More Effective Than the Gillette Ad? “Purl” Takes Aim at Male-Dominated, Toxic Cultures
By Jessica Huhn for DateAha!
Here at DateAha!, we’re very excited about Pixar’s recent short film “Purl!” Part of Pixar’s new SparkShorts series, “Purl” tackles the problem of toxic masculinity in the workplace. But, the short also criticizes any male-dominated environment where toxic masculine behaviors are allowed to thrive, and the way that these unacceptable behaviors shut out diverse perspectives. We’re here to bring you our analysis of the short, but we’re also tackling another important question: could this humorous short film be more effective in changing attitudes than the recent Gillette ad on toxic masculinity has been? After all, while both bring a much-needed message to the forefront, “Purl” hasn’t received nearly as much backlash.
(Note: This article contains spoilers for “Purl.” So, if you haven’t watched the short yet, watch it here before continuing!)
Wrestling With B.R.O. Culture
Purl’s story will seem extremely familiar to any women working in male-dominated fields. Purl, an enthusiastic pink ball of yarn, is ready to start her new job at B.R.O. Capital. Unfortunately, the men at the company (and there are only men) are too stuck in their own hyper-masculine world to care about her. They’re busy following sports, joking at the water cooler, and counting down the hours until they can grab some beer and wings. (Besides the failure to include Purl, the men’s behaviors may seem pretty innocuous at first. However, as will soon become evident, these behaviors are part of a male-dominant culture that goes much deeper, and that even crosses into toxic territory.)
Soon, the men call a staff meeting to discuss strategies for presenting their problems to the Finance department. When Purl suggests a cooperative approach, her idea is quickly dismissed in favor of aggressive, dominating tactics that signal the presence of toxic masculinity. The men even physically push Purl around! Then, they leave her out of a round of beer and wings, a blatant indicator of an exclusive “boys club” culture that will make it much harder for Purl to advance herself.
Purl is discouraged and frustrated, but she soon gets an idea — maybe, if she shoves her own personality and interests to the side, and conforms fully to the men’s ways, then they will notice and include her. She knits herself into a flat shape, complete with a black suit to match the men. Soon, she begins telling sexually objective jokes at the watercooler, and becomes much more aggressive in meetings, to match the men’s strategies (even with mild cursing). Her tactics seem to be a success at first, as she’s finally invited to enjoy drinks and wings with her coworkers.
But wait…
Before Purl and the men can leave for the bar, a new employee arrives at the office. Her name’s Lacey, and she’s a yellow ball of yarn. At first, Purl makes the equivalent of a sexist comment behind Lacey’s back, and continues to ride the wave of toxic masculinity to get ahead.
But soon, Purl’s mind flashes back to the struggles she had as the outsider in the room. She rushes back into the office and welcomes Lacey. Purl’s actions eventually lead B.R.O. Capital to become a much more inclusive workplace, where diverse ideas are accepted and championed!
Inspired by Kristen Lester’s Experiences
Purl’s struggles to stay true to her identity in a male-dominated environment mirror the experiences of director and writer Kristen Lester, who was the only woman on her first animation team:
“My first job, I was like the only woman in the room, and so in order to do the thing that I loved, I sort of became one of the guys. And then I came to Pixar, and I started to work on teams with women for the first time, and that actually made me realize how much of the female aspect of myself I had sort of buried and left behind.”
Clearly, Lester is now far from alone, as the team behind Purl also features women in other key leadership roles. Writer and director Lester is joined by producer Gillian Libbert-Duncan, executive producer Lindsey Collins, and composer Pinar Toprak. Together, they bring this much-needed story to the forefront.
Although “Purl” most overtly deals with the challenges women face in male-dominated workplaces, the story also takes a stand against toxic masculinity in general, no matter where in society it occurs.
- Toxic masculinity is the belief that dominating others at all costs is a perfectly “acceptable” and “normal” part of being a man.
- Some examples of toxic masculinity include the harassment, abuse, or objectification of women.
- “Boys club” culture, like the one seen in “Purl,” usually perpetuates toxic masculinity. After all, this type of power structure often harms women through sexist jokes, exclusion, promotion of women’s objectification, and even harassment.
Andhyta F. Utami explains Purl’s wide reach best on Twitter:
But Why Are Women Yarn Balls in the Short?
As a pink ball of yarn, Purl both stands out and is easy to overlook. She ends up representing a combination of stereotypes levied against women in a male-dominated space. However, she also signifies the value of women (and their diverse perspectives).
Size: Purl is physically much smaller than the men at B.R.O. Capital. She is also smaller in terms of the power structure: she easily stands out in the crowd of men, but the men blatantly ignore and dismiss her several times. This demonstrates how invisible women can feel in a space where their presence and ideas aren’t acknowledged.
Softness: In the first meeting, Purl is easily pushed around. Once she finally manages to share her idea and advocate for cooperation over aggression, the men berate her for being too “soft.” This is a common negative stereotype levied at women in a toxic male space, where continued, unchecked aggression is allowed to reign supreme.
Potential: Scarves, sweaters, flowers, stuffed animals, even “yarn bombs” knitted around trees… Yarn can become anything. Like women, a ball of yarn has almost limitless potential. However, yarn needs support (a fiber artist) to realize this potential. Similarly, it’s difficult for a woman to realize her true potential in a male-dominated environment, especially one that shuts out diverse perspectives. But women truly flourish when others (of any gender) recognize their value and support their perspectives!
Shape: Yarn balls are round —and women are extremely multi-dimensional. But notice the shape Purl ends up taking when she feels pressured to conform. As she perpetuates toxic masculine aggression, and abandons her true identity and perspectives, she is “flat.”
Color: Yes, Purl is pink, a stereotypically feminine color. But that’s far from the whole story. While all the (white) men are dressed in black-and-white suits and locked into their old ways, Purl brings color and vibrancy into the room with her unique perspective. Once other, diversely colored balls of yarn (women) enter the workplace and support each other, and once their ideas are finally recognized, B.R.O. Capital becomes a much brighter place! In fact, men of color appear in the workplace for the first time, and the men wear diverse business outfits instead of all wearing the exact same suit (illustrating that they no longer feel pressure to conform to toxic masculine ways).
Comparing “Purl” to Gillette’s “We Believe:” The Responses
Gillette’s viral “We Believe” ad criticized toxic masculinity overtly, in a variety of situations. Unfortunately, many men were unhappy with the ad, as they thought that it was too “preachy” and resented being “called out.” Several also falsely believed that the ad attacked masculinity as a whole, when it really only attacked toxic masculinity.
In contrast, “Purl” seems to be receiving much less backlash for speaking out against toxic masculinity and “boys club” culture.
Yes, the short has definitely received criticism from all genders for depicting both male and female gender roles narrowly.
- For example, some people became upset that yarn, an object associated with stereotypically “feminine” pastimes, was used to represent women, without consideration that the short could be calling on the stereotype in order to dismantle it.
And yes, there were still others who thought “Purl’s” message was too overt.
However, the amount of criticism that “Purl” is receiving in this category is much less than the criticism levied at Gillette.
- Instead, it seems like the most criticism against Purl has come because the short contains mild swearing and innuendo, a sharp departure from the “family-friendliness” they expect from Pixar.
Of course, there have been plenty of positive responses to “Purl,” from people who are grateful that Pixar is taking a stand:
The medium in which “Purl” is presented, an allegorical animated short, may give “Purl” an edge in spreading its message. Many people probably clicked on the short because it was free, fresh Pixar content, ended up empathizing with the character Purl, and internalized the message without realizing it. After all, the message was perfectly clear, but it wasn’t nearly as overt as the one in the Gillette ad.
Others may not catch the more detailed response to toxic masculinity at first, or be unhappy about this messaging (like they were when they saw the Gillette ad). However, as YouTube user Vicks points out, “Even if you don’t like the social commentary, you can interpret this story as encouraging you to just be YOU, rather than pretending to be something you’re not just to fit in.” After reflecting on this important aspect of the full message, people may think more about ways that workplace structures (or other societal structures) encourage harmful ideas and lead people to abandon their true identities. Hopefully, this will then lead them to recognize and condemn the specific harm of toxic masculinity.
So, “Purl” might end up being more effective than the Gillette ad at reaching broad audiences and educating them about the dangers of toxic masculinity. Time (and social media comments) will certainly tell!
Calling Out Toxic Masculinity in the Online Dating World
Thanks to the #metoo movement, which has spurred media like “Purl” and the Gillette ad, we’ve already come a long way in helping women call out toxic masculinity in all its forms. DateAha!’s mission is to take that effort to the online dating world and make it safer, saner, and more civil for everyone.
DateAha! lets dating site users leave comments on top of any dating profile. This holds men accountable for their toxic behavior, and uses the fear of negative feedback to encourage everyone to act appropriately. Plus, it lets women’s voices be heard when most dating sites refuse to listen to their reports!
Use DateAha! for free comments and messaging on any dating site.
