There's a not-so-subtle message I've been seeing in the media over and over, and just recently, I noticed it again in the movie Brave... 

Last week, I saw the Pixar movie Brave. The movie follows the path of Princess Merida, who is better than most men with a bow and arrow, and has an impulsive temper that matches her fiery red hair. Her parents have decided it’s time for Merida to get married and they’ve assembled the region’s most suitable young men to compete for her hand. Merida, however, has her own vision of future happiness, and it doesn’t include any of the silly princes available to her, so she consults a witch to give her a spell to change her life…only, it’s not exactly the spell she was hoping for, and she has very little time to undo the wrong she has done before the spell becomes permanent… 

This isn’t a review of the entire movie. While there are a few things I could talk about with regard to the movie, I’d like to focus on one aspect, and it’s something I’ve noticed not just in movies like Brave, but in sitcoms and commercials, too, and it bothers me: where did all of the respectable male characters go? 

In Brave, Merida and her mother, Elinor—the only two major female characters besides the crafty witch—appear to be the only intelligent creatures in the whole country. Her father, King Fergus, is such a doofus that he can’t even address his subjects without his wife telling him what to say. The three lords who bring their sons to the competition, Lord MacGuffin, Lord Macintosh and Lord Dingwall (nice name), are equally idiotic and ridiculous. Then we meet their sons, the guys who are Merida’s potential suitors, and find out that they each bring their own increasingly unbelievable level of stupidity and ridiculousness. When I finished watching the movie, I caught myself wondering, where were all the real men? Where are all the guys who believe in honor, courage, and integrity? What happened to Prince Charming? There was not one single, solitary male character with any substance or intelligence whatsoever in the whole movie. I've also noticed, with the exception of action/adventure or super hero movies, our society is using media to scoff at masculinity. And it’s wrong. 

Now believe me, I’m all about girls achieving their dreams, getting their education, and having the same opportunities as boys—I don’t think girls should be denied anything they feel called to pursue based on gender. However, as a mom of boys, I’m a little irritated by the feminist agenda that puts boys down in an effort to lift girls up. It's unnecessary, and it sends the wrong message. I saw it written all over Brave, I see it in shows on Nickelodeon and Disney, and in commercials. I have even written a complaint letter to a company that set a truly heinous example of male stupidity and poor fatherhood in one of their commercials. We need to value each gender for the special qualities God made in us, and like 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, encourage each other and build each other up...not tear each other down.  

Guys, here’s what I want you to know: Regardless of what Hollywood and the liberal agenda tells you, we still need Prince Charming. We need strong men who will stand up for what’s right, get a solid education, provide for their families, protect and support and cheer on their wives and children, guard their homes against evil in any form and be strong leaders under God’s authority. Your masculinity is a gift from God, not something to be ashamed of or hide. So keep growing up into the man God called you to be! 

Your thoughts?