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.