How To Build A Better Boy

In class, we had done a cold read and Socratic Seminar on the piece written by Judy Brady called I Want a Wife. It talked about the stereotypical things that is expected/needed by a wife from a husband. After we discussed the piece we were asked the question of what else could be written about, instead of the wife, such as a husband, teacher, student, etc. That's what got me thinking, as I had recently watched the Disney movie How To Build A Better Boy. In the movie the two girls, Gabby and Mae, hack into Mae's dad's work system in which he has created a robot prototype. Mae had wanted to build the perfect boyfriend for herself- hence the name of the movie- in which Gabby helped partake in by hacking into the robot. When Mae was describing what she wanted of a boyfriend, it was very similar and stereotypical in the way that Brady described what is wanted from a wife. Of the personality characteristics of her perfect boy, Mae programmed him to be very polite ("almost Canadian!"), brave, muscular, knows exactly how she feels all the time, and honest. Relating this to modern day society, it's almost typical of how any other girl would design their perfect boyfriend. Through this Disney movie and Judy Brady's piece, we see that everyone has certain standards for the people that they dedicate their lives and time with. For most people, the standards that are set for a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend are relatively similar in that they expect someone good for them and to basically show them off. I loved the movie otherwise and really liked the cold read we did in class!