Ignorance is the most frustrating quality.

So, in my fiction class we're reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. We were talking about how the main character, Catherine assumes that the proclaimed "hero" of the story, Henry doesn't read novels, because novels are generally frowned upon. Especially by males. But Henry, he says he loves novels and has read hundreds of them. So my professor asks the guys in my class, "Do you guys think you could, like, go on a plane and read-- without getting any strange looks-- like.... [long pause].... The Hunger Games, or something?" The reactions were as follows:

1. "What do you mean?" To which my professor said something about it being "girly" (I am already trying to block this out of my mind, even though I am about to rant about it)

2. "I've never heard of it." -___-

3. "BUT IT'S SUCH A GREAT SERIES! Of course they wouldn't get funny looks for reading it!"

4. "It was recommended to me by my 13-year-old cousin... so..." (to which I said "that doesn't mean anything" ...the first thing I have said out loud in that class all semester)

and finally, 5. "Um, I actually don't think it's girly at all. I mean, they like... kill each other." (this was the same girl who said the thing about the 13-year-old, so I forgave her)

Now, I was extremely pleased with the number of people who came to the defense of my beloved Hunger Games because my professor has obviously not read it. One girl I know to be a Harry Potter fan went all jumping-up-and-down-in-her-seat and talking about how great it is, and the girl next to her (the one who brought up the series earlier in the semester) was the one yelling about how GREAT a SERIES it is! So yes, everyone in the class who has read it attests that it is not girly and that guys would like it just as much as the rest of us do. And everyone else has never heard of it, which I suppose is okay, because it's one of those things that I like to keep to myself even though I know it's going to be huge (*pouts*). I only tell people I really like to read it, because everyone else will either a) not read it, b) read it and claim they don't like it, or c) read it, like it, and act like they discovered it.

I guess despite all of this acclaim in my class for the characters and the story, I can't get over my teacher insinuating that it is "girly." I have heard it called "dark" both negatively and positively; I have heard it called "gruesome" and "intense." Never once has the word "girly" even crossed my mind or seemingly anyone else's to describe this series.

Since when are fights to the death girly? Since when is sacrificing yourself for someone else "girly"? Since when am I "girly" (I say this because the main character is just like me)????? Since when are rebellions girly?

But no, it has a female main character so that means it is obviously a girly book. Seriously, that is the only reason I can think of why anyone would consider THIS series girly and not Harry Potter. Harry Potter has magic and violence; The Hunger Games has starvation and violence. Harry Potter has a boy with a group of friends who will do anything for him; The Hunger Games has a girl with ONE friend who has to take care of her family for her while she's off fighting for her life. The 3 main characters in Harry Potter have either dead parents, or parents who are alive and care about them; The Hunger Games has 2 main characters with one dead parent and 1 main character whose parents don't care about him or believe in him. Harry Potter lives here:

Katniss Everdeen lives here:

And Harry Potter has just as much romance as The Hunger Games does. While Peeta and Gale are both technically swoon-worthy, they have faults. They are not idealized figures for any romance novel-lover to latch on to. What each of them have with Katniss can hardly even be described as "romance." Their relationships are more a result of the need to survive than they are of the desire to be with each other (which of course changes, but I'm saying that they didn't come to know each other only because of some kind of attraction).

I just can't tolerate it when people say things like this, because it's going to make even more people automatically assume it's like Twilight, which it's not. That's probably my biggest fear about this movie coming out: that it will become the next Twilight. Except with Twilight, people have valid reasons for making fun of it. If they make fun of this, it's because they are ignorant and can't bother to learn what it is actually about.

And as for the argument about it being for 13-year-olds: I do not understand this at all. Yes, young teenagers can probably read it without being too disturbed by it, but they will not get it. They will only see it for what it is on the surface, without acknowledging all of the deeper things that make me love it as much as I do. Everyone should just listen to what John Green said about its being under-appreciated critically. Honestly, you would never catch John Green praising anything about Twilight critically-- the most positive things he has to say about it are the world-building and the "beautiful lie" that true love conquers all.

The Hunger Games is not about true love. But it's not just about kids fighting to the death either. I don't know how many times I've said it, but I'll say it again: it's about standing up for what you believe in, not letting anyone-- no matter how powerful they seem-- turn you into a piece in their games. And it's about appreciating what you have, realizing that this world really isn't that bad, and having the will to do what's right.

To sum up, the things that make The Hunger Games not-girly

-Katniss is not girly. (see picture above, notice bow and arrow AND knife, the fact that she is wearing pants-- note also that she is not a fan of dresses-- and does not seem to be phased by the fact that there is a giant gash in her leg. Accurate depiction.)

-the romances are not exactly romantic

-there are awesome genetically-engineered creatures, like giant wolf things with human eyes and monkeys and birds that sound like humans and so on

-um, the main character gets set on fire twice. As does another main character once.

-a lot of people die, including main characters. Generally death is not considered girly.

-there are highly advanced weapons. WEAPONS. Pods that do unique and awesome things, bows and arrows, machine guns, bombs, human-sized snares, tridents (TRIDENTS!), and so on.
-none of the books even have pretty titles.
-the villain is just a man with too much power, not a jealous female who wants to kill the main character and only her. He kills anyone he wants (or rather, has them killed). And his mouth is full of sores because he drinks poison so his enemies won't suspect him, so his breath smells like blood. And he has a beard.

-there is a song about a murderer who wants his love to come commit suicide with him.

-there is torture. Actual, psychological and physical torture. Memory altering torture. Torture that results in death, or having one's tongue removed.

Am I getting my point across here? Because if you still don't believe me, you could... you know, go READ A BOOK.