Critical reflection Module 1
When sex and sexuality is discussed/written-about in sci-fi literature, how close is
one’s appearance in relation to their identity (mentality, self-awareness, social
perception, personal behavioural conduct, etc.)? Other than physical attractiveness, in
what other ways does one’s appearance affect the portrayal of their sexuality? Since
sci-fi as a genre is commonly known for narrating imaginative stories/situations, how are
specific descriptions addressed to certain characters important in the readers’
understanding of the literature? Could any of these prescribed physical appearances
and behaviours have a deeper symbolic meaning in the morals behind the genre, that
compared to others, is less based on a reality/moral-ground? In Varley’s The Barbie
Murders brings up this discussion.
The Barbie Murders present a cult of people that are physically modified to have
the same identical appearance, and mentally/psychologically governed to give up their
individuality, and to succumb to being completely ‘equal’ individuals. In Varley’s case,
the physical appearance is an important element to address because it creates
antagonism in the investigation of murders1. One can look at this supposed situation
and maybe even realize an irony created by the appearances of these barbies and their
crime(s). The barbies are modified to be light-skinned, blonde, blue-eyed, of an average
female height. Analysing this sort of appearance through a modern, Western lens, what
are some assumptions/perceptions that come to mind? One may observe and analyse
how femininity (and/or other female-presenting-traits) could be prescribed to embody
and emphasize passivity, submissiveness, fragility, and/or other qualities that are
1 Varley, J., 1980. The Barbie Murders. Berkley Books.
associated with the feminine gender2. As well, the specific prescription of light-skin and
blue eyes can expand into a deeper, social and moral-vs-criminal question. In William
R. Corbett’s article The Ugly Truth About Discrimination and the Beauty of Our
Employment Discrimination Law, Corbett uses the term “appearance-challenged” to
refer to and described people of colour3. Is it by coincidence that these barbies happen
to be light-skinned, or does it echo the social ‘phenomenon’ of discrimination against
those who are coloured-skinned? There is a possibility, considering all the elements
discussed above, that the investigation would possibly be conducted differently if all
these cult barbies were darked-skinned, black-eyed, and/or non-eurocentric presenting
in other ways/shapes/forms.
In a different perspective, slightly different from the perception in which light-skin,
blonde, blue-eyed appearances are thought to be morally pure (privileged and
innocent): could it also be a trait assigned in relation to stereotyped sexual
‘openness’/’loose-ness’ and/or provocative sex and sexuality practices 4 like fetish, that
is to come later on in the story (fetishsized individuality)? Subscribed to the modern
perceptions and stereotypes of blondes (light-skinned blonde-haired blue-eyed
females), the barbies are described as so to create a desired, ‘popular’, ‘sexy’, and even
‘dumb-blonde) population. Furnham, Swami, and Joshi state in their research paper “the
legacy of colonialism and racism in some societies, which has typically meant a
denigration of darker skin tones and an association between fairness of skin with
goodness”. 5
2 Dyer, R., 2016. The Blond Issue. London: BFI Macmillan.
3 Corbett, W., 2007. The Ugly Truth About Discrimination and the Beauty of Our Employment Discrimination Law.
4 Dyer, R., 1987. Heavenly bodies: film stars and society. London: BFI Macmillan.
5Swami, V., Furnham, A., Joshi, K., 2008. The influence of skin tone, hair length, and hair colour on ratings of
women’s physical attractiveness, health and fertility.Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
To conclude, within the imaginative genre of sci-fi literature itself, specific
physical appearances are addressed to evoke and emphasize the characters’ identity
(mentality, self-awareness, social perception, personal behavioural conduct, etc.). This
is to hint at and channel our social understanding/knowledge/perception to help
understand the story better. These prescriptions/designated specification of physical
appearances are closely related to the character’s sex and sexuality in sci-fi literature.
Although the genre thrives on imagination (both of the author and the reader), physical
appearances are addressed carefully with underlying messages, symbols, and plot
expressions (foreshadowing, for example, in the case of individuality fetish in The
Barbie Murders). Each and every of these character’s physical description is to be
interpreted subjectively, while carefully discerning with social and cultural influences
which the reader experiences.
Work Cited:
William R. Corbett, The Ugly Truth About Appearance Discrimination and the Beauty of
Our Employment Discrimination Law, 14 Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 153-178
(2007).
https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/djglp/vol14/iss1/4
Viren Swami, Adrian Furnham, and Kiran Joshi,The influence of skin tone, hair length,
and hair colour on ratings of women’s physical attractiveness, health and fertility.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49, 429–437 (2008).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5399253_The_influence_of_skin_tone_hair_le
ngth_and_hair_colour_on_ratings_of_women's_physical_attractiveness_health_and_fer
tility
Richard Dyer, The “Blond Issue”, Celebrity Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1-5 (2016)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2016.1104882
John Richard, The Barbie MurdersI, Berkley Books, 1980.
