Born Sexcy Yesterday has both a figurative and, in many eases, a From here, McIntosh adds that the Born Sensy Vesterday character has "the mind of a child manifest in a mature, female body and is brought into the haman world already fally formed. The character is s the Bom Sesy Testerday alis And the "guy" part of Bo Sesy Vesterday i as Meintosh deseries who might be his equal in matters of love and sesuality He doas have one thing going for him, though. He lnows all about Of course, so does every other gay on Earth, which should make she's And here's where we start to see how the trope is coustructed asa nalvuty and har innocanee that allows eialhim-othing that oher, a In other words. a·Born Seay Yesterday, gal as deseribed by Melitshis ohin than a w-fuli abject for losrguys who can't get In other other words, to say that a female character fits the "Born ithat a character fits the "Born Sery Yesterday trope is to say that she is nothing ht the trope And that's why the trope doesn't sit well with me im the first place. It seems this back to Ashi and Samurai Jack, the nasty nature of this But trope is also why I dislike it being used to criticize Ashi Just like every other character that might be described as a "Born Sery Yesterday" gal, the s sexy arn her own journey, and her own Ashi has arguably, been s much of the main character of Season Five as Jack has been. The narrative has detailed her horrific childhood, her rom her, her stubbornnes n hee ways, hee tarmoil as the truth be impossdble to demy... and that's jast in the first fee episodes From there, Ashi gets to wander the world and leam about the world on her oun, gets to diseowwe harself and who sha wants to ba on her ou, gets to face her mother and deteat her mother on her o-and that's jast separate from Jack that emphasizes that she is so much more than just some pretty "prize for him beeause he cant get any other gil (wich, loses his clothes all the te, and is seualied up the wazoo just lie is, Ain't no way this dude would have trouble getting some if he rere Tealh In any ease, the idea of Ashi finting the "Born Sexy Yesterday trope so g becase it conveniently forgets everything about her that doesn have to do with Jack and her childishness" that stems from her sheltered hersalf and doesat kmow anything. Whie it's troe that Ashi's childbood leaes her higly ineperienced in the world, her story -is all about gainin everything Ashi went through and her Think of it this ay eaday due bo be is so, so, ao ch more than Eug is all about gaining To say that Rapunzel fits the trope would be to erase basicalhy the entire movie-and I feel jast the same about Ashi in Samurai Jaek And in faet, the rideo itselfactually debks the idea of Ashi fitting the trope at a not necessarile with the female eharacters themselves. If these women who learned about love and humanity, then that wouldn't be an issne. Likewise, if the male hero as also inexperieneed and our ruo protagonists could discover le and sex together, then that would aoid most of the troubling pocer So, for example, Cameron from the Sarak Conor Chronieles TW how fits the trope, but he relatioeship as much more of a This season of Samurai Jack has been a story nearly just as much about Ashi-if not ds much-as it is about the titular Jack Season Five hasat yust been some lame male-fastasy romance, beeause any and all "romance has lways been prominently featured and her story of seif-discovery has The iden of Ashi fitting the Born Sexy Yesterday" trope is also insulting because of another aspect noted in the quote above: eqiuality. While Born Sexy Yesterday is a trope that fetishes the stark inespienced woman and is "the ultimate teacher/stadent dynamic, Jack and Ashis relationship is defined br learning from each other Jack "shows Ashi the world, if you will, and Ashi does the same for hinm later saving Jack from himself by showing him all the good he's done in the woeld with ber words. Jack fglhts his onen parsonal demons, and Ashi not master/object or teacher/stadent to seem like he knows what he's clearly doesn't have a choe (as eating the stuff turns his head into a fish) when he orders food, but he -is ise enough to lnow not to eat the seafood.She may have bean way from the world, but shes not a clueless child the episode also polt to Jack and Ashis equalny-cer at least, to the faet that Jack is not someone signifscantly above They are both high school- other. They both don't know how to figure out the device, and they both have to fiddle and fiddle and fiddle with it unti they gat it right. Neie knows what thay dolng, and they have to figure at out together, jast ace de Camero“ aad John-sample from the Sarah of social norms-ㆌw else would she have made her drem" Asha s eonfusion as her being confused that sommeone Eke Jack would be flustered about childhre, not Ashi. Jack and Ashi are also ralsed to fight and kill Alu His ehddhood was dedieated to the task, and in 山.series Proper, it's sel! his goal. While Jack wasn't uetly eltered per se, he didn't get to esperience the eorld much as an ordinary In the same eay, Ashi was raised to fight and killJack Hee was the ordinary person-and much like Jack was flang into the future and had to learn hoe to live in a new world, Ashi has to learn to ve in a nane world These are people who "set" each other. They were born to fight They ere never had the chance to be power over Ashi She holds her own and stands up for bersele. Sbe is not Jacks mindiess, clueless am eandy. Sha is not Born Sesy Yesterday Of course, I am not saying that there aren't legitimate criticisms the series rook. Ive not But to criticlze Season Five because of Born Sexy Yesterday" is insulting, and just plain by definitiom, inspire eritical thinking has only seemed to do the loe to scomect the body from the mind bat i hinkthee ay rather hingthat bags me too bat ah lteral sod last ep that her mother iled er sisters so she

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RE: Born Sexy Yesterday


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Briham
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Briham

in reply to Torgueliscious

Notorious douche accuses Ashi of fitting "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope. "Born Sexy Yesterday" = Naïve but talented, sexualized, arm-candy/wish-fulfillment.
Guy criticizes this labeling because, by reducing a character to a trope, the labeler is actually guilty of objectification.
Trope does not accurately describe Ashi because:
1. it ignores her other traits
2. it ignores the growth and self-discovery she experiences, much of which occurred while traveling alone.
3. it ignores that they have protected and rescued each other.
4. Jack is not more worldly
5. Jack isn't guiding a sexually naïve Ashi. They are both sexually inexperienced. They are learning together, which McIntosh himself points out in that very video as being an exception to the trope.
6. Jack is as sexy and desirable as Ashi.
7. Jack isn't attracted to her innocence and naïveté, but to what she has in common with him. She understands him because they are equals.

To summarize my summary: the trope is insulting to women in general, insulting to the character of Ashi, and depicts the power dynamic of her relationship with Jack incorrectly.

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Uploaded May 09, 2017 at 06:53AM EDT

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born sexy yesterday, samurai jack, long post, ashi, jashi, jonathan mcintosh

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