feminist harry potter

A Note on Female Representation in Harry Potter

I felt compelled to respond to the multitude of comments on the previous post about the representation of female characters in Harry Potter. First off, I appreciate every single comment—whether it be constructive feedback, positive responses, or somewhere in between—because the comment section is exactly why I decided to start this Tumblr in the first place: to inspire feminist conversations and dialogues with others who are interested in this subject matter. I am in no way attempting to make decisive conclusions about a feminist analysis of Harry Potter on my own.

Specifically regarding the last post, I acknowledge the problematic limitations involving the lack of representation and inclusivity regarding race, class, and sexuality. Photoshop is not a friend of mine, therefore I do not alter images or create them on my own; every single photo used comes from somewhere else, and I do not take credit for them. When I googled “female characters in Harry Potter,” this is the original Tumblr where I found this picture: Top9 Harry Potter Characters: Female. I am a full time student and maintain the Feminist Harry Potter Tumblr for fun, and I do not have the luxury of time on my side to create my own photos and compile images of female characters in Harry Potter of my personal choice.

Thank you to all those who have initiated constructive dialogues in the comment section about this picture, and please continue to do so with future posts. As anyone who has been following this Tumblr from the beginning knows, I am committed to an intersectional feminist analysis and acknowledging multiple social locations and elements of both oppression and privilege within the series.

As for the criticism around Hedwig—I personally don’t think it fair to discriminate against her because she’s an owl, especially because she’s a pretty pivotal character. Alas, the beauty of opinions is that we all have our own.