Miss Piggy: Puppet & Award Winning Feminist?

Recently, the infamous Muppet, Miss Piggy, was awarded the Sackler Center First Award from the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art for her contributions to feminism.

I found this out while scrolling through Twitter and I was speechless.  For those of you that know me, you’ll understand how rare it is that I am rendered speechless.

Yes, it’s cute, she’s a beloved children’s character blah, blah, blah.  But to bestow such an award on a puppet, overlooks countless women who have actually contributed to feminism and the fight for equality.  I’m sorry, but that’s a bit insulting.

When you think of all of the amazing work done by courageous feminists such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gloria Steinem, Lena Dunham, and Malala Yousafzai, recognizing a puppet for its contributions to feminism trivializes the work of these women and so many others.  It’s almost like saying, “Oh you silly women, let’s give this prestigious award to a silly doll, because your cause is just so silly.”

The day that the Cookie Monster becomes the poster child for eating disorders, or Elmo lands on the cover of Time magazine, maybe, just maybe, I will learn to think this is funny.  But until then, let’s recognize legitimate feminists and their legitimate accomplishments.

 

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